Arsene Wenger is a massive fan of Liverpool’s home stadium it seems.
Former Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger has revealed his affection for Liverpool’s home – Anfield, claiming that it’s the ‘hardest stadium’ in Europe for an opposition team.
The legendary ex-Gunners manager visited Anfield well over 20 times during his 22-year reign in North London.
The Anfield factor benefited Liverpool in a huge way in the Champions League last season, when Barcelona brought a 3-0 first-leg lead to Merseyside and left with a 4-0 thrashing in the semi-finals.
Atletico Madrid have the unenviable task of defending a one-goal lead there next month after beating Jurgen Klopp’s side in the first leg of their last-16 clash earlier this week.
After losing to the Catalans last April, Wenger, working as a pundit for BeIN Sport, warned the Camp Nou club that the tie was far from over – and how right he turned out to be.
And speaking to the same publication on Saturday, the 70-year-old Frenchman reiterated his love of Anfield, describing it as a stadium with a soul.
He said: “If Liverpool have changed games in Europe, for a big part it’s down to Anfield. It’s the hardest place in Europe. It’s the only place now you can take a corner and shake hands with supporters!
“You can say ‘hello my brother, how are you?’ and continue to play football. That’s a real football field, you know. Today we build sophisticated stadiums but that is a stadium with soul, with pressure really on the opponent.”
Liverpool, who have a 22-point lead at the Premier League summit, are back in action in their famous ground on Monday night when a struggling West Ham United make the trip up North.
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