Tomas Rosicky has urged his Arsenal team-mates to silence the doubters questioning their title credentials.
The Gunners are now just four points behind leaders Chelsea — having played a game less and with Saturday’s trip to Stamford Bridge to come — after yesterday’s 1-0 win over Tottenham at White Hart Lane.
Chelsea, Manchester City and Liverpool remain more popular choices to end the season as champions but Rosicky, whose second-minute strike condemned Spurs to their ninth League defeat of the season, believes such scepticism will have no bearing on the final outcome.
He said: “You cannot influence what the people around you are saying. I mean no disrespect to you but I don’t care what you are saying. Don’t take it negatively but it is like that.
“Only what counts is that we come to the pitch and win the game. If we don’t win the game, obviously you are right. The only thing that you can influence is on the pitch. The truth is on the pitch. Nothing else matters.
“Since I’ve been in England and playing for Arsenal, it is the first time it has been like this. Four teams basically are fighting for the title. It is amazing for everyone — the players, the supporters, the media. It is great and it will be very interesting until the very last day of the season.
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“If you or the other people believe in us or not, it doesn’t matter for the team because we have to come and convince everyone on the pitch. The truth is on the pitch.”
The Gunners missed a flurry of early chances before Spurs pressed hard but ultimately in vain for an equaliser. Despite Arsenal’s display of great defensive resilience yesterday, Rosicky believes they have to find a clinical edge to stay on course for their first trophy since 2005.
“When we were 1-0 up in the past, sometimes these games slipped through our fingers,” he said. “This time, you could say the defence was outstanding — the two centre-backs were excellent.
“But on the other side as well, I think we have plenty of improvements offensively [to make] because there were so many moments in some situations when we could have played much better and we would have closed the game earlier. But maybe in the past we would not have won a game like that.”
