Arsenal: 3 benefits of Gabriel Martinelli’s red card

3. The Arsenal Team Gets a Wake Up Call

It can’t be overstated just how worrying it is that this team reduces themselves to ten men this often. It is not normal. At all. There are mass brawls in South American football matches that see fewer red cards.

Those who’ve been sent off for Arsenal more than once include Granit Xhaka and David Luiz, who both saw red three times apiece. Their dismissals won’t have caused much discussion because of the individuals involved.

Other members of the group have been sent off once since the manager came in – Pepe, Nketiah, Partey, Aubameyang, Leno, Ceballos – but perhaps seeing someone like Martinelli, this 20 year old with the world at his feet, lose his head in the way he did will impact the group more than the rest.

Arguing against whether he deserved two yellows or not, there was no denying that he saw red in that ten second spell. He intentionally committed those two fouls. The senior players in the group have to look around and ask whether they are the ones manufacturing this. Culture can be positive and negative.

Someone as young and presumably impressionable as Martinelli has to be guided the right way. If him being sent off for two dumb fouls in quick succession had anything to do with the actions of his teammates on previous occasions, then serious conversations have to be had. There is an unavoidable composure lacking in many of these players.

On this occasion it didn’t cost Arsenal. Fortunately.

Maybe, though, this can finally be the wake up call everyone needs to take note of.

Stop this. Now.