Viktor Gyokeres insists Arsenal can harness 'nerves' as critics claim they risk bottling Premier League title

Gyokeres has spearheaded Arsenal’s chase for their ultimate goal for the majority of the season and has now urged his team-mates to bring focus and enjoyment to the title run-in despite the weight of hope and expectation on their shoulders. Speaking to football.london, the 27-year-old suggested that feeling the heat is a natural part of competing at the highest level.

“I think if you feel nerves, I think it means that it matters for you,” Gyokeres stated. “I think it's not bad if you take it in the right way and you put that energy in the right direction. So to have nerves, I think it's not a bad thing. It's just bad if you convert it into something negative, and it depends on how you handle those emotions.”

The former Sporting CP man arrived in north London with a winning pedigree, having secured back-to-back titles in Portugal. He insists that maintaining a steady course is the only way to navigate the final months of the season. “You have to be so focused every game and take every game as seriously as you can, no matter who you play. All the points that you get count in the end,” he explained.

“You have to think like that, but also not to get too frustrated if it doesn't go your way because it's always a long season and there’s still a lot to play for. Even now, when we're in April, there's a lot of games still to play, we just have to focus on doing our job and to enjoy it. Not think too much about what can happen or how the end result is going to be."

Arsenal bolstered their ranks with several winners last summer, including Martin Zubimendi, Eberechi Eze, and Piero Hincapie, while Gabriel Heinze joined the coaching staff to provide even more elite experience. Gyokeres believes this diversity of background is vital for the group. “Every player has different experiences through their careers and different feelings about the same situations,” he said. “I think it's always important to come with a different mindset sometimes and to look at it in a different way. But with the same intentions as everyone else in the club, and together with everyone. We have a lot of players in the team who have won trophies, and that's what we want to do again this season.”

Arsenal’s season has hit a turbulent patch at a critical late stage following a disappointing Carabao Cup final defeat to Manchester City and a shock FA Cup exit at the hands of Championship side Southampton in the quarter-finals. Despite these setbacks, the Gunners remain in a strong position to secure their first Premier League title since the 2003-2004 season, currently sitting nine points clear of second-placed Manchester City, who hold a game in hand. Meanwhile, their European ambitions remain high as they edge closer to the Champions League semi-finals after securing a vital 1-0 away win against Sporting in the first leg of the quarter-finals.