Mikel Arteta played You’ll Never Walk Alone to make Arsenal players ‘hate’ Liverpool

Mikel Arteta ahead of facing Liverpool, played You’ll Never Walk Alone at high tempo in front of Arsenal players to get them angry before the game.

Think of an iconic anthem in England that if played round the world to most football fans that is easily recognized as belonging to a particular club, ‘You’ll Never Walk Alone’ would be one of the songs mentioned.

The tone has become so significant with the Merseyside club that if sang could be hissed at by rival fans who hold a specific grudge against Liverpool.

Well, speaking of grudge, it was the very tactics Arsenal boss, Mikel Arteta used in order to get his team in the mental condition necessary for Anfield.

It isn’t much of a news that Liverpool boasts of a very terrifying atmosphere for rival players ahead of their home games at the ground from the very first whistle to the final whistle.

Its fans employ intimidating tactics with their loud chants that are meant to distract the opposition from having the moment to focus let alone act while playing against Liverpool.

Mikel Arteta knowing this ahead of the away fixture last season, decided to create an unorthodox tactics to ready the minds of his players while the team were in training.

The Spaniard, as revealed by Cedric Soares decided to bring into the team’s training ground loud speakers and had the Liverpool anthem ‘You’ll Never Walk Alone’ playing all through.

“Of course we work a lot on the game but you kind of work a bit on the atmosphere sometimes,” Cedric explained.

“Anfield is a very known stadium here. It’s always difficult to play there because also the quality, we know the fans will be helping their team.

“So Mikel tried to prepare it as much as he could and his idea was to bring speakers and create a bit of chaos during training so the players needed to adapt straight away.

“It’s good also for the players to have something different in training and also for this in your mind. They will be there, they will be loud, but we still need to do our job.”

The song and its lyrics were first recorded in 1963 by Gerry and the Peacemakers, a song that has so far become an anthem associated with the Merseyside club for ages now, and has become the first noise the opposition listens to going into any game against the club.

Despite the antics by Mikel Arteta, the Gunners still ended up losing the match 4-0 with all Arsenal could do being to anger the team and its fans as the Gunners boss went into an on pitch row with the Liverpool manager, Jurgen Klopp.

On the squabble, Arteta resigned afterwards to reveal:

“He was defending his team, I was defending my team, that’s it. It doesn’t matter,” pointing afterwards that he ultimately congratulated Klopp on winning.