English Premier League:Arsène Wenger has blown his side's cover at last. Arsenal arrive on Merseyside tomorrow top and propelled by a run of 12 consecutive victories but, for the first time, their manager has offered up the reality that should they repeat last season's successes against the other contenders they could prove uncatchable.

The Frenchman has suggested already this term that his young side boast the wherewithal to reclaim the league title surrendered three years ago, though yesterday's assessment reflected a club whose momentum has been blistering ahead of their first true test. Liverpool await.

"I feel that, this year, if we repeat our same record against the big teams, we'll be very difficult to catch," said Wenger.

"That's the challenge we face from now on. At your strongest opponents, you want to make sure that you're at your best. But I know we have the ability to do it."

A searing 7-0 demolition of Slavia Prague in midweek served notice of that much, the club's winning sequence now stretching back to mid-August with only two points dropped in the league. That they have yet to confront Chelsea, Manchester United or Liverpool had helped them find rhythm, though this squad has no reason to fear the rival members of the elite group. They lost only one of six games against the trio last term, albeit that defeat coming at Anfield, and did the double over United. It was against the lesser lights that they were undermined.

The resurgence has been startling. Back in the summer, there was a naivety about Wenger's squad, stripped of Thierry Henry and with uncertainty about the manager's future and a potential hostile takeover bid, apparently to be mounted by the American Stan Kroenke. The memory of last season's limp finish grumbled through the closed season. The talk was of Tottenham Hotspur muscling Arsenal from the fourth Champions League berth.

How ridiculous that rings now. Things could, of course, have been so different. Against Fulham on the opening weekend, the hosts trailed after 52 seconds and only won with two replies in the last seven minutes. Four days later, Jens Lehmann committed a handling error to present Blackburn with a point at Ewood Park.

Wenger acknowledged his side were close to reverting to last season's stutter. "What is important is that we've built up our belief," he said. "At the start of the season, that belief was maybe not strong enough to challenge all the big teams. Now we're hungry and in good shape. We're in good condition to go to Liverpool and show how well we can do.

"It's down to maturity. We're not chasing games like last year because, defensively, we are more efficient. We were 1-0 down 22 times out of our 38 games last season. That means, if you don't come back quickly, you're risking more and more during the game . . . But I feel we have learned to be more focused. We have to be faithful to the way we want to play the game on Sunday and dictate our game."

The thought of enduring a slick Arsenal onslaught would trouble most opponents at present, so glorious has their football become. There remains a vulnerability at the back that Liverpool will hope to exploit, but much will depend on whether the home defence can cope with the waves of pace pouring at them.

The perfectionist in Wenger refuses to be satisfied, even after the midweek thrills. "What I like about the team is that we've found solutions to the different problems we've encountered," he added. "There is no perfect game, even the 7-0. It was perfect in terms of the result, but we lost some balls, we missed some passes. Okay, some goals were perfect: goals four, five, six, seven."

That was said with a smile. What will trouble Rafael Benitez more is that, while his team won the league game at Anfield 4-1 last term, Arsenal prevailed there in both domestic cups, the 6-3 League Cup win arguably as sumptuous as the dismantling of Slavia.

That was Wenger's highlight of last term. This year, his side are threatening to scale new heights.

• Guardian Service