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Arteta: Arsenal Players Must Handle Pressure or Leave

BBC Sport Football •
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Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta has delivered a blunt message to his players, telling them to either handle the mounting pressure or find another club. The Gunners, currently two points clear at the top of the Premier League, have won just two of their last seven league games and face Manchester City in the Carabao Cup final.

Arteta's comments came after Arsenal conceded a 94th-minute equaliser against bottom side Wolves, squandering a 2-0 lead and drawing criticism about their ability to handle title pressure. The Spaniard dismissed suggestions his team are 'bottlers', a term he says isn't in his vocabulary. Arsenal have finished second in three of the last four seasons, twice to City and once to Liverpool.

With the North London derby against Tottenham approaching, Arteta challenged his squad to embrace the noise that comes with challenging for the title. 'Noise is part of it and the bullets are part of that,' he said, referencing the 22-year wait for a league title since Arsene Wenger's 'Invincibles' of 2003-04. His players must decide whether they want to be part of the noise or move on.