Mikel Arteta takes aim at Premier League for changing rules after furious statement

Arsenal have improved their disciplinary record in the fine second half of the season after Mikel Arteta’s side picked up three red cards before the end of October

Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta appeared to indicate inconsistency in how Premier League rules have been applied this season. He was speaking in response to questions about the Gunners improving their disciplinary record after several red cards in the early stages of the season.

Arteta’s Gunners took on Bournemouth on Saturday afternoon, having lost the reverse fixture 2-0 at the Vitality Stadium. William Saliba picked up a straight red card that day, in what was Arsenal’s third league dismissal of the season.

Their fourth red arrived in January when Myles Lewis-Skelly got his marching orders against Wolves. That dismissal was later overturned, though, and they have only had one sending-off since.

“It’s been because the rules at the beginning of the season when we were punished, then after 15 games they were very different. So they resolved them!” Arteta told reporters. “So hopefully next season we’ll have some new rules for some games and then change them again. That would be great, if possible.

“Especially for all the teams the same rules, at least,” he continued. When told “With VAR anything could happen,” he then said “No, well, hopefully not”.

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Arsenal’s first dismissal of the campaign came all the way back in August, with Declan Rice shown a second yellow against Brighton for delaying the restart. Leandro Trossard got his marching orders for the same offence the following month, with Arsenal’s 10 men coming within touching distance of holding out for a point at Manchester City despite the red.

Next came Saliba, who wrestled Evanilson to the ground during the trip to Bournemouth and saw a yellow card upgraded to red after a VAR check. Lewis-Skelly was then shown a straight red against Wolves in January, with VAR upholding the decision but the youngster’s ban later overturned, but he wasn’t so lucky after being sent off for denying a goalscoring opportunity against West Ham.

“I am absolutely fuming but I leave it with you,” a furious Arteta told Sky Sports after that Wolves dismissal. “Because it is that obvious. I don’t think my words are going to help.”

Arsenal have avoided the same kinds of disciplinary issues in Europe, where they will take on Paris Saint-Germain on Wednesday. Luis Enrique’s side hold a narrow 1-0 advantage as they prepare to welcome the Gunners to the Parc des Princes.

“We need to prepare for the second match, it’s going to be difficult,” PSG boss Luis Enrique told Amazon Prime after Ousmane Dembele’s first-leg winner. “The result means a little advantage for us. We are going to suffer, we know that. I think we can go to the final but there is still one match.”

Whoever progresses out of Arsenal and PSG will face either Barcelona or Inter Milan in the final. Inter led 2-0 and 3-2 in the first leg at Montjuic but had to settle for a draw thanks to an unfortunate own goal from keeper Yann Sommer

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