Mikel Arteta has admitted that he is working on his behaviour on the touchline in order to protect the image of Arsenal.
The Gunners boss came under fire for his antics last season and has been booked twice already this term.
If he receives a third yellow card, then Arteta will be banned from the touchline for one game.
Asked if he has made a conscious effort to change his behaviour, Arteta said: “Sometimes when I look at myself and I’m so agitated I think it can sometimes give an image that is not the best, mainly for the club.
“Sometimes it’s difficult with the certain decision when you are in the heat, because you are representing the club and you want to defend them. That’s what drives me.
“It’s to defend the players, to defend the club. Nothing else. It’s not about me.
“You are there to be on it and make sure that we are the best we can be and the most competitive we possibly can be. That’s the drive, nothing else.
“I think I am changing. If you think differently, let me know. But I have made a conscious effort.”
Arteta believes his team could cope if he did receive a ban, citing how he previously managed the side while at home with Covid-19, but he also thinks it is unfair that managers get a suspension after three yellows, whereas players can have five.
“We are always playing as managers, so I don’t know why we get three yellows and the players can have five,” he said. “We are there every minute of every game.
“Some players are on the bench, sometimes they are injured, but we are always there and we can only have three yellows. It’s not fair, no?”
Arteta has been criticised for his behaviour, but he does not believe it has any impact on how Arsenal perform.
“What I don’t allow is that behaviour changes the focus,” he said. “Then I cannot look at the game or make decisions with clarity.
“What I demand of the players, I don’t like them during the game like they are on a sun bed. I like them to feel every single ball, I demand them to do that. But with emotional behaviour that they have to control for sure.
“I think I will evolve, in many ways. I don’t see it as something. I think something bad if it affects the team in a bad way, if I am making decisions that put the club or the team under pressure.
"If it’s to support and allow them to make better decisions, I will continue to do it.”
