Gary Lineker's F-bomb Arsenal rant and what Mikel Arteta must be telling 'scared' players

Arsenal have a fresh opportunity to put points back on the board after their costly slip‑up against Bournemouth - a result Manchester City capitalised on by beating Chelsea

Gary Lineker has offered an X‑rated message about the mentality he believes Mikel Arteta will be instilling in his Arsenal players following their latest setback - a 2-1 home defeat to Bournemouth. As the Premier League heads into its decisive final weeks, every dropped point risks unsettling the players, but Arsenal will have the chance to steady themselves when they face their direct rivals next weekend.

With Manchester City holding a game in hand against Crystal Palace, the margins remain tight - it is effectively do or die for Arsenal. During his usual appearance on the Rest is Football podcast, Lineker reflected on the pressure Arsenal’s players will be feeling at this stage of the season and delivered a clear message.

"This is genuinely what I believe and it's easier said than done but it's something that I did," Lineker said. "You've got to revel in the situation, you've got to enjoy the pressure.

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"Where do you want to be in the middle of the table? You're fighting for the glory, this is it. And if it doesn't happen, it doesn't happen but my God, enjoy it.

"It's like amazing, like buzz of going out into big games, World Cups, league title deciders, FA Cup finals. That's what you dream about so don't be scared. It's easy to say and we're all different, we handle things in different ways.

"But don't be scared of it when it arrives, that's what you've dreamed about. If I were the coach, that's what I'd be saying to them, 'you're doing amazing, you're flying, you're six points top of the league Arsenal players.

"You've done that because you're so good, this is going to be the title charge, let's f****** relish it.'"

Arteta did not hide his frustration after the defeat to Andoni Iraola's side at the Emirates on Saturday.

"Disappointing," he told TNT Sports. "It's a big punch in the face and it's about how we react now.

"They are a team who haven't lost for 11 games for a reason, they did a lot right. We were far from efficient. The first chance they had to attack the box, it's a deflection, a bad defending action and it's a goal.

"That's something we have to recover from. The second half you expect a different game. We did a lot of strange things today. We have been very consistent. This can happen, this is football."

Manchester City are up next, with Arsenal heading to the Etihad on Sunday, April 19 (4:30pm).