Arsenal comes under fire for their disciplinary record under Mikel Arteta – but they just have to keep their heads.
No side is more Premier League Red cards shown than Arsenal since Mikel Arteta took over.
Arteta has cooked his team on the field and fights to win the last three Premier League titles. If you are on a fever, you must be aggressive, but you must also be street -wise. That is a good balance that you can sometimes get wrong.
During my match days in Arsenal we always talked about an imaginary line that we knew we could not go down. We had sent six players in the competition under Arsene Wenger in 2001-02, and I was one of them, but we were still champions.
At the start of his reign there were many red cards from Arsenal for players who inherited Arteta. Three for David Luiz, two for Granit Xhaka and others on Nicolas Pepe, Bernd Leno and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang.
Arteta has now built its own side, but the five red cards they have shown this season are currently the most side and it has been expensive.
Arsenal was on track to beat Brighton in the third game of the season, but had sent and pulled Declan Rice.
They defeated Man City, but had to play at Etihad with 10 men for 45 minutes after the red card of Leandro Trossard and it cost them two points.
Arsenal went to Bournemouth in Gameweek 8, had sent and lost William Saliba.
You can claim that they have been punished unhappy by referee decisions when there has been an early initiative to clamp time waste in the season, but since then Arsenal of Arteta has become much more controlled and certainly cleaned up their act.
They then went 15 league matches without another red card until Myles Lewis-Skelly was sent to Wolves in January, who was then withdrawn.
After shipping this weekend against West Ham, it is even more important that they do not let their frustrations bubble on the field now if they do not reach the results they need.
Arteta has built a team that has brought Arsenal in the fight for the title in the last three season. They cannot afford to lose that fight and a combative desire to be successful.
They just have to ensure that they do not fall under that imaginary line.
Keown's judgment about Arsenal's 20 Pl Red Cards under Arteta
Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang V Crystal Palace January 2020
This is a leg breaker. I don't think Aubameyang has a bad bone in his body, but his foot comes down on Max Meyer's ankle and the arsenal captain, who had already put the Gunners first, could have no complaints. It was just a typical incident that a striker was wrong.
Judgment: Red Card
David Luiz against Chelsea Jan 2020
Another player who inherited Arteta and the first of three Premier League Red Cards for David Luiz, they all do something similar. The defender was caught the wrong side of Tammy Abraham and dragged him down after he turned the keeper. Easy decision.
Judgment: Red Card
David Luiz V Man City Jun 2020
Unai Emery had worked with Luiz in Paris Saint-Germain and was convinced that he could get the best out of him, but we never saw the Luiz they got in Chelsea. The same from Luiz here again as Riyad Mahrez gets the wrong side of him and he pulls him back in the box. No complaints.
Judgment: Red Card
Eddie Nketiah V Leicester Jul 2020
I think Nketiah is out of luck here. He is dedicated to the challenge and raises his leg, but it is body contact that he makes with Leicester defender James Justin instead. In my opinion they just meet each other.
Judgment: No red card
Nicolas Pepe V Leeds Nov 2020
Pepe is naive. He is sucked in by frustration and lays his head against Leeds defender Ezgjan Alioskis. I don't think there is a violent movement, but as soon as you move your head forward, you ask for problems. Alioski makes it a meal, but you just can't do that.
Judgment: Red Card
Granit Xhaka v Burnley Dec 2020
Just like Pepe, Xhaka is sucked in. He makes a tackle on Ashley Westwood that may have avoided a map, but is then unnecessarily involved by putting his hand on his neck. However, Xhaka lets go immediately and Westwood falls to the ground. A possible yellow becomes a hard red.
Judgment: No red
Gabriel v Southampton December 2020
Gabriel gets too tight for Theo Walcott on the half -line, is turned around and pulls it down. If you are already on a yellow card, you cannot have any complaints. These were the early days of Gabriel, when he tried to win things too often. It was part of his learning process.
Judgment: Red Card
David Luiz V Wolves Feb 2021
Exactly the same from Luiz. He is the wrong side of his husband … again, does not make an attempt to play the ball … again, and he is sent away … again.
Judgment: Red Card
Bernd Leno V Wolves Feb 2021
A moment of madness. He comes to fly out of the box and hits the ball inexplicably out of the game. After he had already sent a player, it makes it even more incredible.
Judgment: Red Card
Granit Xhaka V Man City Aug 2021
Xhaka goes to the ground and his foot is high and I don't think he can have complaints about it. He left his Arsenal side on the grace of an unbridled man in a period of his career when he was too physical.
Judgment: Red Card
Gabriel V Man City Jan 2022
This is another example of the early Arsenal career of the Gabriel. He loads to Gabriel Jesus on the half -line and, like his earlier red card, is turned again for a clear second yellow. This is an area that has improved en masse and has not been sent away since then.
Judgment: Red Card
Gabriel Martinelli V Wolves Feb 2022
Martinelli is quickly sent in succession for two yellow for incidents in the same passage of the game. He first pushes Daniel Podence while trying to take a throw -in and then Chiquinho a little later mistakes and Michael Oliver books him for both. I can't often think that we've seen that since then. This is a child who would not say a Boo to a goose. The referee has just lost patience and control.
Judgment: No red
Rob Holding V Tottenham May 2022
Heung-Min Son came in the head that day. He gave away a penalty early for an error on the Spurs Forward and tries to be physically with him later and Son is under the challenge when Holding was already booked.
Judgment: Red Card
Takehiro Tomiyasu V Crystal Palace August 2023
The first yellow card is ridiculous. Another example of an Arsenal player at the end of referees who stuck on time-waste time waste in the season. Tomiyasu is only looking for a teammate to receive the throw, but the crowd is bay for blood and the referee books him. Then unfortunately gets a second yellow for a light touch to Jordan Ayew. The referee could have shown him some clementia, but it didn't.
Judgment: No red card
Fabio Vieira v Burnley Nov 2023
Vieira catches Josh Brownhill on the knee with a high foot. He is guilty as accused and cannot have any complaints. It is a red card. Vieira then only makes three replacement performances for Arsenal.
Judgment: Red Card
Declan Rice V Brighton Aug 2024
This is really hard. This is where referees have to show football knowledge. Joel Veltman rolls the ball to rice while the Arsenal -midfielder tries to walk away and then kicks him in his back, from nowhere where the mistake took place. While Rice looks over his shoulder, he sticks out a foot, but the free kick was not achieved where the mistake was committed.
Judgment: No red card
Leandro Trossard V Man City Sep 2024
This was expensive. Trossard is booked for a small withdrawal on Savinho, for which he cannot have any complaints, and is then sent for kicking the ball on the break. It seemed hard, especially when it was the seventh minute of the stopping time and the referee could have brought a procedure to keep 22 players on the field, but you just can't give officials the chance to send you away.
Judgment: Red Card
William Saliba V Bournemouth October 2024
I feel sympathy for Saliba because it all happened in an instant. A back pass from Trossard and he stands out an impulsive arm. It's just a spontaneous reaction with so little time to think. Although Evanilson is quite a way out, he had experienced it. I thought he might have gone with it, but he didn't do that.
Judgment: Red Card
Myles Lewis-skelly V Wolves Jan 2025
Arsenal went 15 league matches without a red card since the frenzy in the early season that shows that Arteta players worked hard on it, but brought up his head again when Michael Oliver Lewis-Skell showed a red card for his fault on Matt Doherty. It led to a national debate, but it was clearly never a red card because he did not endanger his opponent and that was proven when the decision on appeal was destroyed.
Judgment: No red card
Myles Lewis-skelly V West Ham February 2025
I don't think the young man can complain this time. Mohammed Kudus was the excellent player of West Ham and did well to make the mistake. It was a deliberate action by Lewis-Skelly. You could claim that David Raya, who showed how quickly he was later in the game, was so high on the field that he could have challenged Kudus for the ball, but at the moment, with Kudus's pace, I thought he was it Happiness would be to stay on the field.
Judgment: Red Card
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