Arsenal warned by Alan Shearer what must change to stop them dropping points

Arsenal suffered their first Premier League defeat of the season on Saturday night, going down 2-0 to Bournemouth at the Vitality Stadium after William Saliba's red card

Alan Shearer has issued a stern warning to Arsenal players, stating that they need to improve their discipline or risk coming up short in the title race again. The Gunners entered the 2024/25 season with high hopes of finally winning the Premier League after two consecutive years of finishing second.

However, they have already started to fall behind title rivals Manchester City and Liverpool, both of whom are in action today (Sunday) against Wolves and Chelsea respectively. Mikel Arteta's side have already drawn twice, once against Brighton and another against City, and suffered their first loss of the season on Saturday night against Bournemouth.

In each of these matches an Arsenal player was sent off, and Shearer insists that such a lack of discipline cannot continue if the north London club want to finally end their 20-year wait for the title. William Saliba became the latest culprit during a 2-0 defeat at the Vitality Stadium.

A misdirected back-pass from Leandro Trossard seemed to put newly-signed Cherries striker Evanilson through on goal. However, Saliba, who was racing back towards his own goal, cynically brought the Brazilian down.

Despite initially being shown a yellow card, VAR intervention led to Arsenal's typically solid French defender receiving a red for denying a clear goalscoring opportunity. The subsequent man disadvantage proved too much for the Gunners as Ryan Christie and a Justin Kluivert penalty confirmed their defeat.

It means Saliba will be absent for the crucial upcoming match against Liverpool, leaving Arteta without one of his key players. Shearer weighed in on the disciplinary problems plaguing the team, telling BBC Sport: "It can't continue."

READ MORE: Every word Mikel Arteta said on William Saliba red card, VAR and Bournemouth loss

READ MORE: Premier League red card rules explained as William Saliba and Mohammed Kudus face different bans

He added: "They're not going to get enough points if it doesn't [change]. You've seen the games, and it's happened already this season, with the two draws and this defeat."

Arsenal's last slip-up, an intense 2-2 draw with Pep Guardiola's City, also featured a red card that contributed to their downfall. Trossard received his marching orders after a second yellow for time-wasting following a foul on Bernardo Silva. It wasn't until deep into stoppage time that John Stones scored, ensuring the points were shared.

During their 1-1 draw against Brighton back in August, Arsenal's efforts were hampered by a sending off as well. Kai Havertz initially put the Gunners ahead, but circumstances changed when Declan Rice was deemed to have kicked the ball away in an attempt to delay the game's restart, leading to a second yellow.

Following the defeat to Bournemouth, Rice addressed the issues candidly with Sky Sports, acknowledging that the team needs to step up to reignite their title aspirations. "We've kicked ourselves in the foot now three times in eight games," he admitted.

"We've got away with it twice - at home to Brighton, away to Man City. But luck doesn't always go your way. I am proud of us for continuing to fight and believe. I thought we played really well even with 10 men. The naivety of it is, we need to stop making mistakes. We want 11 players for 90 minutes, and that wins football matches. That wins football matches.

"There are no regrets tonight, other than the fact we can't keep making silly mistakes. You always need your best players on the pitch, and [a sending-off] then gives the other players a mountain to climb when you are down to 10 men."

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