Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta has stated that his players need to “be part of a different club” if they are unable to handle the “noise” surrounding them, as they strive to break their 22-year drought for a league title.
The Gunners currently sit two points ahead at the top of the league, aiming to secure their first title since Arsene Wenger’s legendary ‘Invincibles’ achieved the feat during the 2003-04 season.
However, their form has been wobbly, with only two victories in their last seven Premier League matches, allowing Manchester City to narrow the gap from five to two points before Arsenal’s match against 16th-placed Tottenham on Sunday (16:30 GMT).
Criticism has been directed at the team following their recent match, where they squandered a 2-0 lead against bottom-ranked Wolves, conceding a last-minute equalizer.
This has led to claims that Arsenal are ‘bottlers,’ a term Arteta insists is “not part of my vocabulary.”
His team has finished second in the league for the past three seasons, twice to City and once to Liverpool last year.
With the North London derby approaching, Arteta was asked how to prevent external distractions from overwhelming his players. He replied: “You ask them the question: do you want to be part of the noise? Or not?
“If not, go and do something else, be part of a different club. Everyone has been calling for 10 or 15 years for us to return to title contention, and now that we are, what’s the issue? You don’t want the noise?
“Noise is an integral part of this journey, and the challenges that come with it are something we must navigate in order to achieve our goals.”