Unrepentant Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta refuses to accept blame for red cards – and says he would’ve been ‘very thick’ not to go ultra-defensive at Man City

Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta refuses to take the blame for the red cards shown to Leandro Trossard and Declan Rice in recent matches.

Trossard was shown a second yellow card on Sunday for kicking the ball away when Arsenal were leading 2-1 against Man City.

The Gunners were eventually pushed back in second-half injury time when John Stones scored the equaliser for the reigning Premier League champions.

Trossard was sacked just weeks after Declan Rice was ordered to play against Brighton, with the midfielder also receiving a second yellow card for kicking the ball away.

Arteta, speaking ahead of Arsenal’s Carabao Cup clash with Bolton, was asked if he had reminded his players not to kick the ball away.

Leandro Trossard received a second yellow card for kicking the ball away against Man City

Trossard’s dismissal came weeks after Declan Rice was punished for kicking the ball away

“Because you passed the ball,” Arteta replied.

He added: ‘Just leave the ball there, don’t touch the ball. We’re playing without the ball.’

Arteta also defended Arsenal’s 10-man defensive approach at the Etihad Stadium, with the Gunners sitting deep in an attempt to maintain a 2-1 lead.

The Arsenal boss referred to their 5-0 defeat to Manchester City in 2021, when former captain Granit Xhaka was sent off for defending their tactics.

“Well, we had to play the game we had to play,” Arteta said. “The first 15 minutes we couldn’t. They played with 10 men for 30 seconds. Look what they did. It’s normal what they did.

‘Unfortunately we were in the same situation. We were in the same situation with Granit and we lost 5-0. So we have to learn from it. Otherwise I would be very stupid.’

Arteta suggested Trossard had been shown a second yellow card for ‘passing the ball’

Arsenal were furious when Rice was sent off during their draw with Brighton last month

The Gunners were forced to play the second half with 10 men against Man City on Sunday

In the second half against Man City, Arsenal had just 12.5 percent of the ball and completed just 35 passes in the opposition half, compared to 363 for the home side.

Jurrien Timber and Kai Havertz, remarkably, became the first Premier League players to fail to complete even one of their passes – after attempting only six and five respectively.

Arteta’s men scored just once in the second half to Man City’s 28 goals but almost held their own against their title rivals.

The Gunners have since been embroiled in a storm of time-wasting after it emerged that teenager Myles Lewis-Skelly had been cautioned for unsporting conduct after passing a message to David Raya during Sunday’s frantic draw with Manchester City.

Referee Michael Oliver showed Lewis-Skelly a yellow card after the substitute trotted behind Raya’s goal line during the 65th minute warm-up with the Gunners leading 2-1.

Oliver saw the 17-year-old communicating with Raya before the Arsenal goalkeeper fell to the ground and stopped the match, according to new footage obtained by Mail Sport.

Lewis-Skelly had returned to the main substitutes’ group when he was shown his yellow card – which came before he had played a single minute of professional football.

Arteta used the ensuing stoppage in play to give a team talk to nine of his outfield players, who were trying to keep City at bay. Pep Guardiola’s side equalised dramatically through John Stones in the 98th minute, with Arteta hailing his team’s 10-man defence as a “miracle”.

Arteta defended Arsenal’s tactics as his side fought to hold on to a 2-1 lead at Man City

Arteta said he learned from Arsenal’s 5-0 loss to Man City after Granit Xhaka’s red card in 2021

John Stone’s injury-time equaliser ultimately prevented a memorable away win for Arsenal

The PGMOL confirmed that Lewis-Skelly’s warning was for ‘showing a lack of respect for the game’ under the unsporting conduct element of the laws. Arsenal have been contacted for comment.

Arsenal’s apparent gamesmanship was the talk of the town in the top flight last year, with the division’s coaching staff and pundits openly discussing the ‘dark arts’ amongst themselves. Clubs have taken their concerns about the issue to the PGMOL.

Former Arsenal defender Martin Keown has defended the Gunners against accusations they used “black tricks” against Man City in an article for Mail Sport.

Keown felt Arsenal deserved praise for the way they limited Man City’s chances when playing with ten men.