Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta has warned 16 year old Max Dowman that life in top flight football comes with high demands, after the teenager was sent off in midweek.
Speaking ahead of Arsenal’s Premier League clash with Liverpool, Arteta defended his reaction to the red card. He said he was frustrated because he understood the possible consequences for the young winger.
The Gunners have also failed in their appeal against Dowman’s dismissal. As a result, he will miss Sunday’s meeting with Liverpool.
Arteta said the incident was not the first time Dowman had faced such a situation. He also pointed to a similar incident earlier this month while the youngster was on duty with England Under 19s.
“My reaction comes from a moment of heat and extreme frustration because I know the consequences of that, especially for Max. It is something we discussed just before we went out because it is not the first time it has happened, it happened another time [earlier] this month with England [Under-19s]. And it will continue to happen because of the way he plays and the way he attracts opponents and that’s it.
“We have to be able to tell each other what we think because he is 16 and we have to be very protective of him, but at the same time very straight with him about what we expect of him towards the team, individuals and the club.”
Arteta Defends His Approach and Gives Arsenal Injury Updates
The Arsenal boss also responded to questions about the reaction from fans and the wider football community. He said people needed to understand his relationship with Dowman and the conversation they had before the team returned to the pitch.
He insisted that he had acted in a way that reflected his personality and the demands of the game.
“I haven’t seen the reaction to my reaction, whether it is positive or negative. But you need to understand the context and the relationship that I have with him and what we discussed just before we went out.
“But, I don’t know. You can have another reaction. If you see the reaction of my father and my mother with me some days you might say ‘I don’t like the reaction’. For me it was the best reaction to be who I am.
“If you want the best reaction and the beautiful one… you want to see his team-mates when they have to play with 10? You want to see that? What do you expect?
“And the England one? They are his age. They are 16 – the same. What is the reaction? That is the level and that is the reaction.
“Whether it is right or wrong, that is the reaction. And the reaction when I don’t win, you want to know what my reaction is? I am [expletive] 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 and this is the level.
“We look after him so much that you cannot imagine. But at the same time we are going to demand from him like everybody else because he needs to earn the right to play. Because the other boys, what are they going to say to me? You need to be fair.”
Arteta added that there were no problems between him and Dowman. The pair spoke on Thursday, and the manager said he wanted to deal with the issue quickly to protect the teenager’s development.
“There are no issues. We had a talk yesterday. I have done it. That’s why I am so protective of these things, especially with young players because we have made these mistakes and you know how much you can get punished and how much it can change what happens next. It’s not the first time it has happened so we need to put an end to it very, very quickly.”
The manager was also unhappy that Arsenal’s appeal against the red card had been rejected. He argued that Dowman had suffered reckless challenges and that his response did not justify a sending off.
“Very disappointed to be fair, especially with the reckless tackles he received. His reaction is minimum in relation to the action. I’m disappointed that it has not been overturned.”
Arteta felt the decision failed to consider the full circumstances, including Dowman’s age and the challenges he had faced. He also said Arsenal were fortunate the teenager had not suffered a serious injury.
“It is what it is. We have put every argument on the table to make a case for it. The action is so evident. Obviously we have a very different opinion and on top of that I think you have to read the context of the player, the age and what happened previously.
“It could have been really bad. We are lucky today that he hasn’t had a broken foot, that is clear.”
The Arsenal manager also addressed the physical risks of giving a 16 year old regular exposure to senior football. He recalled Dowman’s pre season debut against Newcastle, which he described as a very physical match.
“It is what it is. I think we discussed that when he made his debut in pre-season against Newcastle – it was a very physical game. If a play that weighs 95kg/100kg comes in at 35kph into Max and hits a bone, I don’t know what happens.
“When we talk about protecting him, when you ask me why he’s not playing every week when he’s done really well against Everton – we need to put some perspective into every context into the player that we have which is tremendous and leave it there and let him grow and protect him, all of us.”
Meanwhile, Arteta gave updates on several Arsenal players ahead of Sunday’s match against Liverpool.
Noni Madueke will face a late fitness test after the team’s final training session on Saturday. Arteta said the winger needed to complete the full session before the club could decide whether he was available.
“We do not know yet. We have a training session tomorrow so we will see if he can complete the full session and after that we will know if he is available.”
Bukayo Saka also needs another scan to establish the extent of his injury and whether it has affected a tendon. Arteta said the club would know more after reviewing the results.
“He needed another scan to see the amount and if the tendon was touched and how badly it was touched and afterwards, we will know more about it.”
Asked whether Saka would miss England duty, Arteta said it looked likely but stressed that the club would wait for more information next week.
“I don’t know. It looks like it, but we will have to wait and see next week.”
There was better news on Declan Rice, Riccardo Calafiori and Christos Tzolis. All three trained on Friday and were due to train again on Saturday. If they came through without problems, Arteta said they would be available for the Liverpool game.
“They all trained today, they will train tomorrow and if everything is OK then they will be available.”
