Gary Neville tells Arsenal how to get Premier League title bid back on track as Man City close in | OneFootball

Gunners’ lead trimmed to just six points as top-of-the-table clash looms

The two title rivals will face off this coming Sunday in a match which may well decide the season’s outcome, and, after Arsenal finished second in each of the last three seasons, many rival supporters are eager to see them fall short again.

But Neville believes Arsenal must take a breath and enjoy the distraction of facing Sporting in the Champions League on Wednesday night before shifting attention to facing City.

Speaking on Sky Sports, he said: “We know the buildup to this game next week, what the narrative will be against Arsenal. People will be saying ‘City are gonna catch you’, there seems to be this joy of watching Arsenal collapse. They’ve got to try and basically swim against the tide this week.

“They’ve got to hold their nerve and balance the emotion. You don’t want to be too emotional going into the game next weekend.

“They have a midweek game in the Champions League which might actually be helpful for them. If Arsenal had a week to think about this game I don’t think that’d be helpful at all. The fact they have another game this week helps them, they can maybe get some confidence.

“But before next Sunday they have to find a balance of that emotion you need - passion and fight to win a football match, but not becoming too desperate.”

He continued, suggesting Arsenal are at risk of becoming emotionally overinvested in the title race.

“Arsenal losing [vs Bournemouth] isn’t because they don’t want it, it is because they want it too much and they’re starting to get heavy-legged.

“It is a real thing. You’re going for your first title, you start to become consumed and it is the mental, emotional drain that means your legs physically feel tired. I think that is a bit of what we saw yesterday.

“The noise around the club, the emotion in the stadium, the expectation, the fact they’ve not done in the past two or three years when they’ve been in this position, this is where it gets real.

“They’ve got to somehow clear their minds and get that emotional balance correct. Who does that for them? The managers play a part, but they play a part themselves.

“This is what they wanted when they were kids. They wanted a medal round their neck, so deep breaths, sleep well, eat the right things, relax. What is the point in panicking? What is the point of getting in a state?

“I think Arsenal need a little bit of perspective, a little bit of ‘this is ok, there’s no problem here’. These players have great ability. Show it on the biggest stage in the biggest match. Go and be that name that keeps cool but goes and finishes that game off.”