Hunger and desire the 'vitamin' for Arsenal fans' tension
The Gunners face Manchester City on Sunday in a top-of-the-table match which could define their season - and potentially Mikel Arteta's time in charge of the club. His side are six points clear at the top of the Premier League, but despite reaching the Champions League semi-finals, have won just one of their past five matches in all competitions. The Arsenal manager has previously spoken about his and the fans' "willingness to win", and that desperation from supporters to see success has led to some tense moments, particularly at home.
Before the defeat by Bournemouth , in Arteta's rallying cry to supporters he urged them to "bring your lunch, bring your dinner" , external and added "let's all go together". The Gunners were booed off after the 2-1 defeat by the Cherries , and because of the high stakes of the match with Sporting in the Champions League quarter-final four days later, understandably there were some nervy moments. In Sunday's high-stakes match Arteta is trying to prevent that tension from seeping on to the pitch.
"That has to be the vitamin for everybody," he said. "In whatever we do, that is going to elevate us to be better, to drive us to be better. To have more hunger and desire to do it than in a negative way.
" But will fan tension and the high stakes of the title run-in play a part in the Gunners' success? Listen to live commentary on BBC Radio 5 Live and BBC Sounds; follow live text commentary on the BBC Sport app and website. Supporters have good reason to be anxious heading into the final part of the title race after three successive second-place finishes and a 22-year wait for a top-flight title.
It is strange for a side top of the table by six points to be having questions asked about why things are not going well, but that is because of how results and performances have dipped in recent weeks. Arsenal under Arteta play with control, and use that to grind teams down as they pin them back into their own half. But when a team resists that, it can lead to nervy performances and questions about the style of play.