Jurrien Timber has admitted Arsenal need to “address and talk about” the anxiety they feel when trying to see out games.
The Gunners edged past Chelsea 2-1 on Sunday but needed goalkeeper David Raya to pull off a 92nd-minute save to deny Alejandro Garnacho. Since the turn of the year Arsenal have conceded late goals against Wolves, Brentford and Manchester United that have cost them points, and Timber called the scare against Chelsea “unnecessary”.
“You feel it, especially at the end,” Timber said. “We stopped playing a bit [against Chelsea], which was unnecessary – especially with a man up. It’s something we need to work on, talk about as well. It happened a couple of times this season already. We put so much effort into the game, especially in the first half, and you have to go up 1-0 or 2-0, but these things happen – especially against a good team like Chelsea. It’s part of the game, you have to understand what happens in the moment. The energy within the players and the crowd, the anxiety. It’s something we need to address and talk about.”
The win kept Arsenal five points clear of Manchester City, who have a game in hand, but Timber warned the side cannot get ahead of themselves despite there being nine league games to go. “I heard it was nine games to go but it still feels so far off because we’re playing in Champions League, FA Cup and Carabao Cup,” he said. “Game by game. If we look too far ahead, it becomes a bit a bit too much.”
Timber was full of praise for Raya, who produced a standout performance against Chelsea. In the first half Raya made a superb stop to prevent what might have been a Declan Rice own goal, then made three second-half saves, including a two-handed stop to deny Joao Pedro at close range, before his late heroics to deny Garnacho.
“David is amazing,” Timber said. “Often he shows that he wins us games. He has a lot of magic moments. He’s a great character and a leader in our group. He made a good save, [there were] some good defensive actions as well with Big Gabi [Gabriel]. These actions you need in the game, they can define a season.”
Arsenal’s next six fixtures:
March 4: Brighton (A), Premier League, kick-off 7.30pm
March 7: Mansfield Town (A), FA Cup fifth round, kick-off 12.30pm
March 11: Bayer Leverkusen (A), Champions League last 16 first leg, kick-off 5.45pm
March 14: Everton (H), Premier League, kick-off 5.30pm
March 17: Bayer Leverkusen (H), Champions League last 16 second leg, kick-off 8pm
March 22: Man City (N), Carabao Cup final, Wembley, kick-off 4.30pm