Arsenal fan Laura Woods thinks that her side have a serious problem with discipline after William Saliba became the third player to be sent off in the Premier League this season
Mikel Arteta must find a solution to Arsenal’s discipline problem, or risk jeopardising their Premier League title push, according to Laura Woods.
William Saliba’s red card in the 2-0 defeat by Bournemouth last weekend was Arsenal ’s 18th in the Premier League since Arteta took charge in December 2019 – five more than any other side. The Gunners have picked up three reds in eight matches this season, with Declan Rice and Leandro Trossard the other guilty parties.
Arsenal have dropped seven points in the games in which they have been reduced to 10 men, with Rice sent off in the 1-1 draw with Brighton and Trossard given his marching orders in the 2-2 draw with Manchester City. By contrast, they have won all five of their Premier League matches this season with 11 men.
They sit third in the Premier League table, four points adrift of leaders Liverpool, and TNT Sports presenter Woods believes more red cards could be costly. “I do worry for Arsenal, with injuries and suspensions,” she told Bet MGM. “No Riccardo Calafiori, no Martin Odegaard, no Jurrien Timber and no William Saliba. I tell you what, it’s pretty infuriating being an Arsenal fan at the moment!
“What’s even more infuriating is feeling like a broken record and mentioning that the next day Tosin Adarabioyo only got booked for a foul just like Saliba’s on Diogo Jota. Yes, we Arsenal fans moan, but we should also all be wanting to see consistency in the league with decisions like this because next week it’ll be your team.
“Taking a bit of responsibility, though, Arsenal need to stop getting themselves into these situations. We’re literally leaking points and throwing away games. We don’t look the part at all!”
Woods’ words chime with those of Arteta, who has accepted that Arsenal must do better with their discipline. He said: “I mean, playing with ten men, obviously there is an issue. 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 ten men, especially at this level.”
HAVE YOUR SAY! Do Arsenal have a problem? Comment below.
However, former Arsenal striker Ian Wright disagrees. “Discipline is not a problem for Arsenal,” Ian Wright said on the Stick to Football podcast. “A bit of naivety in respects to what Declan did, you can say that’s naivety.
“You can say with Trossard, him kicking the ball away – he shouldn’t have done that but I’m not going with Arsenal having a discipline problem. Two years ago, we won the Fair Play Award. What’s going to happen in two years? Turn into Jekyll and Hyde, of course not. It’s the same with people going on about the dark arts and diving.”
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