Mikel Arteta has urged Myles Lewis-Skelly to “learn his lesson” and avoid becoming a “liability” again at left-back following his first-half substitution in Tuesday’s 7-1 thrashing of PSV Eindhoven.
The Gunners became the first team in Champions League knockout history to score seven goals away from home in a night of near-total dominance but Arteta felt sufficiently concerned to withdraw Lewis-Skelly after just 35 minutes with the score at 3-0.
The 18-year-old was booked moments before a late lunge on Richard Ledezma and was fortunate not to receive a second yellow card.
Lewis-Skelly has been sent off twice this season — although the first red card, in January’s win at Wolves, was rescinded on appeal — and booked on a further four occasions.
Arteta said: “I think it was quite clear that we had a liability there with the yellow card and the next action so it wasn’t the moment to take any risk. We have learned from that experience managing the game for so long, especially with how important this competition is so a lesson to learn for him for sure.
“We will support and help him. But the line is really thin in this sport and he needs to understand that.
“He is very intelligent, he is very demanding of himself. Straight away his reaction was like that, he is a perfectionist, he has got a great environment around him. And he is here to learn as well.”
Lewis-Skelly has made 24 appearances for Arsenal this season and his overall form has been impressive to the extent he is under consideration for Thomas Tuchel’s first England squad, which is named on March 14 ahead of games against Albania and Latvia.
Asked how he could develop his defending to avoid his disciplinary issues, Arteta said: “Dominating the situation, that’s it. Control of the situation. You need to dominate what space you are defending.
“What is the level of exposure that you have? Is the opponent facing you or not facing you? So what is the probability of winning the ball when you have to commit to certain duels?
“And there you have to apply defensive principles that are very clear — to most of the time have the best possibility to win the ball and don’t get exposed. If you don’t do that, at that level, big problem.”
Arsenal face Manchester United at Old Trafford on Sunday and Arteta insisted Ruben Amorim’s side are still capable of rousing themselves for a big display despite lying 14th in the table having won just three of their last 11 Premier League games.
“That’s the history of that football club,” he added. “And the players they have, the coach that they have, watching the game last night against Real Sociedad, it became clear they are very capable of putting in a really strong performance and beat you on the day.”
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