Ian Wright breaks rank and supports "dangerous" Mikel Arteta approach at Arsenal
Ian Wright has backed Arsenal's decision to release a statement in support of Mikel Arteta's now infamous post-match rant - much to the dismay of Gary Neville.
Arteta let rip at Premier League officials who oversaw last Saturday's 1-0 loss away to Newcastle, with Arsenal left especially aggrieved over Anthony Gordon's controversial second-half winner. Referee Stuart Attwell and the VAR team had three hotly-debated decisions to make before finally awarding the goal, while the enraged Gunners also felt that Newcastle midfielder Bruno Guimaraes should've been sent off for an elbow on Jorginho earlier in the game.
On Sunday, Arsenal issued a widely frowned-upon statement backing Arteta, who labelled the officiating a "disgrace" in a remarkable post-match press conference. The Gunners' response mirrored rivals Liverpool's when they expressed their outrage following an "unacceptable" VAR howler made in last month's 2-1 defeat at Tottenham which left Reds boss Jurgen Klopp fuming.
But Manchester United legend Neville has described those kind of statements as "dangerous," adding on the Stick to Football podcast: "One thing I'm absolutely adamant about is that Arsenal, and Liverpool a couple of weeks ago, should not be creating a public pile on by writing letters to the PGMOL, at their outrage at referees. I don't think that's helpful at all."
Ex-Arsenal striker Wright, however, strongly disagreed with Neville. "I'm pleased that Klopp did that because of the gravity of the mistake and I still think that Mikel was well within his rights," he declared. "[Arsenal] are backing the manager and I'm happy with that because we're seeing mistakes on a scale now where something needs to be said. If what Mikel said was fine, why shouldn't the club support him? Why can't we critique them [referees]?"
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Have your say! Do you agree with Ian Wright or Gary Neville? Let us know your stance in the comments section.
Mikel Arteta was enraged following Arsenal's controversial 1-0 loss against NewcastleNeville rallied back by replying: "The managers can, coaches can, players can, fans can, pundits can, but can clubs come out, institutions like Arsenal and Liverpool, and say things like 'sporting integrity', 'we're going to look at our options', mention replays - to me, that is really dangerous."
Wright was steadfast, though, arguing: "Clubs should make themselves heard. I go back to what Mikel said, there is too much at stake for the clubs. VAR can't make these mistakes. So what if Mikel is more passionate than other managers?"
Ahead of Wednesday's 2-0 win at home to Sevilla in the Champions League, Arteta doubled down on his "duty" to defend Arsenal, showing no sign of regret over his outburst. "My duty is to defend my players, support my players, defend my club and defend my people in the best possible way," the Spaniard affirmed.
"This is what I'm going to do time after time. I do it not the way I feel, with the evidence, as clear as possible. When we play brilliantly, I need to say that. When we have lost, I take my responsibility. It's the way I am and I have to defend my club."
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