Jurrien Timber has admitted Arsenal need to address the anxiety infecting their performances towards the end of games, calling on everyone to enjoy the run-in.
Far from the Arsenal of last October that seemed incapable of conceding a goal, the Gunners have seemed a lot more wobbly over the last month or so.
Arsenal were beating Manchester United, only to lose. Mikel Arteta’s side went ahead against Brentford and Wolves, but were pegged back for draws. Even in recent victories over Spurs and Chelsea, the team conceded equalisers before eventually going on to win.
The nerves seemed particularly evident against Chelsea, with the team a goal up and a man up but still appearing more likely to concede than score.
Speaking after the game, Jurrien Timber admitted there’s an anxiety creeping into Arsenal’s displays, and it’s something they need to address.
“You feel it, especially at the end,” Timber said. “We stopped playing a bit, which was unnecessary – especially with a man up. It’s something we need to work on, talk about as well.
“It happened a couple of times this season already. We put so much effort into the game, especially in the first half, and you have to go up 1-0 or 2-0, but these things happen – especially like a good team against Chelsea.
“It’s part of the game, you have to understand what happens in the moment. The energy within the players and the crowd, the anxiety. It’s something we need to address and talk about.”
In another post-match interview, Timber was asked whether it’s possible to enjoy Arsenal’s current situation, so close to trophies on multiple fronts, but still unable to guarantee anything.
“We have to enjoy it!” Timber insisted. “It’s a privilege to be standing here with my teammates, with Arsenal, fighting for these titles, I think you have to enjoy it. It’s a beautiful place [to be], and until now we’ve been doing it…hopefully at the end, something beautiful.”