Saturday’s briefing: Arteta dismisses ‘bottlers’ tag and Tudor’s defiant message

Mikel Arteta and Igor Tudor both spoke ahead of Sunday’s north London derby between Arsenal and Tottenham.

Sir Jim Ratcliffe escaped with a telling off for his controverial comments on immigration while Manchester City are gearing up for a Saturday night clash with Newcastle.

Arteta hits the bottle

Mikel Arteta insisted the word “bottlers” is not part of his vocabulary as he denied Arsenal are blowing another chance to win the Premier League.

Arsenal surrendered a two-goal lead at bottom-of-the-table Wolves on Wednesday to hand the initiative to title rivals Manchester City.

Despite dropping two points at Molineux, Arteta’s side are still five clear at the top, albeit having played a game more than City.

However, addressing those claims, Arteta said: “That’s individual opinion, and you have to respect that.

“You lose two points against Wolves in the manner that the game played out, and you have to take it on the chin. That’s it. It’s part of our role.

“But it’s not part of my vocabulary and I don’t see it like this because I don’t think anybody wants to do that as an intention. I wouldn’t use that word.”

Tudor sure on Spurs safety

Igor Tudor is “100 per cent” confident Tottenham will be a Premier League club next season.

Tudor was announced as Spurs’ interim head coach last Saturday after Thomas Frank was sacked on February 11 following a run of two wins in 17 Premier League matches.

It has left Tottenham in 16th position and only five points above the relegation zone ahead of Sunday’s north London derby with leaders Arsenal, but experienced boss Tudor has no doubt he can achieve his goal in N17.

Asked how confident he was that Spurs would be in the Premier League next season, Tudor insisted: “One hundred per cent.

“I’m not here to enjoy. I’m here to work. It’s the first moment and there’s work to do. It’s a privilege to be here.”

Ratcliffe avoids FA action

Manchester United co-owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe will not be charged by the Football Association after he said the United Kingdom had been “colonised by immigrants”.

Ratcliffe’s comments on immigration in an interview with Sky News last week were widely condemned, including by Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer and the Mayor of Greater Manchester Andy Burnham.

The FA said last week it was looking into the comments, but the Press Association understands Ratcliffe has only been issued with a reminder of his responsibilities as a participant in football when giving media interviews, and that no further action will be taken against him.

Ratcliffe issued a statement the day after the Sky News interview in which he said he was sorry if his comments had “offended some people”.

Michael Carrick, United’s interim head coach, was asked about Ratcliffe’s comments on Friday as he faced the media for the first time since they had been made.

“Sir Jim has made a statement, and then the club’s made a statement on the back of it so for me to add to that is not my place,” he said.

What’s on today

Manchester City aim to close the gap on Premier League leaders Arsenal when they take on Newcastle in the evening kick-off.

Aston Villa and Chelsea aim to strengthen their grip on the Champions League qualification places, while West Ham could move out of the bottom three if they beat Bournemouth handsomely.

Hearts aim to bounce back in the Scottish Premiership title race, while Coventry will stay top of the Championship if they beat local rivals West Brom in the lunchtime kick-off.