Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta has told 16-year-old Max Dowman "we are not in Disneyland" after the teenager was sent off in the Carabao Cup penalty shoot-out defeat to Fleetwood Town on Tuesday.
Dowman received a red card in the 85th minute for reacting to a heavy challenge by Fleetwood's Harrison Neal. The dismissal earned him a three-match ban. Arteta, visibly annoyed, spoke to Dowman as he left the pitch and addressed the incident publicly on Friday.
The manager revealed he had warned Dowman before the match about handling provocation. "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," Arteta said.
Arteta added that he spoke to Dowman on Thursday and there were "no issues at all" between them, but stressed the need to be "very straight" about the standards expected. He noted Dowman had also been sent off for England U19s earlier this month after similar heavy challenges.
"They are his age. They are 16 – the same. What is the reaction? That is the level and that is the reaction," Arteta said. "And whether it is right or wrong, that is the reaction."
The Arsenal boss emphasized the competitive environment: "And the reaction when I don't win, you want to know what my reaction is? I am [angry] 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 level."
Arteta said the club looks after Dowman "so much that you cannot imagine" but will demand the same standards as every other player. Arsenal appealed the red card, but the Football Association upheld the decision. Arteta expressed disappointment and added, "we are lucky today that he (Dowman) hasn't had a broken foot."
