Liverpool player Trent Alexander-Arnold has expressed doubt Arsenalabout Arsenal’s mindset and believes the Gunners were guilty of ‘overthinking’ before their defeat against Aston Villa.
Mikel Arteta’s team missed the chance to go back to the Premier League summit after a surprising 2-0 loss, which happened shortly after Liverpool had lost to Crystal Palace at Anfield.
Arsenal controlled the beginning of the match and missed several good chances, but then lost momentum and eventually conceded two late goals.
Alexander-Arnold, who returned to the starting lineup after being injured and coming on as a substitute in the second half against the Eagles, thinks Arsenal may have been influenced by Liverpool’s downfall and might have lost focus.
‘If those matches were switched and we played second and Arsenal played first maybe it would’ve been a different mindset. It all comes down to mindset,’ he told Sky Sports.
‘I think our result affected Arsenal’s result. They might have gotten too excited and thought this is our opportunity, this is what we need to do.
‘Maybe they overthought things whereas if us and City both won it made them think, ‘we need to just win’ rather than it being a chance to breakaway from the pack. None of us have been in a three-horse race, so it’s difficult.’
Arsenal will hope to recover against Wolves at Molineux on Sunday, after also experiencing a painful Champions League exit at the hands of Bayern Munich in the middle of the week.
‘It wasn’t the best experience,’ said Arteta at his pre-match press conference, reflecting on the past week.
‘A loss in the league and a loss in the Champions League but I’m fully focused on the matches we have ahead of us with six games to go. We are one game behind City and we’re going to make a real effort.
‘The situation is clear. If we win we are top of the league. That’s the situation, we don’t need anything else to be motivated or to go to that game with our minds clear and our purpose very, very clear.’
On the threat Wolves are likely to pose, he added: ‘Incredible, so good.
‘And you can see how well they are coached, the spirit of the team, the challenge they pose against every opponent, a really good team and it will be really tough tomorrow.
‘We have prepared very well over the last two days, we had an excellent training session today.’
