Arsenal and Tottenham Hotspur faced off at the Emirates Stadium yesterday and fought out a thrilling 2-2 draw.
After Spurs twice came from behind to grab a point, former Manchester United defender Gary Neville criticised the Gunners for relinquishing their advantage.
The second time was particularly noteworthy, as Arsenal retook the lead via a Bukayo Saka penalty. The game restarted, and Tottenham equalised immediately.
Neville blamed their lack of composure on Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta, who is constantly prancing around on the touchline.
He said (via Sky Sports): “I want to see composure from this Arsenal team, and that’s difficult because the manager’s on the sideline jumping around like you wouldn’t believe.
“I want to see passion, but I want to see composure and a coldness, and that feels like a contradiction. But I want to see it in the right moments at the right times.
“But there should be two or three senior players in that group saying, ‘Right, come on – switch on now, we’re ready, and we’re going to see this through’. Your mentality kicks in of knowing when a game’s in danger.”
Arteta has faced criticism for frequently leaving his designated area on the sidelines to shout instructions at his team.
During Arsenal’s Community Shield match against Manchester City, Arteta received a yellow card for running towards fourth official John Brooks and requesting a yellow card for City’s Rodri following a foul on Kai Havertz.
Neville has previously criticised Arteta’s behaviour, suggesting that the introduction of new stringent rules for players and managers was a result of Arteta’s actions during last season.
His previous criticisms of Arteta’s touchline behaviour serve as a reminder of the impact a manager’s demeanour can have on the team.
The derby clash provided thrilling football and ignited a conversation about the role of composure, leadership and managerial conduct in the game.
