Mikel Arteta Can Leave the David Brent Show Behind – Man City’s Drama is Just What Arsenal Needs for a Title Surge!

ARSENAL were ridiculed mercilessly for their over-the-top partying just for securing Champions League football.

But ’s players should use ’s celebrations on the pitch on Sunday as fuel for their own fire heading into the final five Premier League games of the season.

Mikel Arteta’s Arsenal should not be requiring any more training ground stunts for motivation Credit: EPA Pep Guardiola’s side are right back in the hunt for the Premier League title Credit: Getty

Maybe City’s back-slapping and high-fiving was a bit excessive — but you could understand the delight and also relief among Pep Guardiola’s team after their 2-1 victory over the Gunners helped tighten the title race.

City have spent just SIX days at the summit this season.

But a win at on Wednesday will see them go top for the first time since August.

Asked about City’s celebrations at the Etihad, legend said: “It went a bit over the top. It’s a bit premature from City and it might come back to bite them.”

Due to his links, it is pretty obvious who Rooney wants to win the Prem — and they do not wear sky blue shirts.

boss Arteta has pulled every trick in the book to motivate his players — even though some of it has been a bit David Brent — as the Spaniard tries to guide the Gunners to their first title for 22 years. Last week, he gathered his players round a burning fire to symbolise their desire to win a trophy.

We have also had the team balancing pens between their fingers and TikTok highlight reels on a big screen.

In previous years, You’ll Never Walk Alone was played over giant speakers ahead of a trip to Liverpool, light bulbs were produced in the dressing room, pickpockets were employed to nick stuff from players and Arteta brought in a “therapy” dog to the club and called her Win.

The antics at the Etihad should give Arsenal all the motivation they need Credit: Getty Erling Haaland was at the centre of City’s celebrations on Sunday Credit: Getty

Yet nothing should motivate the Gunners’ squad more than those scenes we saw at the Etihad of and Co jumping around with big grins.

Arteta needs to get his big screen back out at London Colney and show this City footage at training each and every morning.

Despite suffering a dodgy run of results at the wrong time, Arsenal know they still have an excellent chance of winning their first league title since 2003-04, when Arsene Wenger’s brilliant team went unbeaten.

In the following seasons, Arsenal faded as a force as their budget was restricted to help pay for the Emirates, the stadium which has now been home for two decades.

And Wenger opened himself up to criticism when saying fourth place in the Prem — which guaranteed a spot — was “as good as a trophy”.

Wenger first said this in February 2012 and only on the final day of that season did Arsenal secure a place in Europe’s elite competition courtesy of a 3-2 win over West Brom.

But Arsenal were laughed at in 2013 when they once again clinched Champions League football — just ahead of rivals Tottenham — on the final day with a 1-0 win at Newcastle.

Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain posted pictures of the jubilant team in the dressing room on social media, something he now probably regrets.

These days, qualifying for the Champions League has become routine and certainly does not merit wild celebration.

Arteta made this point speaking ahead of last week’s quarter-final second leg at home to Sporting.

He said: “What I love as well about where we are is that there is no satisfaction about qualifying. You haven’t asked me any questions or congratulations about getting in the Champions League next year. 

“Now is when we take it for granted. I assume in 20 years at this club we’ve been taking it for granted that we are fighting for titles in April, that’s the feeling — and that’s OK.

“It’s difficult to do. I do value a lot what the players are doing, for sure.”

But a fourth successive second-place finish would be a disaster and, at this stage — although City look to have a slightly tougher set of fixtures — it still looks to be 50-50.

City have the distraction of an semi-final against Southampton on Saturday while the Gunners are at home to out-of-form Newcastle.

Equally, Arsenal’s Champions League semi-final with could have a physical and mental effect.

But if they hold their nerve and end up winning the title on the final day at on May 24, we will see some celebrations to eclipse anything we saw after Wenger’s team finished in the top four.

And on this occasion, no one will be able to take the p***.