‘We are not in Disneyland’ – Mikel Arteta reflects on Max Dowman’s red card for Arsenal

Mikel Arteta has reminded Max Dowman “we are not in Disneyland” as the Arsenal boss reflected on the teenager’s red card against Fleetwood Town.

Dowman was sent off for kicking out at Harrison Neal following a robust challenge from the League Two player, and ten-man Arsenal were then dumped out of the Carabao Cup on penalties.

Arteta has been criticised for what many saw as an extreme reaction to Dowman’s sending off as the academy graduate trudged past him on the touchline.

But Arteta believes the reaction fit the crime and insists he can’t be seen to be treating Dowman differently to his other players.

Arteta said in his press conference: “I haven’t seen the reaction to my reaction, whether it is positive or negative. But you need to understand the context and the relationship that I have with him and what we discussed just before we went out.

“But, I don’t know. You can have another reaction. If you see the reaction of my father and my mother with me some days you might say ‘I don’t like the reaction’. For me it was the best reaction to be who I am.

“If you want the best reaction and the beautiful one… you want to see his team-mates when they have to play with 10? You want to see that? What do you expect?

“And the England one? They are his age. They are 16 – the same. What is the reaction? That is the level and that is the reaction.

“Whether it is right or wrong, that is the reaction. And the reaction when I don’t win, you want to know what my reaction is? I am [expletive] off big time.

“So, we need to be ready for that. This is the environment and this is the reality, otherwise we are in Disneyland. We are not in Disneyland, we are in the Premier League and this is the level.

“We look after him so much that you cannot imagine. But at the same time we are going to demand from him like everybody else because he needs to earn the right to play. Because the other boys, what are they going to say to me? You need to be fair.”

Asked about the risk of having a child like Dowman representing the club at senior level, Arteta added: “It is what it is. I think we discussed that when he made his debut in pre-season against Newcastle – it was a very physical game. If a play that weighs 95kg/100kg comes in at 35kph into Max and hits a bone, I don’t know what happens.

“When we talk about protecting him, when you ask me why he’s not playing every week when he’s done really well against Everton – we need to put some perspective into every context into the player that we have which is tremendous and leave it there and let him grow and protect him, all of us.”

Arteta also voiced his disappointment at Arsenal failing to get the red card overturned.

He said: “Very disappointed to be fair, especially with the reckless tackles he received. His reaction is minimum in relation to the action. I’m disappointed that it has not been overturned.”

On the “victim” being punished in this situation: “It is what it is. We have put every argument on the table to make a case for it. The action is so evident. Obviously we have a very different opinion and on top of that I think you have to read the context of the player, the age and what happened previously.

“It could have been really bad. We are lucky today that he hasn’t had a broken foot, that is clear.”

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