Arteta reveals he is 'clipping up' rival managers who leave technical area
Mikel Arteta has revealed he is compiling video evidence of rival Premier League managers repeatedly leaving their technical area without punishment, after picking up his second yellow card of the season during Arsenal's 2-0 win over Everton.
The Arsenal boss was booked by referee Tony Harrington in the second half at the Emirates Stadium 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 suggest other managers are getting away with the same offence far more often.
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"I do have to be careful, yeah," Arteta said, as quoted by Sky Sports. "I'm going to put sensors there! There are other managers (doing it), 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."
Arsenal move level with Man City
The booking came on an afternoon where Arsenal's on pitch business went entirely to plan. Goals from centre backs Ezri Konsa and Gabriel were enough to see off Everton and move the Gunners level on points with leaders Manchester City.
Konsa opened the scoring in the seventh minute, converting from close range after a Martin Odegaard corner, the club's first goal from a set piece this season. Gabriel then sealed the win with a 68th minute header, having briefly needed medical attention earlier in the game after going down injured.
Arteta pointed to Gabriel's reaction as a sign of the squad's character. "The mentality of the team is the mentality of the individuals in the team," he 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."
The Arsenal boss also praised Konsa's adaptation since his summer move from Aston Villa, calling his impact "unbelievable" given he arrived without a pre season and has quickly built an understanding with Gabriel at the back.
Arteta confirmed substitute Riccardo Calafiori picked up a "slight" issue during the match, though gave no further detail on its severity. Everton manager David Moyes, meanwhile, reflected on a difficult afternoon for his side, who suffered their second successive defeat following last weekend's loss to Chelsea, pointing to an early goal conceded as the moment that shaped the contest.
Arsenal will now turn attention to their next fixture as they look to maintain pace at the top of the table, while Arteta's touchline conduct is likely to remain a talking point given his proximity to a one match ban.
