Arsenal underlined their title credentials by easing past fierce rivals Tottenham Hotspur in the North London derby and Thierry Henry has offered his thoughts on their chances of silverware
Thierry Henry has told the Arsenal dressing room to “be honest” about their title ambitions following their memorable win against Tottenham. Mikel Arteta’s side extended their advantage at the top of the table with Sunday’s thumping victory.
Eberechi Eze netted a hat-trick, while Leandro Trossard also managed to get on the scoresheet. The victory leaves the Gunners as the clear favourites for the trophy.
And after a number of failed attempts over the last few years, Henry has told his former side to stop acting as underdogs - and instead now start living up to the billing of favourites.
Speaking on Sky Sports, the Frenchman said: "At some point, you have to embrace it. People are talking about the process. It's not believing in the process anymore. It's happening. You have to be honest.
"We put ourselves in the situation where we believe we have the best squad. Did we mention the players that were not playing? Look at how we played. You're not complaining anymore about one or two.
"So you need to make sure that you can win the league. I'm not saying they are going to win it but you need to act like you are the favourite.
"Embrace it. It's not me trying to put pressure. If I were coming back in the summer, I would have said, 'It's time to stop messing around'. We now need a performance this year where people are scared of us. It's not being cocky."
Arsenal boss Arteta was asked about what this weekend has done for his side’s chances of winning the league, particularly with Manchester City losing. He suggested he was more keen on Arsenal getting back to winning ways after letting a potentially vital win slip through their fingers before the international break.
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He said: “Yeah and especially after the Sunderland game when we dropped two points in the last seconds. We had ten straight wins, we wanted to get back to winning games.”
Asked what moving six points clear means, Arteta replied: “In this league? Not much.”
Arsenal could even extend their lead at the top of the table in their next outing. Following a midweek Champions League clash with German giants Bayern Munich, they then take on second-place Chelsea at Stamford Bridge. Elsewhere, third-place Manchester City take on struggling Leeds United at the Etihad Stadium.