Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta has insisted he doesn’t care who wins between Liverpool and Manchester City in Sunday’s showdown because his side are yet to be in the Premier League title race.
The Gunners are two points behind leaders Liverpool and one behind second placed Man City in a three-way title battle.
If Liverpool and Man City get a draw, then will Arsenal be in pole position on goal difference in a temporary first place take over after they beat Brentford at the Emirates Stadium on Saturday.
However, Arteta has refused to give the thought of Arsenal being in the title race yet.
“We can’t control that. We just have to focus on our game, try to win and then on Sunday it’s a game that should be beautiful to watch for any supporter,” Arteta told reporters on Thursday.
“I will sit there with my kids and enjoy watching two of the best teams in Europe.”
Instead, he urged his players to focus on beating Brentford for the third time this season after victories at the Gtech Community Stadium in the Premier League and League Cup.
“Privately and publicly I have no preference (about the result) because it is nothing to do with me,” he said.
“We know the demands we have. We know the demands Brentford will put on us, then the fact we are still not there (in first place).
“We want to be better than where we are now. We have to continue to be better.”
After blowing an eight-point lead to hand City the title last year, Arteta is desperate to end Arsenal’s 20-year wait to lift the Premier League trophy.
He believes the experience of that painful collapse could be crucial this time.
“The team want to keep improving, they feel they have another gear or two to go,” he said.
“Experience is a factor. They have played more time together and understand the system better.”
“It’s great. It shows the quality and the consistency,” Arteta said.
“Not conceding as well, those two ingredients are great. It’s very powerful.”
Arteta believes the key to Arsenal’s surge was their January training camp in Dubai, a restorative break that followed defeats against Fulham and West Ham.
“We had a really tough period before that. We had some defeats and played a lot of games,” he said.
“We needed the trip to keep improving, keeping demanding of ourselves too. Everything clicked. It was the perfect timing for us.”
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