Mikel Arteta has warned Max Dowman that he “is not in Disneyland” and must learn from the red card that led to a three-match suspension after Arsenal’s appeal was rejected. The 16-year-old was sent off in the League Cup against Fleetwood on Tuesday, becoming the youngest player ever to be dismissed in the competition’s history, as the Premier League champions crashed out to the League Two side.
Arteta said he was “very disappointed” by the Football Association’s decision to uphold the ban. He argued Arsenal had “put every argument on the table” in an attempt to clear Dowman’s name, and pointed to the “reckless tackles” the forward had received before his reaction, which Arteta described as “minimal in relation to the action”. The manager said Dowman was lucky not to have suffered a broken foot.
The Arsenal manager also revealed he had spoken to Dowman this week about his responsibilities, after the teenager was sent off again this month while playing for England Under-19s. Arteta said his own experience of making similar mistakes explained why he was protective of young players, adding that the situation needed to be stopped “very, very quickly” because players can be punished heavily and it can change what happens next.
Arteta defended his angry reaction to Dowman’s dismissal, saying he had not seen criticism of it. He said he had warned Dowman before the Fleetwood game that he was likely to be targeted, and that the issue had been discussed because it was not the first time it had happened. “For me, it was the best reaction ever to be able to be who I am,” Arteta said, before explaining that he wants to see a response from the team when they have to play with 10 men, and that his own response to losing is to be “pissed off, big time”.
“So we need to be ready for that. This is the environment and this is the reality. Otherwise, we are in Disneyland. We are not in Disneyland. We are in the Premier League at this level and we look after him so much that you cannot imagine. But at the same time, we’re going to demand [from] him like anybody else because he needs to earn the right to play,” he said.
Dowman will miss Sunday’s trip to Liverpool and the games against Hull and Newcastle. Arsenal are also managing fitness issues, with Noni Madueke facing a late test on an ankle problem that kept him out against Fleetwood, while Bukayo Saka is not expected back until at least after the international break as the club awaits more news on his thigh injury.