Arteta says ´bottlers´ tag is not in Arsenal´s vocabulary

Mikel Arteta says the term “bottlers” is not in Arsenal’s vocabulary, as they look to recover from their recent wobble in the Premier League title race.

Arsenal visit Tottenham on Sunday for a North London derby that could have massive ramifications at both ends of the table, with the Gunners feeling the pressure at the summit.

After conceding a 94th-minute equaliser in Wednesday’s 2-2 draw with bottom club Wolves, Arsenal are five points clear of Manchester City having played an additional game.

Should Pep Guardiola’s side beat Newcastle United on Saturday, they will be within two points of the Gunners by the time they take to the field against their arch-rivals.

Having finished as runners-up in each of the last three seasons, many pundits have suggested Arsenal’s history of missing out on the title has left a mental scar.

But when asked about his team being described as “bottlers”, Arteta told reporters: “That’s individual opinion, and you have to respect that.

“You lose two points against Wolves in the manner that the game played out, and you have to take it on the chin. That’s it. It’s part of our role.

“But 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. I wouldn’t use that word.”

*gulps* pic.twitter.com/UfxIjvwtsF

— Opta Analyst (@OptaAnalyst) February 20, 2026

Arsenal have now failed to win from a leading position in three of their last five Premier League games, also drawing against Brentford and losing to Manchester United.

Declan Rice knows they now have less room for error, but he is confident in their ability to shut out external criticism.

He told Sky Sports: “We’re first and there is outside noise. I’ve found some people want to talk it up.

“One thing that stuck with me after the Manchester United game – the manager talked about looking at the position that we’ve earned for ourselves. We have to enjoy this.

“And we enjoy it every day. Of course you do. This is our job. We’re playing for Arsenal, we’re in the final of the [EFL] Cup, in the next round of the FA Cup, in the Champions League, first in the Premier League.

“We need some perspective about where we are, but also we need to look a bit bigger to understand that if we carry on doing what we’re doing in terms of the results, it isn’t going to last.

“It’s on us as players to pick that up because we have it in us to win every game. I genuinely believe with this group, with what we’ve done here before, we could go on the run and easily win games.”