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Mikel Arteta admits it ‘wouldn’t be very good’ if everyone continued his touchline antics after Arsenal were charged for a second game in a row as the Gunners boss describes his team’s ‘special’ ability ahead of the game’s clash derby with the Spurs.
- Mikel Arteta has revealed that he likes to be criticized for his behavior on the touchline
- The Arsenal boss claimed that ‘if everyone liked it, it wouldn’t be very good’
- Controversy followed the club this week after receiving a third charge from the FA
- Arteta also supported his team to show that they had learned their lesson against Spurs
Mikel Arteta has said that he prefers some people to criticize his behaviour, with the Arsenal boss saying: “If everyone liked it, it wouldn’t be very good.”
The controversy over the coach’s touchline antics and the behavior of his players continued this week, when the FA banned Arsenal for the second game in a row, and the third time this season.
The club is accused of “failing to ensure that its players behaved in an orderly manner” in Monday’s win over Oxford.
The same charge followed last week’s draw with Newcastle, when Arteta’s clash with Eddie Howe became another topic of conversation.
Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta has explained that he prefers to be criticized for his behavior on the touchline.
Arsenal were charged by the FA for the third time this season with their second charge recently coming against Newcastle.
Arsenal then received their third charge for this misbehavior in their midweek FA Cup win over Oxford.
“The reputation of the club is very important to me,” the coach said yesterday.
I can’t control mine. I am who I am. I try to do my best to defend the players, to defend the club and that comes with certain people who won’t like it so surely if everyone liked it it wouldn’t be very good, I don’t think.’
When it was pointed out that Arteta is a representative of the club and therefore his reputation is intertwined with that of the club, he insisted: “It’s not that I don’t care, but I care a lot more, especially when I’m doing my job – when I’m at home.
‘I worry about my wife’s things, things you don’t see. But when I’m in the public eye, I think about what I can do better for the club, how I can defend the players and that’s also my role.”
Arsenal players surrounded referee David Coote after a decision went wrong against the League One side
Arsenal boss Arteta has been criticized for overreacting on the touchline at times this season.
On the conduct of his players, Arteta added: ‘Obviously we have to defend ourselves… and we need to be competitive. That is sure. Within the law and respecting the opponents and the referees at all times.’
Arteta’s behavior will be in the spotlight once again in tomorrow’s North London derby.
After Tottenham won 3-0 in this game last season, a result that helped them pass Arsenal in the race for the top four, Antonio Conte suggested that Arteta needed to ‘focus’ more and ‘complain’ less.
The Arsenal boss believes his team have learned lessons from that defeat and they return to north London looking to move 14 points away from Spurs.
The Arsenal manager (left) has backed his team of young stars having learned the lessons of last season’s derby loss to Spurs.
Arsenal are sitting pretty much at the top of the Premier League table heading into the North London derby on Sunday.
Arteta praised his team for their efforts to climb to the top of the league as the youngest team in the division.
“For the youngest team in the league to be doing what they’re doing now, you have to be doing something special and that’s to their credit,” he said.
‘In good times, everyone wants to be on board. In difficult times, you see people looking at each other and blaming each other. That has not been the case.