‘I’m an Arsenal Invincible – I gave Gunners these directions forward of Everton’

Arsenal icon Lauren says he sent Mikel Arteta’s team instructions on how to get over the line against Everton.

The Gunners are one game away from being crowned champions of England and ending 20 years of hurt, but need Manchester City to slip up against West Ham to do so. Pep Guardiola’s men are two points ahead of Arsenal heading into the final day, but given the London club’s superior goal difference, a City draw is all they need in order to hop over them into first and make history.

But Arsenal must concentrate on themselves first and foremost, and with Sean Dyche’s Everton in sparkling form of late, with five wins in their last seven games, victory is far from guaranteed. That said, they were offered some expert advice this week that could prove something of a difference-maker.

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Lauren, who won two Premier League titles with the Gunners, told Daily Star Sport, via Instant Casinos, that he sent Arteta’s men a message ahead of their title showdown in the hopes that it might inspire one last hurrah at the end of what has been a fabulous campaign for them, title or no title.

“The other day I sent a message to the Arsenal boys where I was saying that in these types of contests [the big games] your conditioning affects your level of performance week in, week out,” he told us. “Because you’re nervous, we all feel a little bit scared, the pressure, and everything that comes with that responsibility – that’s conditioning your level of performance.”

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The Cameroonian praised Arsenal’s mental strength, and noted how much more resilient that are compared to last season. He also likened their self-belief to Real Madrid, and said it would help them get the job done on Sunday.

“If you start with that kind of determination, everything is easier. I believe Real Madrid have built that since their academy over many, many years, and all of their players have the determination to fight until the end,” he added.

“You need to control your emotions in order to win the big games. Last season for example, against West Ham and Liverpool, they collapsed and couldn’t handle the pressure. Nowadays, we see the team with more control as we saw against Manchester United and many other teams throughout the season.

“If you control those emotions, it allows you to dominate the back four, the middle of the park and in the final third as we’ve seen all season.”

Lauren said he noticed a big shift during last summer’s pre-season tour, and predicted there and then that Arsenal would be in the hunt for the title again. “I saw the determination they had through every single training session and every day in all the cities we visited in the USA. It was amazing, those boys and Arteta have been absolutely brilliant,” he said.

“Arteta has transformed the club, now we have a team who can really challenge for the Premier League and can beat any team in Europe. This team has more spirit.”

Lauren, 47, spent six seasons at Highbury, racking up 242 appearances for the Gunners between 2000 and 2006. A reliable, physical defender, he was a force to be reckoned with on Arsenal’s right flank, forming part of one of the sturdiest defences in Premier League history alongside the likes of Sol Campbell, Tony Adams, Martin Keown and Ashley Cole.

He won two league titles and three FA Cups, and played in all but six of the 38 Premier League matches during the club’s iconic 2003/04 Invincibles campaign.