Mikel Arteta has said Arsenal “have to become really boring” to avoid being distracted by the prospect of next week’s Premier League title showdown against Manchester City.
Arsenal face Southampton on Friday night aiming to open up a seven-point lead at the top of the table ahead of a potentially decisive meeting with Pep Guardiola’s side at the Etihad Stadium next Wednesday.
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City will have two games in hand as they are engaged in the FA Cup semifinals this weekend but can take control of the race if they beat Arsenal.
“That’s the conversation that we had the other day and nobody’s talking about what’s going to happen next Wednesday,” Arteta told a news conference on Thursday.
“We have to become really boring to everybody and be really repetitive and just focus on what we have to do this morning. That’s it.
“My players today are really looking forward for tomorrow to get the game that we want and the result that we want, to play in front of our crowd again. There’s seven games left, we have four at the Emirates which is for them a big thing. We’re looking forward to it.”
