Mikel Arteta's Arsenal side have a big problem that needs solving

Arsenal have a referee problem that Mikel Arteta clearly can't solve

Just eight games into the new Premier League season and Arsenal have already had three players sent off, suggesting that Mikel Arteta must address an internal disciplinary problem

21 Oct 2024, 08:44 by Harry Brent · football.london

Mikel Arteta might have worked wonders at Arsenal, but he's having trouble solving the club's disciplinary problems. On Saturday, William Saliba became the third Gunners star to be sent off this season, with the Frenchman earning a straight red card for cynically pulling Bournemouth's Evanlison to the ground as the last man.

With a one-man disadvantage, Arteta's side eventually lost their foothold in the match, allowing the Cherries to run out 2-0 winners. It was Arsenal's first Premier League defeat of the 2024/25 season - a campaign which, so far, has been defined by costly dismissals.

Declan Rice was given his marching orders against Brighton in August, while Leandro Trossard was sent off against Manchester City last month. On both occasions, Arsenal ended up dropping points.

It underscores the ongoing lack of discipline in Arsenal's ranks, a theme that's been evident throughout Arteta's tenure. Since the Spaniard took over on Boxing Day 2019, the Gunners have been shown 18 red cards in the Premier League, five more than any other side.

After Saturday's defeat at the Vitality Stadium, Arteta admitted that the problem had been "discussed" internally, though not for the first time. In January 2022, after his side picked up three red cards in four games, the former midfielder conceded that something needed to "change" because "it's difficult to win matches [with 10 men]."

The problem will need to be remedied if Arsenal have any hopes of ending their 20-year wait to be crowned Premier League champions. In the last decade, only one team picked up more than two red cards in their title-winning campaign, with Leicester City earning three in 2015/16.

Furthermore, Pep Guardiola's City side have picked up more than two red cards in a single campaign just twice since the former Barcelona boss came on board in 2016, and on both occasions, they failed to win the league. When asked on Match of the Day about Arsenal's disciplinary problem, Alan Shearer was adamant that the ill-discipline would cost Arsenal the title. "Quite clearly, they're not going to get enough points if nothing changes," he said. "It can't continue."

That said, Arsene Wenger's Arsenal, who won the Premier League three times, were no strangers to a dismissal. In fact, they picked up 78 red cards in the 828 league games, averaging one sending-off in every 10.62 matches. Arteta's record is only slightly worse, with his team earning 18 reds across 180 games - an average of one sending-off every 10 matches.

Mikel Arteta must sort Arsenal's disciplinary problem out after his side picked up the 18th Premier League red card of his tenure against Bournemouth

Up next for Arteta's men is a Champions League clash with Shakhtar Donetsk on Tuesday. Then on Sunday they'll welcome Liverpool to the Emirates Stadium. Unfortunately, they'll be without defensive stalwart Saliba, who picked up a domestic one-match ban for his red card against Bournemouth.

The Gunners, who are third in the Premier League, are now four points behind table-toppers Liverpool, who secured a narrow victory over Chelsea on Sunday. Earlier in the day, City bagged three points against Wolves and are a point behind Arne Slot's Reds in second.

Join the football.london Arsenal WhatsApp channel

Join our Arsenal WhatsApp channel and get all the latest breaking news, opinion, podcasts and in-depth stories from football.london's dedicated Arsenal writers straight to your phone!

By following this free service you will be the first to know the news from the Emirates Stadium as it happens, when it happens.

To join our dedicated Arsenal channel, all you have to do is click this link and you can join thousands of others following our Gunners coverage!

If you're curious, you can check out our privacy policy here.