As Arsenal look to get back to winning ways when the Premier League returns, the last thing Mikel Arteta would’ve wanted to see was Michael Oliver’s name.
Arsenal supporters are not the biggest fans of Oliver, who made a glaring error the last time he refereed the Gunners.
It’s been ten months since the referee officiated Arsenal due to the amount of backlash Oliver faced after sending Myles Lewis-Skelly off at Molineux.
Arsenal were punished for their treatment of Oliver after the incident, as Lewis-Skelly’s red card was eventually overturned.
Now, the referee is back in the limelight, as Oliver has been appointed to referee the North London Derby, something Mark Clattenburg is unsure about.
Mark Clattenburg says Michael Oliver’s North London Derby appointment is flawed
Mikel Arteta will have a lot to say about Oliver’s appointment, as he was left ‘absolutely fuming’ the last time the referee officiated Arsenal.
In the eyes of a former referee, the Arsenal manager would have every right to feel unnerved by Oliver’s appointment for the North London Derby.
Speaking on the Whistleblowers podcast, Clattenburg questioned why the first Arsenal game Oliver will officiate after ten months is one as demanding as the derby.
“To wait ten months and appoint him to the marquee game, which is the derby game, is just flawed,” Clattenburg said.
Derby matches can be made or broken by the referee’s performance, making the decision to throw Oliver back into the Arsenal fold when Tottenham visit the Emirates all the more puzzling.
Arteta will have a clear message for his players after Michael Oliver’s appointment
In a game as emotionally-fuelled as the North London Derby, Arteta can only control what happens before he sends his players out on the pitch.
The boss might have one clear message for his players as a result of Oliver being appointed: be ultra-cautious in tackles.
| # | Club | Matches | Yellow cards |
| 1 | Arsenal | 54 | 100 |
| 2 | Everton | 55 | 96 |
| 3 | Liverpool | 59 | 88 |
| 4 | Tottenham | 47 | 86 |
| 5 | Man United | 43 | 86 |
Even before Oliver’s mistake at Molineux, the referee had been a controversial figure to Arsenal, and the numbers prove it.
In the 54 Arsenal games that Oliver has overseen in the Premier League, he’s shown 100 yellow cards to the Gunners, more than any other team he’s refereed.
Arteta’s message will be to remain cautious while setting the competitive tone, with the rest up to Oliver to decide.
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