Mikel Arteta is under a magnifying glass as Arsenal’s dominance continues

Arsenal’s Premier League dominance continues.

The youngest team in the Premier League is now five points clear of Manchester City having played one less game. Despite a rocky beginning to Arteta’s first years at the club, the Gunners are on track for a 100-point season. Arteta’s success is nothing short of shocking, yet pundits and opposition fans are focusing on something entirely different: his touchline conduct.

Mikel Arteta is under a magnifying glass as Arsenal’s dominance continues

The Arsenal coach has always displayed passion on the touchline. Arsenal fans often see the Spaniard cheering, shouting and waving his players on. For fans above a certain age, this spectacle can only be seen as refreshing. Arsene Wenger, the greatest Arsenal manager of all time, rarely displayed such emotion and fire throughout a 90-minute match.

Criticism of Arteta’s conduct seems to have arisen from the Newcastle stalemate at the Emirates, in which Eddie Howe’s team appeared to be time-wasting from the first minute. Both coaches were involved in a verbal argument that captured the attention of the stadium, broadcasters and fans at home. After the game, Arteta called the two penalty decisions that went against his team “scandalous”.

Since that frustrating 0-0 against the Magpies, Arteta has been under a magnifying glass. When Arsenal completed the double over Tottenham with a dominant 2-0 win, goalkeeper Aaron Ramsdale was attacked by a Spurs fan. Whilst the rational reaction would be to condemn said fan’s behaviour, pundit Richard Keys blamed Arteta.

The beIN Sports presenter stated that Arteta “is the one that’s most to blame for the inflammatory touchline behaviour that winds people up”.

Arteta’s next test would be hosting the in-form Manchester United at the Emirates. The game was a back-and-forth affair that ended with an emphatic 90th-minute Eddie Nketiah winner. However, yet again one of the most highlighted elements was Arteta receiving a yellow card for complaining about Luke Shaw’s in-game conduct. The Arsenal manager was seen showing four fingers to the officials, indicating as many missed foul calls.

Gary Neville, who in recent seasons has publicly acknowledged the dislike he receives from Arsenal fans, continues to fan the flames. While commentating on Sky Sports, Neville stated “[Arteta] charges back up the touchline like a madman”.

Despite the heap of criticism, the Arsenal manager has faced there are those who have shown their support for Arteta’s passion and enthusiasm. During a show on talkSport, Laura Woods spoke about the fact that all managers lose composure at certain points, referencing Jurgen Klopp and Pep Guardiola by name. Woods also stated that she believes the recent criticism stems from Arsena’s consistent dominance atop the premier league.

Woods added: “We always talk about players having to become these robots, don’t make the managers do that as well”.

While one imagines Arteta would appreciate the efforts of those such as Woods, the manager was asked directly about his yellow card after the Manchester United win.

In response to the question: “Can you complain about the yellow card that you received?”, Arteta answered, “I don’t think so… you can always get better in life innit”.

If you’re wondering if Arsenal fans are worried about the noise surrounding Arteta’s touchline conduct, I’m not sure they can hear it over all the winning.