Arsenal: 4 things needed to secure Premier League top four

4. No More Stupid Red Cards

It seems like such a non-issue and something that shouldn’t even need mentioning, but when a side find themselves battling it out with ten men on as many occasions as Arsenal it becomes a very real problem.

Six games in 2022 have seen two goals scored and four red cards issued.

Across Arteta’s 115 games in charge Arsenal players have collectively received 15 red cards. That’s a whopping one every 7.6 matches. So, working on averages, there are about two more to come across the remaining 16 games of the season.

It obviously doesn’t work like that, but it does raise alarm bells. Already this season we’ve seen how costly red cards can be, with the Manchester City home defeat standing out as one where Gabriel’s sending off completely turned the tide of a match Arsenal were in charge of.

There can’t be many more heroic Anfield 5-3-1’s left in the tank. It should be a formality but this team will not keep winning matches if they insist on doing so with fewer players than the opponent.

Equally, as in the case of Martinelli, while it won’t prove too costly since it’s a single game suspension, if the next one is a straight red then the impact will be all the more significant. With a squad like this one where the starting lineup is on a whole other level to the rest of the team, these things matter.

Just keep 11 players on the pitch. It shouldn’t have to be said, yet here we are.