Arteta Warns Dowman "We Are Not in Disneyland" After Red Card
Mikel Arteta has told Max Dowman that he "is not in Disneyland" and must learn from his red card against Fleetwood. Arsenal's appeal against the teenager's three-match suspension was rejected by the Football Association.
Dowman, 16, became the youngest player ever sent off in League Cup history on Tuesday. The Premier League champions crashed out to League Two side Fleetwood in that game. Arteta said he was "very disappointed" by the rejected appeal. He also said Dowman was lucky not to suffer a broken foot from "reckless tackles".
Arteta described Dowman's reaction as "minimal". He said Arsenal had "put every argument on the table" to clear the player's name, without success. "I think you have to read the context of the player, the age, and what happened previously," he said. "It could have been really bad."
A talk about responsibility
The manager revealed that he spoke to Dowman this week to underline his responsibilities. The forward was also sent off last month while playing for England's Under 19s.
"I've done it, so I try to prevent that [in future]," Arteta said. "That's why I'm so protective of these things and especially with young players, because we have made those mistakes. You know how much you can get punished and how much it can change what happens next, and it's not the first time, so obviously we need to put an end to it very, very quickly."
Arteta said he had not seen the criticism of his own angry reaction when Dowman was sent off. He appeared to aim a few words at the forward as he headed down the tunnel. Arteta defended his actions. He said he had warned Dowman before the game that he was likely to be targeted. "It's something that we discussed just before we went out, because it's not the first time that happened," he said.
"This is the environment and this is the reality," Arteta said. "Otherwise, we are in Disneyland. We are not in Disneyland. We are in the Premier League at this level and we look after him so much that you cannot imagine. But at the same time, we're going to demand [from] him like anybody else because he needs to earn the right to play."
He pointed to the reaction of Dowman's teammates, who had to play on with 10 men. "That's the level, and that's the reaction," Arteta said.
Team news
Dowman will miss Sunday's trip to Liverpool, as well as the games against Hull and Newcastle. Noni Madueke faces a late test to see whether he has recovered from an ankle issue that kept him out of the Fleetwood game. Bukayo Saka is not expected back until at least after the international break, as Arsenal await more news on his thigh injury, Arteta said.
Source: The Guardian