Arsenal star Declan Rice defends ‘teacher’ Mikel Arteta for ‘passionate’ VAR rant that ‘fired him up’
Arsenal midfielder Declan Rice has defended manager Mikel Arteta after he criticised VAR officials over a goal conceded against Newcastle last Saturday.
There were a number of points of discussion regarding the goal. At first, it appeared as if the ball had already gone out of play. There was also a possible offside, and a possible foul by Joelinton.
Nevertheless, the goal was allowed to stand and Arsenal went on to lose the game 1-0.
In his post-match interview, Arteta branded the decision as “embarrassing” and a “disgrace.”
He then defended himself by insisting it is his “duty to stand in front of the cameras and give a very clear and honest assessment of what happens in the game.”
Arsenal also released a statement of their own calling for refereeing standards in the Premier League to be addressed.
Many pundits were unhappy with what Arteta said. Michael Owen labelled the Gunners boss as “disgraceful,” for example.
Rice has insisted that Arsenal players wholeheartedly embraced Arteta’s emotional reaction after the 1-0 loss to the Magpies even though the manager could face a sanction from the FA for the outrage.
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“We love it. I think you see how passionate he is. He sometimes gets criticised for how he is on the sidelines, but he is living the game through us,” Rice told reporters.
“He’s so energetic and the way he speaks, he’s like a teacher the way he is in the changing room with us – and that really fires us up for the game and I think that’s what he’s really good at.”
Rice believes that Arteta’s spirited response had a positive effect on the Arsenal squad, as they bounced back from their defeat at St James’ Park with a 2-0 win over Sevilla in the Champions League on Wednesday.
“After the upset [against West Ham] in the Carabao Cup and then obviously on the weekend, a club like Arsenal, we can’t be losing three games in a row,” Rice added.
“The manager made that clear before the game. He said: ‘We need to get back to winning ways and put in a high-energy performance.”
“Sometimes when you’re playing against a back five, it’s hard to break down. But in the end we kept persisting and we’ve come through.”
Arsenal’s next match comes against Burnley at the Emirates on Saturday. Arteta will hope that his team can pick up a big three points in that game.
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