London: Arsene Wenger has warned his hot-headed Arsenal players not to lose their composure again when they face bitter rivals Tottenham Hotspur in the League Cup third round on Wednesday.
Wenger’s side head to White Hart Lane for the first north London derby of the season after two successive defeats featuring three red cards for the Gunners.
France striker Olivier Giroud was dismissed in last week’s Champions League loss against Dinamo Zagreb, while Brazilian defender Gabriel and Spanish midfielder Santi Cazorla were sent off in Saturday’s painful 2-0 defeat at Chelsea.
Wenger largely blamed Chelsea’s Diego Costa for provoking Gabriel into the kick that led to his dismissal. But the centre-back has since been charged with improper conduct for his protests after being sent off and the Arsenal manager acknowledges his team need to do a better job of keeping their emotions under control even in the face of extreme provocation.
“It’s true that we played the last two games with 10 men in the second half and I hope we play the next one with 11 v 11,” Wenger said. “But it’s another derby and that’s not guaranteed as well,” he added.
Yet there are few more testing environments in which to do that than White Hart Lane on derby day, when the hatred and bile will pour down from the stands towards Wenger’s players.
Another factor that could negate Wenger’s attempts to clamp down on the rash of red cards is Arsenal’s desperation to get back on track after a pair of defeats that raised renewed questions about their ability to win the Premier League and Champions League.
While Arsenal’s spluttering start to the season has taken a turn for the worse over the last week, Tottenham have recorded three consecutive victories to revive hopes of a successful season after a sluggish opening.
Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho will shuffle his pack for Wednesday’s trip to the Bescot Stadium, with captain John Terry expected to return at centre-back after being left on the bench in the stormy win over Arsenal.
Manchester United, second in the Premier League after winning 3-2 at Southampton on Sunday, face second-tier Ipswich Town while Liverpool host League Two Carlisle United, the lowest-ranked team left in the competition.
