They deserve it: Arteta on giving guard of honour to champions Liverpool

The Gunners are hoping to bounce back after their Champions League loss to Paris Saint Germain earlier this week. They now face Liverpool, who have already been crowned Premier League champions.

For the third straight season, Arsenal are likely to finish second in the league. However, they are only three points ahead of Manchester City, who play already-relegated Southampton this weekend.

Speaking ahead of the Liverpool clash, Arteta said that while Arsenal have shown progress in European competitions, their league form has dipped.

"In the Champions League, we have because we did better than last season but not where we want because we wanted to win it," he said, as per Sky Sports.

"In the Premier League, we've made a step backwards. With the points we've created, it's clear we haven't done as well as last season," he added.

In the past two seasons, Arsenal earned over 80 points, 84 in 2022/23 and 89 last season.

"We (the current Arsenal squad) are there," he said, as quoted from Sky Sports.

"With the amount of points we generated over the last few seasons, we could have two Premier Leagues," he added.

"We're not close, we are there. We are providing the numbers that win you titles. We have to be a little bit luckier, do better and hope nobody does better than you," he noted.

"You need a lot of factors to go your way, like that decision in the clinical moment... We've tried to amplify the margins. The bigger the margins are, then it will be very difficult for the opposition," he said.

He also praised Liverpool and confirmed his team will show their respect by giving them a guard of honour.

"They deserve that," he said, as quoted from Sky Sports.

"They've been the better team, the most consistent. What Arne and the coaching staff have done is fascinating, it's been really good," he added.

"That's sport. Someone is better, you have to applaud and accept and try to reach that level," he noted.

"When you get so close to big trophies and you don't achieve it, it has to be part of that journey to be able to go immediately into a different competition and to perform at the highest level," he said.