Jurrien Timber says Arsenal must address anxiety in title race
Jurrien Timber has urged his Arsenal team-mates to address the anxiety threatening their Premier League title bid following a tense victory over Chelsea.
The Gunners restored a five-point advantage over Manchester City at the summit with a 2-1 win at the Emirates Stadium on Sunday.
Mikel Arteta’s side secured the points despite a late scare against a Chelsea team reduced to 10 men following Pedro Neto’s dismissal.
David Raya was forced into a crucial stoppage-time save to deny Alejandro Garnacho, while Liam Delap saw a late equaliser ruled out for offside inside a nervous stadium.
Nerves at the Emirates
Timber, who scored the decisive goal, acknowledges the tension transferred from the stands to the pitch during the closing stages.
“You feel it, especially at the end,” admitted the Dutch international.
“We stopped playing, which was unnecessary, especially when we had a man up.”
The former Ajax defender believes this psychological hurdle is becoming a recurring theme during the run-in.
“It is something we need to work on, and talk about as well,” he added.
“It is part of the game, the energy within the players, the crowd, the anxiety. It’s something we need to address and talk about, but we handled it well today.”
Fighting on four fronts
Arsenal travel to Brighton on Wednesday as they navigate the final nine matches of a campaign that could end a 22-year wait for the league title.
The north London club remain in contention for a quadruple, with a Carabao Cup final against Manchester City scheduled for later this month.
They have also progressed to the last 16 of both the Champions League and the FA Cup.
“From the beginning of the season every performance and every three points count,” said Timber.
“At the same time, I heard it is just nine games to go, but it feels like we are still so far off because we are playing in the Champions League, FA Cup and Carabao Cup.”
“There are so many games to play, and if we look too far ahead it becomes a bit too much. So for now, we recover and look at Brighton.”
