Mikel Arteta is a real disciplinarian at Arsenal.
The Spaniard has shown how ruthless he can be over the years as the Gunners’ boss. His demands are strong, but he never gives up his values to achieve what he wants.
That is exactly what he instils in his players, and when Myles Lewis-Skelly appeared to have crossed a line on Tuesday night, he made sure to let him know.
Myles Lewis-Skelly was told off by Mikel Arteta during Arsenal vs Lille
Lewis-Skelly was one of Arsenal’s best players against Lille in the Champions League.
The 20-year-old was moved to left-back because Riccardo Calafiori needed a break and Piero Hincapie is out injured after hurting his ankle during the warm-down following the win against Leeds.
You would imagine that could cause a drop in level, but Lewis-Skelly was nearly flawless against Lille and deserves nothing but praise for his performance.
However, at one point during the game, the Arsenal academy graduate brought down Dilane Pakwa right in front of Mikel Arteta on the touchline. Then, he seemed to have a go at the Lille winger.
The Arsenal boss was not pleased at all. He immediately called out Lewis-Skelly in front of everyone, pointed his finger at him and gestured a big ‘no’. Arteta didn’t want to see that at all.
That was really great to see. Lewis-Skelly’s passion is really important, but there was absolutely no need to shout in an opponent’s face. It just invites problems.
After the game, Arteta was asked about Lewis-Skelly’s performance, and he showered him with praise. However, he pointed out ‘one action’ that he didn’t like.
“I thought he was brilliant, the way he competed, the way he carried himself. He was very consistent except for one action in the game, and that’s what we need. Myles is a player with a huge impact on the team,” Arteta said, as per Arsenal.com.
We don’t know if the incident with Pakwa is what the gaffer was talking about, but we won’t be surprised at all if it was.