Arsenal icon Patrick Vieira gives current stars key advice as Premier League title battle continues

Arsenal legend Patrick Vieira has told the current squad to remember their qualities as they head into a crunch run-in for the Premier League title.

The Gunners have led the table for the majority of the season after a collection of brilliant team displays.

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A dip in form has now arrived as Man City close in with Pep Guardiola’s side three points behind the north Londoners.

City won a vital clash between the two sides 2-1 as the Premier League goliaths played out a tight and hard fought battle.

As the race to end their 22-year wait for another title comes to a conclusion, three-time winner Vieira believes such a talented set of players must focus on showing the mentality and quality they displayed in the first two-thirds of the campaign.

“I think I just want them to remind themselves where they are and why they are where they are,” said Vieira.

“They are in the top of the league, they are in the semi-final of the Champions League and you can’t reach that level with no quality, with no team spirit and with no togetherness.

“It’s about winning games, they know how to do it because they’ve been doing it for the last seven, eight months.

“When we are in the last sprint, I will say it, it’s important not to forget the quality that brings them where they are today because that will help them to win.

Vieira was speaking at Asahi Super Dry’s two-day Japanese-inspired pop-event at The New Cross, Manchester.

Asahi Super Dry reimagined the venue as a vibrant Tokyo-style backstreet ‘Unique Experience’ space, representing a celebration of football culture, fashion and fandom.

Vieira also insisted that the current crop of Arsenal stars should make the most of time with their families as the title race goes to the wire.

Asahi

Asahi

With a stressful run-in, Vieira believes that remaining grounded away from the pitch can help them relax.

“No, I strongly believe that it’s possible to relax,” he said. “I think when you’re going through this run, it’s important not to change the habit. You just keep doing what you used to do and try to enjoy the family time.

“Doing the job that we are doing, when you’re at home, the best way to relax is to spend time with the kids and the family.

“There was nothing special for me when we were going through that run. We knew what we needed to do and what we had to do. So just concentrate about doing the job and find a way to spend time with the family because that was helping me to relax.”

Declan Rice and Gabriel have been two of the stellar performers for Arsenal this season.

Meanwhile, goalkeeper David Raya has also been hailed as one of the best in the world during a campaign that can still see them win a Premier League and Champions League double.

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And when asked who the most underrated star has been for the Gunners this season, he reserved praise for one man in particular.

“I would say Viktor Gyokeres because I’ve seen him working hard out of possession and he’s always working hard for the team,” he said.

“I’ve seen him making the run to create that space and for some reason the ball didn’t get there yet.

“But I think he’s somebody who has more to give than what we’ve seen and I like his energy and I like his spirit when he’s on the field.

“He’s a real team player and scoring goals, he will score goals, I don’t have any doubt about that.”

The Swede’s 18 goals in all competitions show his resilience after an initial three in his first 11 as he settled down in north London.

And he can still offer a vital role as Arsenal continue their hunt for glory on two fronts.