William Saliba became the Gunners’ third player to be given his marching orders this season, being sent off following a VAR review after dragging Bournemouth’s Evanilson down as the last man. The Cherries capitalised by securing a 2-0 victory.
It is the third time that Arsenal have dropped points in a game where they were reduced to 10 men, having drawn with Brighton after Declan Rice’s dismissal and also with Manchester City following Leandro Trossard’s red card.
Arteta’s side have not struggled with disciplinary problems previously, though it is an issue that he must now get to grips with as a matter of urgency, believes Alan Shearer.
Speaking on The Rest Is Football podcast, the ex-Newcastle star said: “They (Arsenal) are not going to win the title if they continue to get red cards because it’s just too tough in our league, in the Premier League, to be, no matter how good you are, to go in against 11 v 10 for an hour.
“It’s so difficult and it’s already proved, isn’t it? They have got the three times it’s happened this season, they have only taken two points from nine. So that tells you how hard it’s going to be. They have to cut down on that. Otherwise, they ain’t going to win the league.”
Arteta has managed to find a solution to the majority of his side’s problems since arriving at the Emirates Stadium, and this problem may be markedly easier to fix than others. The solution may simply be Jorginho.
With so much at stake every time Arsenal enter the pitch, the intensity and pressure appears to be getting the better of players. They are lacking an experienced veteran to slow play down, allow the Gunners to play at their own speed and ensure that his teammates do not let their emotions get the better of them.
Jorginho is therefore the character that the Gunners are crying out for. The Italian has seen it all before, both at club level and internationally, and is the leader that Arteta needs to step forward to prevent a crisis from breaking out.
The ex-Chelsea star has been seen berating his team from the sidelines on numerous occasions so far this season, and he could prove even more influential if placed in the No. 6 role in Arsenal’s midfield and tasked with ensuring Arteta’s system remains in working order.
With Mikel Merino showing signs of rustiness on his first league start, Arsenal are not in a position to take risks with a few tricky games on the horizon and there may not be a safer option in midfield than Jorginho at this stage.