22/02/2026

SUNDAY | FEB 22, 2026

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Arsenal players in a huddle during a recent English Premier League match. – @ARSENAL/INSTAGRAM

Arteta urges Arsenal to write own destiny after title wobble Lock & load

MIKEL ARTETA challenged spluttering Arsenal to start writing their “own des tiny” in tomorrow’s (12.30am Malaysian time) north London derby at Tottenham after losing control of the Premier League title race. Arteta’s side held a commanding lead in their bid to win a first English title since 2004, but the leaders have allowed second-placed Manchester City to close in on the top spot. It is a painful scenario for Arteta, who presided over Arsenal’s blown leads in title races won by City in 2023 and 2024. The Gunners have finished as run ners-up for the last three seasons and their latest untimely stumble has raised pointed questions about their ability to cope with the pressure of the title race. But Arteta is adamant his players can handle the tension, as long as they embrace the opportunity to make his tory. “What I have seen is a tremendous reaction again. When you lose points with the last kick of the game, in an unpredictable manner, nobody can really understand that. But this is foot

League games stretching back to the end of 2025, but Tudor is adamant they can win the fight to avoid playing in the Championship for the first time since 1977-78. Asked yesterday how confident he was that Tottenham would be in the Premier League next season, Tudor told reporters: “100%. “I’m not here to enjoy. I’m here to work. It’s the first moment and there’s work to do. It’s a privilege to be here.” While Tudor is aware of the signifi cance of a derby win over Arsenal, he is more concerned with building a strong team spirit to help fuel their survival bid. “I understand the importance of this game. This is a derby, a north London derby,” he said. “This is a team that is full of quality, full of talented players, with good motor engines. “But my goal in these first training sessions is that we became a team, with a really right way of going to war. “A team who want to suffer. To fight, to run, to have the right mentality. This is the start.” – AFP

flight matches. Tottenham are just five points above the relegation zone and interim boss Igor Tudor will be taking charge for the first time following Thomas Frank’s sacking. Arsenal thrashed Tottenham 4-1 in November, but Arteta is wary about fac ing a team with a new manager. “I think it has happened seven times already to us this season,” he said. “We will have the capacity to adapt but the main focus is on what we have to do to win. “It’s the match we have next and the one we cannot wait to play. We have to show up on Sunday.” Tottenham interim manager Tudor said he is “100%” sure his troubled club will avoid relegation as he prepares for his first London derby with Spurs lan guishing just above the relegation zone, sparking fears of a catastrophic drop into the second tier. The Croatian knows Tottenham are a club in turmoil following a dismal run of just two victories in their last 17 League matches. They are winless in their last eight

ball,” he told reporters yesterday. “Life moves on, there’s nothing we can do. It is about what happens next. “That was a chapter. In chapter 27, we draw against Wolves. In the next one it is about how we write our own des tiny going forward.” Arsenal have squandered the lead in their last two matches, drawing 1-1 with Brentford and 2-2 at bottom-of-the-table Wolves. Failing to beat Wolves after establish ing a two-goal lead was especially pain ful, with a mix-up between keeper David Raya and defender Gabriel Magalhaes sparking Tom Edozie’s stop page-time equaliser. “The immediate reaction is tough. It was a shock to the system. We wanted to win and we couldn’t and we have to move on,” Arteta said. “But we have clear instructions. We have to live in the present. The present is beautiful, we are exactly where we want to be in every competition.” Arsenal have won just two of their last seven league games, but troubled Tottenham are in even worse form, with no wins in their previous eight top

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