Liverpool-Arsenal: Iraola says title talk is premature before Anfield clash

Arsenal, second in the Premier League on 21 points, visit Anfield on Sunday to face Liverpool, fourth on 15, in the ninth round. The defending champions are level on points with leaders Manchester City, who sit ahead on goal difference. Ahead of the meeting, Iraola said it was far too early to assess the title race and warned that his side faced a difficult challenge.

“It is much too early to start looking at the table; we have to prepare for a very difficult match,” Iraola said at his press conference. He praised Arsenal’s level and the work rate of its players, while expressing confidence in his own team. He also expects a great atmosphere on Sunday and hopes Liverpool will rise to the occasion.

The standings add weight to the fixture, but the coach urged his side to take each match as it comes. Responding to Jamie Carragher, who described Liverpool as Arsenal’s main title challenger, Iraola noted that the season was still at an early stage. In his view, a meaningful first reference point will come after every team has faced the others once, around the middle of the season. Until then, Liverpool must keep improving.

Iraola also referred to the results he achieved against Arsenal while managing Bournemouth, but said those matches offered little guidance for this one: the squads and circumstances have changed. He believes his players will need to win their individual battles, compete in the air and at set pieces, and get the small details right. He described Arsenal as defensively strong and said what happens in the penalty areas could prove decisive.

The coach also highlighted the backing Liverpool receive at Anfield, which he sees as an advantage, including when his side have fallen behind in some recent matches. He said he had expected the pressure of high expectations from his first day and accepts that supporters believe the team can win.

In league terms, Arsenal have seven wins, no draws and one defeat after eight matches, with 13 goals scored and five conceded. At home, they have won all four games, scoring nine and conceding two. Away from home, their record is three wins, one defeat and no draws, with four goals scored and three conceded. Iraola, however, does not want the current table to become a verdict on the title race: the Anfield match gives Liverpool a test against the defending champions, but he is wary of treating it as a conclusion about the season.