Well, Nuno Tavares might have earned himself an earful from Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta.
The Spanish coach named the Arsenal livewire in his starting lineup for the FA Cup visit to Nottingham Forest this evening, which the Premier League side lost 1-0.
However, Arteta substituted the 21-year-old after only 33 minutes.
The former Benfica left-back, a £7 million signing by the Gunners last summer, had been struggling against the Championship side.
Tavares reacted negatively to Arteta’s decision, trudging off the field and then throwing his gloves to the ground in frustration.
As mentioned, the Portuguese joined Arsenal in July and has undeniably shown very exciting signs that he can compete in the Premier League and England overall.
But Tavares also has some shockers on his CV already – like away at Liverpool in November – and former Gunner Jay Bothroyd has slammed the player on Twitter, claiming his technique is ‘so poor’.
The 39-year-old, who came through the North Londoners’ academy, said: “All Tavares NEEDS to do is work on his technique, day and night, it is so poor!! You can’t play for Arsenal and not be able to control a ball or pass!”
Crossed a line
Arteta has proven that he isn’t scared to show his players who the boss is.
Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang spent December in exile after being stripped of the captaincy, while Matteo Guendouzi hasn’t kicked a football for Arsenal since upsetting the manager in June of 2020.
This is a coach who believes in discipline and it’s probable that Tavares crossed a line with the former Manchester City assistant this evening.
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