‘I’m going against my club’ – Arsenal creator rips into ‘screaming’ Mikel Arteta over his aggressive conduct
Mikel Arteta is the worst-behaved manager in the Premier League for his consistently theatrical antics on the touchline during Arsenal games.
That is the verdict of Football Insider creator and Arsenal supporter Ollie Farrow, who is a fan of the Spaniard’s passion but can understand why is often penalised for his conduct.
Mikel Arteta has built a reputation as a divisive figure among many football fans for his antics on the sidelines while his team are playing.
Arsenal’s pursuit of silverware in recent years has often seen the Spaniard punished for being overzealous and sometimes even antagonistic towards the opposition.
He is, of course, not alone in terms of managers and coaches being overly emotional, with the FA introducing cautions for those breaking rules on the touchlines in the 2018-19 season to try to combat such behaviour.
Arteta has picked up many yellows but improved his behaviour last season
No other manager picked up more cautions than Arteta during the 2023-24 as he was shown five yellow cards across the campaign, the same amount as hot-headed then-Brighton boss Roberto de Zerbi.
He clearly improved his behaviour on the touchline last term as he picked up just three Premier League bookings, with the last of those shrouded in controversy as it caused him to miss their final day clash against Southampton.
Arteta was booked as Arsenal beat Newcastle 1-0 on 18 May as he kicked the ball back onto the field of play and was adjudged to have delayed the restart by referee Simon Hooper.
Farrow deems Arteta to be the worst behaved manager in the Premier League
Former PGMOL chief Keith Hackett previously told Football Insider that Arteta had “damaged” Arsenal’s reputation with his conduct on the sidelines.
When asked about the worst behaved manager on the touchline in this campaign, Football Insider creator Farrow admitted that the Spaniard is most culpable for poor etiquette.
He said: “I think, and this is obviously going against my club, but it’s probably Mikel Arteta. He’s never in his box, he’s always going out, screaming. Obviously he’s had a few cards here and there, so I think it has to be Arteta.
“I love it. It’s good to have a manager that shows that he loves his club and wants to win games, but obviously you have to (play by) the rules, and if you’re breaking them, you’re going to get sanctioned.“