Arsenal’s Premier League title hopes took a blow as they slumped to defeat against Bournemouth on Saturday evening.
Whilst there is still a long way to go in the current campaign, the standard at the top of the Premier League table these days demands near perfection from prospective champions.
Mikel Arteta will feel that his side have the quality required to go all the way this season, and finally get their hands on the title, having finished as runners up in each of the last two seasons.
However, Arsenal are capable of shooting themselves in the foot, and their own poor discipline could easily undermine their title ambitions.
The Gunners have already had three players sent off in Premier League games this season. Declan Rice saw red against Brighton, then Leandro Trossard was dismissed against Manchester City, before William Saliba was given his marching orders against Bournemouth. Arsenal failed to win any of these games.
Theo Walcott believes Saliba deserved to be sent off against the Cherries, after he was deemed guilty of denying a clear goalscoring opportunity. Meanwhile, a former Premier League referee claimed that Rice was fairly dismissed for delaying a restart, and the same justification can be given for Trossard’s early exit.
Arteta must accept that his side only have themselves to blame for these dismissals, and it is not the first time that the Spanish coach has had to address this issue.
Mikel Arteta must stamp out Arsenal bad habit again
Since Arteta was appointed at the Emirates Stadium in December 2019, Arsenal have been shown 18 red cards in the Premier League. No other club in the division comes close to this figure over the same period of time.
However, this issue with persistent sendings off seemed to have been confined to the earlier part of the manager’s tenure.
Last season, the Gunners only had two players dismissed. In the 2022/23 campaign, the North London outfit were the only side in the top flight of English football not to see red at all. The problem appeared to have been solved.
This disciplinary issue has now reared its ugly head again with a vengeance, though, and is costing Arsenal points and suspensions at an alarming rate. Arteta has shown that he can address this concern once already, and now he must do it again.
How Arsenal can fix red card problem before it is too late
Rice has admitted that Arsenal have let things “slip” when It comes to their own disciplinary standards.
If Arsenal are to stand any chance of achieving their aims for this season, then they need to stamp out this bad habit immediately, and get back to where they’ve been for the last two seasons.
As much as Arteta and his coaching staff can and will reinforce this message behind the scenes, the players need to ultimately take responsibility on the pitch. This may mean that they have to adapt their approach somewhat, particularly when it comes to controlling the pace of a game and seeking to run down the clock.
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