September 22nd 2024.
Mikel Arteta was visibly frustrated as he spoke to the press after Arsenal's draw against Manchester City. The tension was palpable as he discussed Leandro Trossard's red card and the team's overall performance. However, former Manchester United player Roy Keane was not impressed by Arteta's response and called on him to "show a bit of class."
Despite the draw, the Gunners were disappointed as Manchester City managed to equalize in the dying minutes of the game, thanks to a chaotic goal by John Stones. The match was full of drama, with Erling Haaland scoring early on, only for Riccardo Calafiori to equalize in spectacular fashion. Gabriel then headed Arsenal into the lead, setting the stage for an intense second half.
However, things took a turn for the worse when Trossard received a red card just before half-time. The Belgian player was shown a yellow card for kicking the ball away after conceding a free-kick. Arteta was furious on the sidelines, and although he tried to avoid commenting on the decision after the match, it was clear that he was angry with the red card. This was the second time in just five games that Arsenal had a player sent off in similar circumstances, following Declan Rice's red card at Brighton.
"It is very obvious, I don't need to talk about it. I think the red card is very clear, very obvious what people think," Arteta told Sky Sports. "It is not my job to come here and judge what happened. My job is to survive in one of the most difficult environments there is in football for 55 minutes and try to get things done to survive. The rest is not my job, but it has already happened twice in five games which is very worrying to see in the best league, the Premier League."
After the match, Arteta was seen embracing Trossard as he left the pitch. However, not everyone shared Arteta's views on the red card. Keane believed that Trossard's actions were "especially stupid" and that Arteta couldn't complain too much about the decision. He also called on managers to be more honest and less biased in their assessments.
"Wouldn't it be good if a manager came out after a game and just said: 'Yeah, you know what he was a bit silly, it was a yellow card,'" Keane said. "Every manager is coming out every week going: 'No, it wasn't a foul, it wasn't this, something happened five minutes earlier.' Just come out and be big enough...players do daft stuff on a football pitch, come out and show a bit of class and say: 'The referee gave him a chance to send him off. We're disappointed but we move on.'"
Keane clarified that his comments were not just directed at Arteta but all managers who tend to blindly defend their players. He urged them to "show a bit of class" and accept the decisions made by referees.
"Deep down he'll be satisfied with a point. Just show a bit of class, manager of Arsenal, say that he probably deserved the yellow card but we reacted well, we're a big club, we move on quickly. But they're constantly saying 'it's a disgrace.' He said it a few weeks ago about Rice," Keane added.
In the end, Keane's message was clear - managers need to accept the decisions made by the referees and move on. He encouraged Arteta and other managers to be proud of their team's performance and show a bit of grace in defeat.
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