Table of Contents
If there was a "vitamin" to cure tension, surely Arsenal players would take it.
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” 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?
Why Arsenal fans are nervous
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.
Arsenal's squad is packed with talent, and supporters can be frustrated that those in forward areas do not seem to be able to express themselves.
Arteta is playing this way as it gives Arsenal the best chance of becoming winners, and if they do that then few will question his methods.
He brushed off recent boos saying fan frustration "comes from the right place".
"I think the fans' patience for it is not limitless," football journalist Rory Smith told BBC Radio 5 Live's Monday Night Club.
"They are not an especially beautiful team and that does not matter. If you win the title nobody cares it is justified.
"Most of the fans at the Emirates understand that they have seen much better football than that from Arsenal teams relatively recently and from Mikel Arteta Arsenal teams.
"They have become a very deliberate programmed and formatted team."
But with Pep Guardiola's side up next, who if they beat Arsenal could be top the next time Arsenal play at home against Newcastle, Smith thinks Arteta will have to change next season if the Gunners do not get over the line during this campaign.
"You can win and bore fans, but if you're going to bore the fans then you have to win, that's kind of the deal."
How Arteta has tried to boost Emirates atmosphere
Arteta's record in April is not great as Arsenal manager and he has a win percentage of just 42% from Premier League games.
He is known for trying to create marginal gains to get his side over the line.
And that has extended to making changes at the Emirates where Arteta has been part of discussions to remove the tunnel cover, changing the style of the goal announcement, introducing light shows before big matches and delivering passionate messages to fans before games.
Before the Bournemouth defeat there were two highlight packages played, one with an Arteta voiceover which aimed to build the atmosphere and deliver the importance of the game to supporters.
But that can backfire when the hype does not match the performance – though the loss to the Cherries was just the second home league defeat of the season.
"City are too in-form right now and we are obviously not," one Arsenal fan told BBC Sport.
Another added: "I think it is 50/50 now and if we lose Sunday, it's City's really."
'If he doesn't have support of the fans, a decision will need to be made'
Arsenal have become renowned for their excellence from set-pieces this season rather than free-flowing football.
Their own supporters have started to lean into this ability and cheer corners, while set-piece coach Nicolas Jover has a mural outside the Emirates.
"If you speak to other coaches, they love Arsenal around Europe," Smith added when speaking about their style of play which can lead to crowd frustration.
"I think they are a genuine masterpiece of coaching but they are not great to watch. The way they are organised and the way they are set up, other managers really admire them.
"I wonder now at this stage of the season how much it comes down to tactical discipline and strategic thinking and more to do with psychology."
But whatever the outlook is on their style of play, former Blackburn striker Chris Sutton believes it is now or never for Arteta, which is adding to the tension around the title run-in.
"I do think he has a problem if he doesn't get them over the line in the Premier League or Champions League," Sutton told BBC Radio 5 Live.
"It will change the landscape in which the Arsenal fans view him because he has been there long enough.
"I don't think Arsenal have bottled it, and if they do end up losing [the title] it is because Manchester City are a good side with quality.
"But the Arsenal fans will view it differently and if he doesn't have the support of the fans then a decision will need to be made, so I do think it is make or break for him.
"They have to win the Premier League or Champions League or he will be a goner."
- Latest Arsenal news, analysis and fan views
- Ask about Arsenal – what do you want to know?
