Mikel Arteta insists his principal focus is improving how his Arsenal players perform week in, week out - rather than pursuing a fearsome reputation.
The Gunners underlined their Premier League title credentials by coming from behind to defeat West Ham 3-1 on Boxing Day. Arsenal went into half-time trailing to Said Benrahma's penalty but goals from Bukayo Saka, Gabriel Martinelli and Eddie Nketiah extended their lead at the top of the table to seven points ahead of Manchester City's trip to Leeds on Wednesday.
It was a second-half comeback that led club legend Thierry Henry to declare teams are "afraid" to face the north Londoners. Arteta agrees that "fear factor" can be a "bonus" but insists he can only dictate his side's mentality and not that of their opponents.
"We can't control what the opponents feel," the Arsenal manager said after the victory at a bouncing Emirates Stadium "We can control how we play, what we want to transmit is important. That's why this crowd behaves the way they do. If you get that fear factor, it's a bonus too."
Arteta's comments came after Henry lauded his former side while serving as a pundit for Amazon Prime Video. "Teams are starting to get afraid of Arsenal, afraid of individuals," the Frenchman said.
"It is not the normal position of [Vladimir] Coufal for the first goal, he is so deep that he can only be scared of... I don't know what but he was. That's what happens when you're on the verge of - it's early - maybe winning the league. People start to be afraid of you."
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Few predicted Arsenal would be top of the table as the midpoint of the season approaches, yet they have a seven-point advantage over high-flying Newcastle, who have played one game more. City remain the heavy favourites to lift the trophy in May but the pressure is on Pep Guardiola's side to emerge victorious from their game in hand at Elland Road in midweek.
The defending champions will face Arsenal twice in the league in the new year in blockbuster encounters which could prove decisive in the title race. The first scheduled fixture between the two clubs was postponed in October, following the death of Queen Elizabeth II, so the Gunners could reschedule their Europa League group-stage clash against PSV Eindhoven, rather than forfeit the match.
This means Arteta will welcome his former teacher Guardiola to the Emirates on 15 February, before a trip to the Etihad Stadium in late April. Arteta spent three-and-a-half years learning the trade of management under his compatriot at City before he was appointed Arsenal manager in December 2019.
