Football

Is Petulance and A Lack Of Discipline Impacting Arsenal’s Title Hopes?

louisfargher Sports Editor

Published21 Oct 2024

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Arsenal have taken just 16 points from a possible 51 in games they have received red cards in since manager Mikel Arteta took charge – with the most recent being shown to William Saliba.

Arteta’s side have received five more red cards (18) than any other side since the Spaniard took over, severely harming their chances of winning the Premier League.

The Gunners have pushed Manchester City for two seasons, sitting top of the table for large spells but the Gunners have fallen short of Premier League gold. Begging the question – have disciplinary issues played a part in Arteta’s shortcomings?

Most Premier League Red Cards Since Mikel Arteta Took Charge

Arsenal – 18
Everton – 13
Wolves – 13
Brighton – 11
Chelsea – 11
Tottenham – 10

Arsenal Red Card Analysis Under Mikel Arteta

2019/2020:

Saturday 11th January 2020: Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang vs Crystal Palace (1-1 Draw)

Score before red card: Crystal Palace 1-1 Arsenal
Score after red card: Crystal Palace 1-1 Arsenal

The Arsenal striker was initially cautioned with a yellow card for a reckless challenge on Max Meyer, however, this was changed to a red card following a VAR review.

21st January 2020: David Luiz vs Chelsea (2-2 Draw)

Score before red card: Chelsea 0-0 Arsenal
Score after red card: Chelsea 2-2 Arsenal

David Luiz received a straight red card on his return to Stamford Bridge, as the Brazilian pulled Tammy Abraham to the ground – denying a goal scoring opportunity for the Englishman.

17th June 2020: David Luiz vs Manchester City (3-0 Loss)

Score before red card: Man City 1-0 Arsenal
Score after red card: Man City 3-0 Arsenal

Once again the Brazilian defender received his marching orders in a top six battle, as Luiz fouled Riyad Mahrez to give away a penalty at the Etihad.

7th July 2020: Eddie Nketiah vs Leicester (1-1 Draw) Dropped 2 points

Score before red card: Arsenal 1-0 Leicester
Score after red card: Arsenal 1-1 Leicester

The now Crystal Palace striker was initially given a yellow card for his tackle on James Justin, but a VAR review quickly changed it to a red and the Gunners conceded late on to draw 1-1 against Leicester.

2020/2021:

22nd November 2020: Nicolas Pepe vs Leeds (0-0 Draw)

Score before red card: Leeds 0-0 Arsenal
Score after red card: Leeds 0-0 Arsenal

In the 58th minute of an away trip to Elland Road, Nicolas Pepe was sent off for putting his head into the face of Ezgian Alioski.

13th December 2020: Granit Xhaka vs Burnley (1-0 Loss) Dropped 2 points

Score before red card: Arsenal 0-0 Burnley
Score after red card: Arsenal 0-1 Burnley

Granit Xhaka was sent off for ‘violent conduct’ against Burnley, after grabbing Ashley Westwood by the throat.

16th December 2020: Gabriel Magalhaes vs Southampton (1-1 Draw)

Score before red card: Arsenal 1-1 Southampton
Score after red card: Arsenal 1-1 Southampton

The Brazilian defender was sent off for committing two cautionable offences in under four minutes.

2nd February 2021: David Luiz and Bernd Leno vs Wolves (2-1 Loss) Dropped 3 points

Score before first red card: Wolves 0-1 Arsenal
Score after first red card: Wolves 2-1 Arsenal

David Luiz was handed another red card in an Arsenal shirt, this time for fouling Willian Jose in the box at Molineux.

Bernd Leno was then sent off for handling the ball outside the box and stopping Wolves from a golden opportunity.

2021/2022:

28th August 2021: Granit Xhaka vs Manchester City (5-0 Loss)

Score before red card: Man City 2-0 Arsenal
Score after red card: Man City 5-0 Arsenal

The Swiss international was sent off in the 35th minute for a foul on Joao Cancelo and City made it 3-0 just eight minutes after.

1st January 2022: Gabriel Magalhaes vs Manchester City (2-1 Loss) Dropped 2 points

Score before red card: Arsenal 1-1 Man City
Score after red card: Arsenal 1-2 Man City

The Arsenal defender was sent off once again after picking up two yellow cards in quick succession – one for interfering with the penalty spot and the second after a foul on Gabriel Jesus.

10th February 2022: Gabriel Martinelli vs Wolves (1-0 Win)

Score before red card: Wolves 0-1 Arsenal
Score after red card: Wolves 0-1 Arsenal

In one of the strangest dismissals of the season, Martinelli was sent off for two offences in a matter of seconds.

The Brazilian initially prevented Daniel Podence and then fouled Chiquinho, but due to the short time between each action he received both yellow cards at the same time.

12th May 2022: Rob Holding vs Tottenham Hotspur (3-0 Loss)

Score before red card: Tottenham 1-0 Arsenal
Score after red card: Tottenham 3-0 Arsenal

Holding was sent off in the North London Derby, after picking up a second booking for a foul on Son Heung-Min.

The Gunners were 1-0 down when the defender was dismissed, but were 3-0 down just 14 minutes later.

2022/2023: No Red Cards

The Gunners were on their best behaviour in the 2022/23 season, avoiding any red cards. Mikel Arteta’s side were top of the table for over 280 days – which begs the question: did the strong discipline play a part?

2023/2024:

21st August 2023: Takehiro Tomiyasu vs Crystal Palace (1-0 Win)

Score before red card: Crystal Palace 0-1 Arsenal
Score after red card: Crystal Palace 0-1 Arsenal

The Japanese international went for an early shower against Crystal Palace after two yellow cards – the first for taking too long with a throw-in and the second for a soft foul on Jordan Ayew.

11th November 2023: Fabio Vieira vs Burnley (3-1 Win)

Score before red card: Arsenal 3-1 Burnley
Score after red card: Arsenal 3-1 Burnley

A reckless challenge on Joshua Brownhill saw Fabio Vieira receive a straight red against Burnley, but the Gunners held on to win 3-1.

2024/2025:

31st August 2024: Declan Rice vs Brighton (1-1 Draw) Dropped 2 points

Score before red card: Arsenal 1-0 Brighton
Score after red card: Arsenal 1-1 Brighton

Declan Rice’s red card saw him earn two bookings against Brighton, initially cautioned for a foul on Joel Veltman and then delaying the restart of the match in the second half.

22nd September 2024: Leandro Trossard vs Manchester City (2-2) Dropped 2 points

Score before red card: Manchester City 2-1 Arsenal
Score after red card: Manchester City 2-2 Arsenal

In a similar fashion, Leandro Trossard received two bookings against Manchester City and the latter came after kicking the ball away to delay the restart of the match.

19th October 2024: William Saliba vs Bournemouth (0-2) Dropped 3 points

Score before red card: Bournemouth 0-0 Arsenal
Score after red card: Bournemouth 2-0 Arsenal

The French international received his marching orders for a foul on Bournemouth striker, Evanilson, as the Brazilian appeared to be in on goal before Saliba’s trip.

Key Stats: Arsenal Red Card Analysis

Matches With Red Cards Under Arteta: 17
Points Accumulated In Matches With Red Cards: 16/51pts
Points Dropped After Red Cards: 17