Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta has pushed back against the 'bottlers' label as his team faces mounting pressure in the Premier League title race. Recent draws against Brentford and Wolverhampton Wanderers have seen their lead over Manchester City cut to five points, with City holding a game in hand.
Under Arteta, Arsenal has finished as runners-up in their last three campaigns. "It's not part of my vocabulary and I don't see it like this because I don't think anybody wants to do that as an intention," Arteta stated. He acknowledged the sting of dropped points but emphasized focusing on the future: "What I’m very interested in is the next one, what we are made of, what we love about this and how we write our own destiny from here."
Arsenal's recent form shows just two wins in their last seven league matches. The team has also advanced to the League Cup final and the round of 16 in the Champions League and FA Cup.
This weekend, Arsenal faces Tottenham Hotspur, now managed by Igor Tudor, who replaced Thomas Frank last week.