Mikel Arteta admits his Arsenal side have an issue with red cards but believes the remedy lies in not discussing the problem within the squad.
Arsenal are licking their wounds following a surprise 2-0 defeat at Bournemouth on Saturday in a performance that unravelled after William Saliba’s hotly contested red card. It was their third dismissal of the season and the 18th since Arteta took charge in December 2019, a tally five clear of the nearest Premier League club in that period. They will not be appealing against the Saliba decision, meaning the centre-back will be suspended for the visit of Liverpool on Sunday, and Arteta accepted the situation must, somehow or other, improve.
“Playing with 10 men, obviously there is an issue,” he said, also referring to Declan Rice’s sending off against Brighton in August and Leandro Trossard’s early bath at Manchester City last month.
“The truth is when you analyse the three very different actions and the outcome of them, the reasons are very different. Regardless of that, we cannot continue to play with 10 men, especially at this level. We need to eradicate that. It’s clear why, the reason, and how doesn’t matter. We have to focus and it has to happen.”
Asked what the solution might be, Arteta explained experience has taught him not to make it a live issue among the squad: “The most effective way, I have to be very honest, is not talking about it. Because we tried, we showed and we talked, and we repeated the message that we had to play with 11, and it happened again after a week or three weeks. They said: ‘Guys, let’s try something else,’ and then it disappeared.”
Arsenal have taken only two points from the three games in which their numbers were reduced but Arteta paid tribute to his side’s attitude under fraught conditions. “It’s absolutely galvanised,” he said.
“They show their teeth and they fight against the situation. They say: ‘OK, this is what we have to play, how we have to do it. We’re going to do it and we’re happy with that.’ But we understand as well the margins of being successful and obviously we need to change that.”
Bukayo Saka has a chance of returning from a hamstring injury for Tuesday’s visit of Shakhtar Donetsk, but Martin Ødegaard remains sidelined with a knee problem and the game may also come too soon for Jurriën Timber.
It was striking that, during an 18-minute press conference, Arteta did not face any questions about the importance of game on Tuesday night. Perhaps that was because, for the bigger clubs in particular, matches in the expanded Champions League format bear next to no jeopardy at this juncture.
Even if Arsenal drop points against the serial Ukrainian champions, two wins from their final five group games should guarantee progress at least to the playoff round. They already have four points from meetings with Atalanta and Paris Saint-Germain.
Arteta rejected any idea that the occasion’s edge has been blunted. “Tomorrow is a day when we really have to show that determination, that quality. In the Champions League the margins are so small, we’re going to have to be at our best and we are fully focused only on that.”
Mikel Merino was also asked whether the bloated football fixture list – of which this tie is just one symptom – needs addressing. The Spain midfielder was answering in context of a complaint made last week by Fifpro and the European Leagues to the European Commission regarding Fifa’s imposition of the matchday calendar.
“It has been a tricky and difficult topic for the past few months,” he said. “Obviously we’re players and love to play football. But at the same time we’re reaching a level where players are getting injured and the game is not at the highest point. So it’s best for everyone to get to a point where we can keep playing to give a spectacle.
“If players don’t rest there will be injuries and everyone wants to see the big names perform, do these amazing tricks and high-quality football. So hopefully we can get to an agreement where everyone is happy.”
