Arteta on Liverpool: We Respect the Champions and Will Create a Guard of Honor

Mikel Arteta, the head coach of Arsenal, spoke at the press conference for the upcoming match against Liverpool, scheduled for next Sunday evening at Anfield as part of the 36th round of the Premier League.

Arteta said: "Liverpool deserved the Premier League title this season, they were the best and most consistent team, and we hold them in high regard."

He added: "We will create a guard of honor for Liverpool's players before the match because they deserve it, this is the spirit of sports, when there is a team better than you, you have to applaud them and strive to reach their level."

Regarding losing the league title last season, Arteta said: "With the points we accumulated over the past two seasons, we could have won two titles, we are very close to that, we have the numbers but we need more luck or improvement."

On the team's plans for the summer transfer market, he said: "We are not done with the season yet, we still have three matches ahead of us, and with the current team and available players, we have a very strong group, then we will conduct evaluations and determine our needs."

Concerning Saka's return and its impact on Nwaneri, he said: "We have used Ethan Nwaneri a lot this season due to match circumstances, but with Saka's return, things may change quickly, and we have to make the right decision for each match."

He commented on exiting the Champions League, saying: "We left the Champions League with great pride, it’s true we didn’t win the title, but we had a good run, we still have three league matches, and we will play them with high competitive spirit until the end."

About the players' mental state after the European exit, he said: "Things have calmed down now, it was a tough moment for everyone after exiting against Paris Saint-Germain, but the team showed resilience and we want to finish the season in the best way possible."