It seems strange that Arsenal under Arsene Wenger, with the focus on passing, creating chances, going forwards and scoring goals, have often been painted with the brush of being undisciplined on the pitch. On the 18th anniversary of his managerial reign, during the Galatasaray game, the commentator mentioned the incredible amount of red cards we have received, so is there a problem?
Well so far this season, it certainly looks like it. Wojciech Szczesny’s red card was the third of our Champions League campaign so far in just four games. That is a problem, even though I felt that Ramsey and Debuchy were very unlucky, especially when you consider what Melo got away with on Alexis. But it seems to be a pattern for us.
Calum Chambers is already one yellow away from a Premier League suspension and there is no way he is a dirty player. He also has one in Europe, though, so maybe he needs to be smarter and learn what he can and cannot get away with. It is not just him, of course, as Wilshere also has five in all competitions, Flamini has four and most of the other Arsenal players have at least one. The total is a stunning 27 yellow cards so far this season.
Man City are the only BPL club to have seen more yellows. Add that to our injury problems and you have a big problem, so can we do anything about it or will it just even up over the season?