Sunday’s briefing: Arteta wants Arsenal to handle the noise as City cut the gap

Mikel Arteta has challenged his Arsenal players to come out fighting against jibes that they are “bottlers” as they attempt to win the Premier League title.

The Gunners face derby rivals Tottenham on Sunday less than 24 hours after Manchester City reduced their lead at the top of the table with a hard-fought victory over Newcastle.

Elsewhere, Everton and England goalkeeper Jordan Pickford has not given up hope of playing Champions League football one day.

Arteta challenges Gunners

Mikel Arteta has told his title-chasing players to join another club if they can’t handle the “noise and bullets” that comes with fighting for the Premier League.

Arsenal face arch-rivals Tottenham on Sunday with their championship credentials on the line after they surrendered a two-goal lead to draw with bottom-of-the-table Wolves in midweek and saw Manchester City reduce their lead to just two points with victory over Newcastle.

Arteta, whose side has been accused of being “bottlers”, said: “You ask them the question: Do you want to be part of the noise? Or not? If not go and do something else. Be part of a different club or do you want to be Arsenal?

“And everybody has been demanding for 10 years, 15 years that we need to go back there [fighting for the title] and now we are there, and now what? You don’t want noise?

“Noise is part of it and the bullets are part of that, and we try to deal with it in the right way and achieve what we are looking for.”

Mind the gap

Pep Guardiola hailed a “massive” win after title-chasing Manchester City held on for a crucial yet nervy victory over Newcastle.

Nico O’Reilly struck twice as City edged out the Magpies, who had equalised through Lewis Hall, 2-1 at the Etihad Stadium to cut Arsenal’s lead at the top of the Premier League to two points.

Guardiola said: “It was massive. Newcastle are an incredible team. That game today is what we are going to face in the next 11. Every game will be like that, a battle.

“Now we have three days off. I say to them [the players] ‘what you have to do is take a lot of caipirinhas and daiquiris in these next three days, enjoy life’, and then we make proper sessions and go to Leeds.”

Pickford eyeing Champions League

England goalkeeper Jordan Pickford believes qualifying for the Champions League or winning a trophy should be a realistic ambition for Everton.

The 31-year-old has been a key figure in relegation battles in recent seasons with the Toffees, whose last trophy was the 1995 FA Cup and their most recent European appearance came in 2017, when they failed to escape from a Europa League group against Atalanta, Lyon and Apollon Limassol.

Pickford said: “We’ve seen Crystal Palace winning the FA Cup and getting into Europe, Notts Forest getting into Europe – I know they’re not having the best of seasons but they were close to getting Champions League football last season – and Newcastle winning the League Cup when they’ve not won a trophy for a long time.

“Everyone wants to play Champions League football, why can’t we? It’s a tough ask, but opportunities arise. It’s about us building as a club and I think that’s what the ownership are doing. It might not be this season, but hopefully down the line we’ll get there.”

What’s on today?

Interim Tottenham boss Igor Tudor has the chance to make a name for himself instantly as Premier League leaders Arsenal make the short trip across north London for a crucial derby clash.

Liverpool travel to Nottingham Forest and Sunderland host Fulham, while Wolves will attempt to build upon their morale-boosting midweek fightback against the Gunners when they head for Crystal Palace.

North of the border, second-placed Rangers make the trip to basement boys Livingston, while Celtic, in third, entertain Hibernian.