‘We won’t focus on the Tottenham game’

Arsene Wenger says he will not pay any attention to events at White Hart Lane during the final day of the season on Sunday.

Arsenal face Newcastle United knowing that victory will guarantee a spot in the top four, with Tottenham Hotspur having to better the result of Wenger’s team to have any chance of finishing in the Champions League places.

The boss is not surprised at how tight the race has been and maintains he will be solely focused on his own side’s fixture.

“You could see that mathematically it would be very tight but I was convinced of one thing, that seeing the attitude of the players, we will fight and come back,” the boss said.

“I said to some players that we would have a great second part of the season. When you look at the points we made since February 1, I think we are the best in the league and that's down to the mental strength of the players and the focus of the players.

“We will not listen to [the Tottenham game] at all. Certainly some members of my staff [might], I cannot control everybody. But I just focus on us winning the game because after you look at the results of the other teams."

Sunderland boss Paulo Di Canio says he will cut short his team’s summer holiday if they play “without dignity” at Tottenham, which Wenger appreciates.

“I think that is credit to everybody,” he said. “You want everybody to play 100 per cent until the last game of the season [is over].”