Alan Shearer has told Mikel Arteta to improve his touchline antics after Arsenal's goalless draw against Newcastle on Tuesday night.
Arteta was furious with referee Andy Madley for not awarding his team a penalty at the Emirates. The Arsenal manager threw his arms in the air in frustration and berated fourth official Jarred Gillett. He also shared heated words with Newcastle boss Eddie Howe.
The result could have a big impact on the Premier League title race. Manchester City will move within five points of leaders Arsenal if they beat Chelsea at Stamford Bridge on Thursday night. Newcastle, meanwhile, remain just nine points behind the Gunners.
Shearer was keen to comment on Arteta's touchline antics after the game. The Newcastle legend told Premier League Productions: "I think Mikel Arteta needs to have a word with himself, or his assistant needs to have a word with him and calm him down.
"I think he’s disrespectful to the opposition and he’s making it very difficult for the referees, who have a hard enough job as it is. I get he wants to be animated but if his players behaved like him, he wouldn’t like it and it would cost him. He needs to calm down.
"I get they’re top of the league and it’s a big game, but he’s making it very, very difficult for referees and he’s disrespecting the opposition. They know they’re under pressure but when you see your manager behave like that on the touchline..."
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Shearer added on Arteta: "He’s the one making the tough decisions, so he needs to stay calm. At the minute, he’s just going crazy and that can’t be helpful to the players can it."
Yet Arsenal legend Ian Wright did not share Shearer's view of the Arsenal manager, saying: "He’s so plugged into the game, that’s the way he is. You see some managers like that, like Jose Mourinho, Antonio Conte, Pep Guardiola. People are talking about it a lot now, so I’m sure it’s something he will look at. But he’s my manager, so I’m not going to find too much fault in it!"
It's not the first time Arteta's touchline behaviour has been questioned. He lost his cool during the first half of Arsenal's clash with Liverpool in November 2021. The Spaniard's team went on to lose their composure at Anfield and suffered a humbling 4-0 defeat.
Arteta's frustration was evident in his post-match press conference on Tuesday night. He told reporters: "There were two penalties. It's very simple. I'm talking about what I've seen. It was two scandalous penalties."
Arsenal were unfortunate to have both penalty appeals turned down. The first incident saw Dan Burn pull Gabriel's shirt in the box, while the second involved Jacob Murphy appearing to handle the ball. Gary Neville told Sky Sports the second incident was "never a penalty".
Meanwhile, Matthew Upson told BBC Radio 5 Live: "There's no doubt it strikes the arm, but it's not in an unnatural position and it's not miles out of the silhouette of the body to attempt to block the ball."
