The Japan Times - Arsenal must win trophies to leave 'legacy' - Arteta

Arsene Wenger's side romped to the title 22 years ago without losing a single league game.

Arsenal head into Thursday's clash at home to reigning champions Liverpool with a six-point lead at the top of the table, although Manchester City and Aston Villa can cut that gap when they are in action on Wednesday.

Arteta's men, runners-up for the past three seasons, have two more points and four more goals than Wenger's 'Invincibles' managed after 20 games.

But the Spaniard said those stats matter little unless Arsenal go on to win the league.

"No because 'the Invincibles' won a lot," Arteta told his pre-match press conference on whether his side can be considered better than Arsenal's last title winners.

"They won consistently, and they created a history and a legacy, and we have to do that."

The lone major piece of silverware won by Arsenal in six years under Arteta remains the 2020 FA Cup

"There are a lot of stats, but in the last two or three years we have managed more points and more goals than ever before. But at the end, we have to translate that to major trophies," he added.

"Probably doing what we are doing now would have been enough (in 2004), but now it's not, and we have to make the margins even bigger."

Arsenal lost 1-0 to Liverpool at Anfield back in August in what was billed as an early showdown between title rivals.

The defending champions head to the Emirates 14 points off the top after a difficult second season for Arne Slot, but Arteta insisted the Reds remain "a superb side".

- 'You need support' -

The Gunners remain without sidelined defenders Riccardo Calafiori and Cristhian Mosquera but are "monitoring the load" on Kai Havertz as the Germany forward intensifies his training while continuing to recover from a long-term leg injury.

Arteta, meanwhile, said he was "sad" to see rival boss Ruben Amorim sacked by Manchester United on Monday after just 14 months in charge at Old Trafford.

The Portuguese coach's exit followed growing tensions with senior United officials, including director of football Jason Wilcox, over recent days.

United co-owner Jim Ratcliffe had previously suggested Amorim would be given at least three years in charge, citing Arsenal's patience with Arteta as an example to follow.

Appointed in 2019, Arteta endured a rocky start to his time in charge of Arsenal.

But they are now a commanding 17 points ahead of sixth-placed United, who won just 25 of 63 games in all competitions under Amorim.

"I can only talk about what I have experienced and it's always sad to see a colleague losing his job, obviously," said Arteta. "We know where we are and I think you need support from the ownership, from your staff, from players.

"At the end of the day, you need to win a lot of football matches if you want to stay in the job, and that's the reality and the nature of our job."

H.Hayashi--JT