Arsenal are a different team since 4-0 loss to Liverpool, claims Arsene Wenger ahead of Brighton clash

  • Arsenal host Brighton & Hove Albion in the Premier League at noon on Sunday
  • The Gunners go into the game having not lost in six matches in all competitions
  • Arsenal's unbeaten run followed a humiliating 4-0 defeat at Liverpool in August
  • Gunners boss Arsene Wenger has said his side 'feels like a different team' now

Arsene Wenger insists that some self-reflection and good old-fashioned home truths has led to the six-match unbeaten run which Arsenal have strung together since the debacle of losing 4-0 at Anfield.

Arsenal were humiliated by Liverpool at the end of August, with Wenger blaming the result on the unsettling effect of the transfer window, and that defeat followed a 1-0 reverse at Stoke.

Since then Arsenal have won two Premier League games, drawn impressively at Chelsea, won twice in the Europa League and once in the League Cup. They take on Brighton on Saturday, a chance to make up more ground on the top four.

Arsene Wenger  said his Arsenal side 'feels like a different team' to the one that lost at Liverpool

Arsene Wenger said his Arsenal side 'feels like a different team' to the one that lost at Liverpool

Wenger saw his team thrashed 4-0 by the Reds on August 27, a week after losing to at Stoke

Wenger saw his team thrashed 4-0 by the Reds on August 27, a week after losing to at Stoke

The mood around the club was very low and a title bid was already being written off

The mood around the club was very low and a title bid was already being written off

The defeat to Liverpool preceded an international break, meaning that the players had two weeks away before they could put things right and Wenger said that the squad knew they had to improve.


'We realised what we produced was not good enough,' he said.

'But that game [against Liverpool] was a special day for us as well, it was just before the transfer window closed and before an international break and overall we stayed united and responded on the pitch.

'For me the weight of the transfer market was much heavier than the international break. It was a very difficult international break as well because you have two weeks to think about everything that happened.

'It feels like a different team [now]. You see the way we play football. You need to have a united group to do that. The opportunity we have is to go into this international break differently.'

And Wenger says he and his team remain energised for the challenge of closing the gap on Manchester City and Manchester United.

'Mentally I am very fresh,' he insisted. 'I focus on the next game. I love football and the way we want to play football so I am always motivated by that.'

The transfer window was still open, with speculation rife about the future of Alexis Sanchez

The transfer window was still open, with speculation rife about the future of Alexis Sanchez

But the window has since closed and Arsenal have gone unbeaten in their next six matches

But the window has since closed and Arsenal have gone unbeaten in their next six matches

Before Sunday's game with Brighton, Wenger said: 'You need to have a united group to do that'

Before Sunday's game with Brighton, Wenger said: 'You need to have a united group to do that'