Dani Ceballos has heaped praise on Liverpool after being left stunned the Reds’ pressing game.
Arsenal suffered a 3-1 defeat to Liverpool at Anfield last month, with on-loan Real Madrid midfielder Ceballos playing 61 minutes against Jurgen Klopp’s side.
Liverpool are reigning Champions League winners and top of the Premier League table, but Ceballos admitted he was left shell shocked by the league leaders.
‘I had never seen anything like it,’ he said.
‘I’ve not seen up until now a team that plays better, that presses better. That game had quite an impact on me.
‘They suck the air out of you. You spend so much time defending and when you want to catch your breath and get on the ball for a bit, they’ve taken it from you again.
‘I think Jurgen [Klopp] now has the team he first had in mind when he started four years ago.’
While the defeat to Liverpool was a disappointing result, Arsenal have made a good start to the season under Unai Emery.
The Gunners sit fifth on seven points after four games, ahead of their top four rivals Manchester United, Tottenham and Chelsea.
While Emery’s side have suffered from poor defending during his reign, Ceballos believes the Spaniard is the man to take the Gunners forward.
‘The difference is that when Unai comes into Arsenal they had been on a less positive run for three or four years,’ he said.
‘In his first season Arsenal finish just a point short of the Champions League and are just a small step from winning the Europa League.
‘His arrival has been really positive for the club and will be positive in the long term.
‘In a few years Arsenal can be one of the top 10 sides in the world able to compete for everything.’
