Lee Dixon: Mikel Arteta Is a Bag of Nerves in the Title Race

Speaking exclusively with BOYLE Sports , former Arsenal and England defender Lee Dixon has given his thoughts on the Premier League title race, Mikel Arteta 's composure on the sideline, and the atmosphere at the Emirates .

Dixon, who won four league titles during his time in North London , believes nerves are crossing from the terraces to the pitch at crucial moments in the run-in.

The former right-back also shares his score prediction for Arsenal vs Fulham , his assessment of whether the title could be decided on goal difference, and what it would mean if Arteta ends the season empty-handed.

Newcastle Assessment

Should Arsenal Fans Worry By The Performance Against Newcastle?

I think at this stage in the season, most Arsenal fans really don't care how they play. I walked out with quite a lot of the fans after the game. There was a lot of chat about going back to winning ways, and obviously, after the two results they had previously, it was really important. They were at home, too, two weeks after losing to Bournemouth in a really dreadful performance. I think a lot of the fans had that in their mind, even though the Man City game was an improved performance, and they at least had a go.

I think the fans had something to hold on to then, but going to the game against Newcastle , it was going to be one of those tricky games. Newcastle are pretty terrible away from home, so you'd expect them to win the game, and sure enough, when they scored, it was like, 'Okay, we're going to be okay now.'

I said in commentary with 15 or 20 minutes to go, 'You watch the atmosphere in this place change,' and sure enough, the nerves set in with the fans. That definitely crosses over to the players. Being on the pitch and hearing the difference in the noise, not so much obviously at Highbury but at the Emirates , you can kind of feel the difference, and it does affect the players. It shouldn't do, but it does.

They are human beings, and they have to go through a process of emotion in the 90 minutes, the ups and downs of being in winning positions, and then getting clawed back. With five games to go, the pressure's right on them to win every single game. So, I'll take one-nil to the Arsenal every day of the week.

Arsenal vs Fulham

Can Arsenal Go Six Clear?

In the Bournemouth game, I'd never seen an away team come to the Emirates and be so comfortable. It doesn't matter how you play with six or seven games to go in a run-in when you're going for the title. What matters is that you put the opposition under a huge amount of pressure. They should be coming to the Emirates against Arsenal, going, 'This is going to be a really tough game. Whether they play well or not, we're going to have to run farther than we've ever run. We're going to have to be strong in the tackle. Our mentality's got to be right.'

All of those things have got to be right when you're going away from home at a big club. But they had a day out. They all had smiles on their faces. It was too easy for them. The nerves got to Arsenal a little bit, and the performance suffered because of it, and they lost the game. So, again, it's a game that Arsenal should be looking to win quite easily. I think Newcastle at home and Fulham at home, when you're at the potential of goal difference being what wins you the title, then they've got to be looking at putting some goals away. So, obviously they've not done that against Newcastle , albeit the three points is the most important thing.

Going against the Fulham side that you would expect them to beat, if they can whack two or three goals past them and then just put a bit more pressure on Man City , because they've got to win all their games as well. Even though they lost against City , I did feel that the title wasn't over. I think a lot of the fans were going, 'Well, that's it. They're going to win the game in hand,' which they did, 'and then they're going to steamroll everybody.' I still think there are a couple of twists in this tale yet.

Does A Win Make Them Title Favourites?

Pep will always say, 'Give me a lead any day of the week.' As a player, I've been in the lead and got chased down, and I've also been on the opposite side, chasing Manchester United down in '98. We were 13 points behind them at one point. We chased them down, and we knew when we beat them at Old Trafford that we had three games in hand, I think. We knew we had a chance. They looked broken after that game, and sure enough, we went on to win the league.

We won 10 games on the trot. I think this City side is slightly different because they're normally the ones in front, but you could tell three or four games ago they smelt blood in the water. You could almost feel them in the dressing room having a little nod and a wink to each other before they went out, saying this could be the game. Sure enough, they beat Arsenal at home, and it set up a brilliant title race.

We haven't had a proper title race like this one for a few years. Albeit, obviously, I want Arsenal to win it, but from a broadcasting point of view, which is what I'm doing now, it's brilliant for us. We get to see established international players in a nervy disposition, which is fun to watch at times. I can tell you now, on the other side of it, when you're in that position, it's not a lot of fun. These players want to get this over and done with as soon as possible because the nerves are quite terrifying at times.

Prediction: Arsenal vs Fulham

I'll settle for Arsenal 2-0 Fulham, and I think we will win the game. Fulham , obviously, the way they play, they're going to be in a position where they've seen the Bournemouth result, they've seen the Newcastle result. They'll have a game plan about frustration, and they know that these fans are right on the edge of their nerves. So, if they can make it nervy in the first 10, 15, 20 minutes, it just puts a bit of pressure on.

I don't think Newcastle really did that. Although they played quite well, they had a lot; they had like nine shots in the first half, but it didn't seem that type of game. I was trying to remember the shots going, 'Yeah, I'll remember that. We'll remember that.' It didn't seem like they had nine shots in the first half, but they tried their best to frustrate. And as I said, the last 10 minutes of the game were a bit nervy. The crowd were quiet at times, which is not helpful to the players.

Goal Difference

Could Goal Difference Decide The Title?

I don't think you can predict it. I know that's my job, to say what I think, but I think it's so close now, based on that City result, that we're in a position where if you were to look at previous seasons and where both teams are at now, you'd probably edge towards Man City . This is based on the fact they've been there, they've done it, and they know how to get over the line. Everyone will talk about them knowing how to win, and it's a statement because they have won. But when you break the statement down and try to analyse what that means, it's all about experience, what you've got and what you've done previously, where you're at right now, and knowing how you feel. It's all about a feeling in your chest.

When you haven't done it, you get fearful; we all get fearful. Even the City players will be nervous, and that's based around fear. They feel that, but because they've done it, they know they can overcome those feelings by breaking down the problem. For example, if you're playing against somebody and you're fearful, why is Ryan Giggs making me fearful? You break it down and go, 'Because he does this trick, he takes you inside to take you outside.' You break the problem down, and then you realise, 'Well, I know how to stop that.'

So, all of a sudden, you become a bit more confident. 'This is what I'm scared of, I need to do this to stop him doing that.' You break it down, and you start calming yourself down a little bit, and that's what experience gives you. It gives you a knowledge that you can do the job you're supposed to do. You almost block the fans out because it doesn't really matter what they're saying if you stay in your little bubble and go, 'This is my job.' If all 11 players do their job individually, then the team plays well.

There's a lot of rubbish talked about team spirit: 'You've got to be together.' No, you haven't. What you've got to be is individually brilliant, and then the collective becomes the team effort, and then you normally win a game if you've got the ability, which both sets of players have.

Mikel Arteta

Arteta Is A Bag Of Nerves!

Mikel Arteta will be a bag of nerves, don't worry about that. We've seen him over the years, and I think he's a lot better this year. And I say 'better,' I mean, it's not 'better,' it's just different. On the sideline, he looks a little bit less jittery. The angst that he's got, he's keeping it to himself a little bit, which is good. His messages that he portrays to the players are a little calmer from the sidelines. You know, he gets animated, but he's not as jumpy as he used to be. And that, again, is his experience of coming second every year for the last three or four years. So he himself has a big jump to make to get to Pep 's level of winning the league. And Pep 's got his number a little bit on a 1v1.

That's understandable; he's the apprentice to the master. So there's a little bit of a 'want to prove it to him.' And sometimes he makes decisions that maybe he wouldn't do against other managers. But I think that the ability to create an environment for the players to feel confident and free, if you can do that, they're all brilliant footballers. If you put them on that platform to be able to express themselves in the way that they would do if there was nobody watching, then that's the key to being the manager.

Arsene Wenger was brilliant at it because he didn't create any pressure around the players at all. He didn't give you instructions that complicated things. He just used to say to me before I go out, 'Play with freedom.' I used to go, 'What does that mean? What does he mean by that?' And it would get me thinking about what playing with freedom feels like. And so in a way, that's the best thing he could have said to me because I'm not thinking about complicated scenarios of coaching on the pitch. I'm thinking, 'Just play with freedom. Just see a pass, just pass it.' And it simplifies the game. And if you do that, these players will perform for you.

Would Arteta Walk?

I don't really know Mikel that well. I've met him a few times, had chats with him, but I don't know him as a character. I know a few players who've played with him. He doesn't seem like a quitter to me in that respect. Where else is he going to go? You say, is he going to go to City ? Is he going to follow on from Pep ? That would obviously be a pathway to doing that job if City saw fit.

But I don't know, it's a really good question because only he will know how he feels about the achievements he's made. He's won the FA Cup . But his position in the history of Arsenal 's managers will suggest that he's failed inasmuch as he hasn't won the league. Would that be enough to push him over the edge, or would he go, 'No, we're only going one way, we're still going up, we're still better than we were four years ago?' He might see that as still part of his pathway.

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