'It must be' - Mikel Arteta trend will stop Arsenal winning the Premier League title
Alan Shearer has told Mikel Arteta to forget about winning the Premier League title if Arsenal cannot keep 11 men on the pitch. The Gunners have the joint third-worst disciplinary record so far this campaign but have picked up more red cards than any other team.
It is a record that stretches back further than this season too, with Arsenal receiving at least five more red cards than any other team in the Premier League since Arteta has been the manager.
With an injury crisis on their hands too, Arteta can ill-afford to have players missing through suspensions too. But that is what is going to happen when they host Liverpool in a major clash in the Premier League title race this Sunday.
William Saliba will be suspended for the clash having been sent off in Arsenal's last match - their first defeat of the season against Bournemouth last weekend. The Gunners have dropped five points this season after getting red cards.
And Shearer believes there "must be" some ill-discipline at Arsenal to be getting this number of sendings off.
The Betfair ambassador said: "So far this season, Arsenal have had three Premier League matches where they have been shown a red card, and with nine points available, they’ve only taken two points. Whether you agree with the red card decisions or not, that must change.
READ MORE: Saka starts, Timber returns, Partey role change – Three possible Arsenal changes for Liverpool
READ MORE: Arsenal get major Martin Odegaard boost before Liverpool but there's a big catch
"You can’t continue to play over an hour in games with ten men. Even in this week’s Champions League game against Shakhtar Donetsk, with Ben White’s yellow card in the first half, they took him off at half-time out of fear he could be sent off.
"It could be a combination of pressure and being too pumped up for games which is causing players to be sent off. I like that they’ve got a bit of a bite about them, they don’t like being beaten and when it doesn’t go their way they come together - that’s a good trait to have.
"But you’ve got to be disciplined in what you’re doing, and they were told when the referees went around the clubs before a ball was kicked this season to explain the rules, and what they will be clamping down on.
"It hasn't happened to all the other teams, so it must be an issue of ill-discipline at Arsenal. Going forwards, that must change otherwise they will be out of the title race before they know it."