Arteta jokes he is 'clipping up' rival managers over touchline rule
Mikel Arteta has revealed he is compiling video evidence of rival Premier League managers repeatedly leaving their technical areas without punishment, after picking up his second caution of the season for the same offence during Arsenal's 2-0 win over Everton at the Emirates Stadium.
Referee Tony Harrington booked the Spaniard in the second half for stepping out of his technical area, leaving him one yellow card away from a one match touchline ban. Rather than accept the punishment quietly, Arteta used his post match press conference to claim other top flight bosses are getting away with the same infraction far more often.
The Friday Injury Tracker
Who's out, who's back and what it means for the next two games.
"I do have to be careful, yeah," said Arteta, as quoted by Sky Sports. "I'm going to put sensors there! There are other managers, there are managers that have the record in the league: 36 times in 10 minutes they leave the touchline, no yellows. So I am clipping all of that so I have a massive storage of images, so if somebody comes to me I can say I'm not in the record yet, somebody else has the record."
Konsa and Gabriel seal set piece victory
The booking came on a productive afternoon for Arsenal, who moved level on points with leaders Manchester City courtesy of goals from two centre backs. Ezri Konsa opened his account for the club in the seventh minute, turning in a Martin Odegaard corner for Arsenal's first set piece goal of the season.
Gabriel then sealed the points with a 68th minute header, scoring soon after recovering from an injury scare that had left him requiring medical treatment on the pitch. Arteta pointed to the Brazilian's response as a reflection of his squad's character.
"The mentality of the team is the mentality of the individuals in the team," Arteta said. "Gabi's a great example of that, because we were all scared, not because of the way he went down, but the reaction of the players that were next to him. Immediately he says he wants to continue and then he scores a goal to help us win the game. That's what we need from our players."
Calafiori issue and praise for Konsa
Arteta also confirmed that substitute Riccardo Calafiori picked up a "slight" issue during the match, though he offered no further detail on its severity. The Arsenal boss went on to heap praise on Konsa, who joined from Aston Villa in the summer and has quickly established a partnership alongside Gabriel and William Saliba.
"Unbelievable," Arteta said of the defender. "He's come to a huge club like Arsenal with no pre-season when Saliba is here, with other players that are already here. And to position yourself in that manner, with that naturality and performing at the level that he's doing and building already a chemistry and a balance with Gabi that seems so solid, it's very, very difficult to do and we are really lucky to have him."
Everton manager David Moyes admitted his side never reached the level required, with the defeat following last weekend's loss to Chelsea. Arsenal will look to build on their position at the top of the table in their next fixture, while Arteta will be mindful of avoiding another technical area caution.
