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    Declan Rice’s red card, ‘inconsistent’ refereeing and the lesson Arsenal need to learn from it

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    Declan Rice’s red card, ‘inconsistent’ refereeing and the lesson Arsenal need to learn from it

    Arsenal’s media theatre is situated along a corridor that runs from the area where the dressing rooms meet the tunnel. After an incident as incendiary as the sending off of Declan Rice, a moment that was pivotal to the outcome of the match, it’s normal for there to be some heightened interest as the press wait for the managers to come and explain their perspectives. Will sparks fly? 

    “Ladies and gents, Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta,” announces Ray, one of the members of staff who has been around the place for years. He’s seen it all. 

    A hush descends as Arteta sits down in front of the microphones and recording devices. The first question is gentle. A warm-up. It’s usually not advisable to go in two footed with the opener just in case the conversation is terminated abruptly. “Hello Mikel. What are your thoughts on the afternoon…?” 

    After a broadly technical overview for the manager, it is time for the big one. “The red card is obviously what everyone is talking about. What did you think of it?”

    Arteta’s response is clear but measured. “I was amazed,” he says. “Amazed, amazed, amazed because of how inconsistent decisions can be.” It is clear he is referencing Brighton’s Joao Pedro whacking the ball way down the pitch in the first half after it drifts out of his control. That, however, did not strike referee Christopher Kavanagh as important enough to sanction. 

    However, when Declan Rice nudges the ball away from Joel Veltman early in the second half, a fraction of a second before he is kicked in the back of his calves by the Brighton opponent he had been tangling with, out comes the yellow card for a second booking, and then the subsequent red. 

    Rice is aghast. It is a heavy penalty — even if it it was a foolish instinct he should have avoided given he was already on a booking. As manager’s always implore to players on a tight rope, don’t give a referee a decision to make. 

     

    A little extra oddity about the situation is that when the referee initially goes over to the two players at the centre of the storm, there are very audible cries of “off, off, off” from the home crowd. They are expecting a punishment for Veltman. To the naked eye in real time, Rice is walking away from the ball and his touch affects a very minor deflection. But a touch it was. It enables those four words which have become so dominant in the age of VAR to stamp themselves on events: letter of the law. 

    So that is that. Red. Off. Ten men. A dramatically tilted game. Rice out of the north London derby. Yes, according to the letter of the law Rice did something punishable. Later, he acknowledges it and apologises. A barely consequential action in the context of match play — the ball was moved on a few inches in what Arteta described as a “non critical area” — but the end result was serious consequences for Rice and his team. 

    Now here’s the thing. 

    In the tribal, competitive environment of football, once Arteta had said his piece, in walks the Brighton head coach Fabian Hurzeler, ready to give his take on the main events of the match. 

    “For me, a clear red card,” he says. “He shoots the ball away. There are no two opinions.” 

    The comeback from one of the journalists is entirely reasonable. “In that case do you think Joao Pedro should have been booked in the first half for kicking the ball away?”

    “You can’t compare these two situations,” replies Hurzeler. He gives an explanation about the contrast between a static and dynamic situation, which, frankly, just emphasises how ridiculous the analysis of controversial decisions has become. So, is it the letter of the law or is it not the letter of the law? 

    The official explanation is that Rice was sanctioned for “delaying the restart.” But even that is a complicated take as Veltman prodded the ball towards Rice as the player was walking away, back to play. 

    As is often the case after matches become defined by these focal points and the allied refereeing interpretation, the overriding feeling, particularly when it comes to consistency, can sometimes make your head hurt. 

    How much time do we spend dissecting incidents compared to the nuances of the game’s skills and match-ups and tactical and technical merits? How much confusion must we endure over the ever-changing minutiae of the handball laws? How much frustration is acceptable that minor infractions are punished when violent kicks or shoves or excessive physical aggression are overlooked? 

    It does not feel massively helpful for football to have so much analysis or opinion based on a subjective impulse. Of course Arteta and Arsenal would be amazed by Rice’s expulsion. Of course Brighton and Hurzeler would see justification in the red card but also see no problem with Pedro’s action in the first half. 

    Once the emotion around the refereeing decision subsides, Arsenal must examine the more critical and pragmatic question. Misty-eyed old romantics will remember how George Graham’s Arsenal would roll up their collective sleeves if a player was sent off, and more often than not, go on to win the match.

    It felt like Arsenal got caught between their desire to chase the win and their cautiousness about getting caught. Up until the red card, a third straight win of the season looked the most probably outcome. A bright start, a lull, and then a smoothly taken opening goal for Kai Havertz who Pires-ed the ball over Bart Verbruggen’s head made for a decent first half even if the team still look like they are finding their fluency and sharpness. 


    Havertz puts Arsenal ahead against Brighton (Stuart MacFarlane/Arsenal FC via Getty Images)

    Havertz and Bukayo Saka made life difficult for Brighton, and both had chances to win it even when their team were down to ten men. However that touch of ruthlessness under pressure was elusive. 

    Arsenal’s frustration was compounded by the fact they let in an equaliser that will disappoint them defensively. Neither the front or back part of the team were able to rise above the complication of Rice’s red card and be precise enough to carry the ten men to a win. That said, David Raya’s excellent contribution ensured nothing worse befell them. 

    As the second half wore on the tension ratcheted up. In this era of Manchester City dominance there is an insane amount of pressure to not drop a point. 

    It felt reminiscent of the game against Fulham at home a year ago, when Arsenal’s players were visibly flattened to concede late and draw a game they felt they ought to have won. City have created a flawlessness syndrome which makes results such as this feel heavier than they used to be. As Rice said, “one-one in the end is not ideal because we want to win every game, that’s what we strive for and believe we can do.”

    A head scratcher of a decision, a man down, an uncharacteristic error at the back, and the tension begins to squeeze. Man City can do that to their challengers even without playing. Dealing with such situations, and finding a win somehow, is one of those small next steps Arsenal aim to add to their armoury. 

    In order to take on the ogre, Arsenal need to overcome the smaller weasels adversity along the way.

    (Top photo: Ryan Pierse/Getty Images)

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