Gary Neville has pinpointed a key facet of Arsenal's game other Premier League teams cannot stand.
The Gunners - currently second in the table behind leaders Liverpool at present - have only recently secured a top-eight finish in the Champions League and are once again on a quest for silverware this season.
However, opposing fans have often grown tired of their in-game tactics. While they seem to work for the most part, Sky Sports pundit Neville himself says he cannot understate the importance of doing so on the pitch.
Gary Neville says Arsenal's behaviour towards referees should be highlighted
Speaking via The Overlap brought to you by Sky Bet, the former Manchester United captain said Arsenal are brilliant at influencing games through the officials on the pitch.
Much like great teams such as Sir Alex's side and Barcelona under Pep Guardiola did, Neville said Arteta has clearly learnt a thing or two about how to influence the referee across a 90-minute game.
“Arsenal were called soft for many years, but they’re very streetwise and are a tougher team now which is a good thing,” began Neville when addressing the Gunners on-field behaviour.
“We did something similar back in the day where there was a siege mentality around referees, so I don’t think we can be against it, but my point is that with social media now it inflames it to a level where referees are now getting death threats. Back in the day, referees never used to get death threats.”
It may influence games somewhat, but Arteta's side is the worst when it comes to red cards, having received more than any other Premier League team this season.
Declan Rice, Leandro Trossard, William Saliba, and Myles Lewis-Skelly have all been given their marching orders in 2024/25 in the English top flight, with the latter having recently had his red card overturned.
In FourFourTwo's view, Arsenal are perhaps masters of their downfall when it comes to their red card record this season but other teams are also quick to surround the officials, so they are not alone on that front.
Arsenal are back in Premier League action on Sunday as they host Manchester City in what could be another fiery encounter.
