Arsene Wenger says he welcomes the pressure Sunday’s vital match at Newcastle United will place upon him and his side.
The Arsenal manager knows that a victory at St James’ Park will secure a top-four finish and the chance to play Champions League football next season.
Wenger believes a little tension can actually be a positive at this stage of the season, and can help get the best out of a team.
“The pressure is big of course,” he said. “But I always said the worst [thing] in my job is to play games without any pressure.
“Sometimes you think it would be nice to have a game with no pressure, but when you have one you think, 'let's get it back, it's so boring'.
“What would be terrible would be to go to Newcastle and have nothing at stake for us. We have what we wanted so let's just finish the job.”
Wenger acknowledges that his input will be vital ahead of Sunday’s trip to St James’ Park.
“We are in a period where the job of the managers is important,” he said. “But I feel that a manager is always important because he has an influence on the team and the results.
“This is period where sometimes you have to deal with the nerves of the players and the environment. That is a big part of it.”
Copyright 2024 The Arsenal Football Club Limited. Permission to use quotations from this article is granted subject to appropriate credit being given to www.arsenal.com as the source.
