Mikel Arteta expressed his frustration over Arsenal‘s draw against Brighton & Hove Albion last season but praised his team’s improved discipline this year.
Declan Rice was shown a red card during the 1-1 match at Emirates Stadium in August, which contributed to Arsenal receiving a total of six red cards throughout the Premier League season, at least three more than any other team.
Rice’s dismissal came after he received a second yellow card for interfering with Joël Veltman as he attempted to take a free-kick. The following month, Leandro Trossard was sent off at Manchester City for kicking the ball into the stands.
Early in the season, match officials focused on penalizing time-wasting during restarts, but the enforcement of these rules seemed to loosen as the season progressed.
As Brighton prepares to return to the Emirates Stadium on Saturday, Arteta commented: “I remember it well. I was really frustrated with how we performed with 10 men. Hopefully, this time will be very different.
“I believe the rules have changed since then. We suffered a significant penalty under that rule, and I hope we can avoid that and continue playing with 11 players.”
Currently, Arsenal tops the Fair Play league with 22 yellow cards and no red cards in their first 17 matches. In response, Arteta said, “I wasn’t aware of that. That’s great to hear.”
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Arteta also hinted at a potential return for Kai Havertz, though he stopped short of confirming whether the German forward would be included in the squad after sidelining with a knee injury since the season’s opening weekend.
Pictured back in training earlier this week, Arteta commented, “I think it will be a matter of days rather than weeks. We’ll assess how he responds in the next steps. But, again, he’s a player we have greatly missed, one who adds a different dimension to our team. I’m really pleased to have him back soon.”