What comes after the doubling down on a position? A quadrupling? Poker is often the best space for this type of analogy so would it be going all in? Whatever the semantics, the answer was played out over the course of Mikel Arteta’s press conference on Tuesday, which was ostensibly to preview Arsenal’s Champions League tie against Sevilla at the Emirates Stadium on Wednesday night. Win and they could qualify for the knockout phase with two games to spare.
It was never going to be about Sevilla. The events of the past weekend saw to that. First, there was Arteta’s incandescent reaction to the allowing of Newcastle’s winning goal against his team on Saturday night when he claimed to be embarrassed and sickened by the “absolute disgrace” of it.
Then, there was that statement on Sunday, the doubling down, when Arsenal as an institution said they “wholeheartedly” supported Arteta’s comments “after yet more unacceptable refereeing and VAR errors”. The club called upon the Professional Game Match Officials Limited group to “urgently address the standard of officiating and focus on action which moves us all on from retrospective analysis, attempted explanations and apologies”.
There was no surprise at how Arteta stood by his words and those of the club. Strongly so, not least because there remains palpable amazement within their ranks at how Anthony Gordon’s goal was permitted; VAR checks for a potential ball-out-of-play, a foul and an offside failed to trigger the overrule Arsenal wanted.
What was similarly predictable was the Football Association’s decision to write to Arteta and Arsenal later in the day to request their observations, which is the first step towards potentially bringing a disrepute charge.
Rather the interest lay in the detail around the edges and the overriding theme, which was one of top-down unity. Arsenal hope it will boost them for the challenges ahead, starting with Sevilla, after the Carabao Cup exit at West Ham last Wednesday and then Newcastle.
In the media suite at London Colney were Tim Lewis, the influential director, and Edu, the sporting director. And, yes, they have watched Arteta press conferences before but this was now and their presence was significant. They were standing alongside Arteta; endorsing his message, the collective message.
“It is my duty to stand in front of the cameras and give a very clear and honest assessment of what happens in the game,” Arteta said. “This is what I did. Reflect very openly how I felt the team played and how the game was conditioned by the decisions that were made. My duty is to defend my players, club and people in the best possible way. This is what I’m going to do time after time and I do it, not the way I feel, [but] with the evidence.”
What Arteta wanted to make clear was that Sunday’s club statement was not something he had sought. It was unsolicited. “It was great from my point of view; I didn’t expect it,” he said. “The club had many options and they decided to do that one. I really appreciate it. I think the players did, everybody at the club did. It showed again that we are one and ready for anything that comes – to fight it in the best possible way.”
Arteta was asked whether the perception of injustice at Newcastle had bonded the squad. “Well, there is a really bonded team and club at the moment,” he replied. “Certainly, it shows the unity … the way we acted to express externally how we felt. And we have to do that.”
He added: “We have to talk loudly. If you have a problem and you put it in your drawer, the problem is in the drawer and it’s going to stink at some point. If you have a problem, let’s talk about it, try to improve it. That’s what we are trying to do. Nothing else.”
Arteta’s suggestion that Arsenal have acted to improve the game for everybody will draw the eye-rolls. It was not so long ago, when asked about Luis Díaz’s incorrectly disallowed goal for Liverpool at Tottenham, that he said “we need to understand mistakes will happen”.
Furthermore, just as everyone thinks he has the prettiest wife, as some bloke at Arsenal once said, everyone also thinks they have the worst decisions against their team. Arsenal can point to a few in recent times and it was why Arteta said his post-Newcastle outburst had been building.
In terms of the Gordon goal, it was slightly weird that Arteta refused to specify what he was unhappy about. On a related point, if the alleged push by Joelinton on Gabriel Magalhães before Gordon’s finish continues to divide opinion, could it be that it was a 50-50 decision?
“Things don’t happen overnight,” Arteta said, darkly. “When I was that clear and had all the evidence to stand for the words I used in the media, it’s because I feel strongly about them. I and the club would do it again until this is right.”
Arteta reported that Gabriel Jesus would miss the Sevilla game through injury and that Martin Ødegaard was a doubt. The manager is keen to move on. The affair, though, still has a way to run.
