Craig Burley has stated that Mikel Arteta’s actions on the touchline for Arsenal ‘annoys me’ and how far he comes out of his technical area, as he told ESPN.
The former Scotland international referenced Arsenal’s 4-2 win over Brighton and how animated Arteta was when the Premier League leaders thought the home team had scored a third.
Before the goal was ruled out, Arteta proceeded to tell his players to ‘calm down’, yet Burley felt that Arteta was acting in the opposite fashion himself.
Like Pep Guardiola, Jurgen Klopp and Antonio Conte, to name a few Premier League managers, Arteta is no different to how they act.
At the end of the day, for the neutral, it’s entertaining and great viewing when managers are themselves and passionate on the touchline, as Arteta is no different, but Burley sees otherwise.
“The one thing about Arteta and the one thing that certainly annoys me watching him,” said Burley. “I don’t get annoyed by managers being jumpy in their technical area.
“It’s more his positioning of how far he continually comes out. What made me laugh, when he thought it was actually 4-3, with about five or six minutes to go before the goal was ruled out, he was telling everybody ‘calm down’.
“Calm down? You look around at him and he’s bobbing around, jumping around and running into people. It’s the one thing that he does, which is the makeup of him, but it’s paying off.”
ARSENAL V NEWCASTLE
On paper, this is Arsenal’s biggest test of the season because of how well Eddie Howe’s Newcastle United are playing this season.
Albeit punching above their weight and ahead in their project, the Magpies are pushing for Champions League football.
A win for Arteta’s Arsenal here would be another statement of intent and a sign that their long-wait to become champions could be coming to an end.
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