Mikel Arteta has insisted that the heated exchange between Declan Rice and assistant coach Albert Stuivenberg after Arsenal's Carabao Cup semi-final first leg win at Chelsea has been resolved. The pair were caught on camera in a fiery argument in the Stamford Bridge tunnel, but the Arsenal manager played down the incident.
Speaking on Friday, Arteta said: 'All sorted, all good. The good thing is that by the time I found out the problem was resolved so that's very good.' Video footage showed Rice gesticulating at Stuivenberg, with Gabriel Magalhaes stepping in to defuse the situation. Rice had been substituted with around 10 minutes remaining and shared a hug with the coach before taking his place on the bench.
Rice set up Ben White for the opening goal inside the first few minutes of the match. Goals from Martin Zubimendi and Viktor Gyokeres put Arsenal in control, but Alejandro Garnacho scored twice to set up a tense second leg at the Emirates Stadium.
Before that crucial match, Arsenal face five fixtures across the Premier League and Champions League, starting with a trip to Nottingham Forest on Saturday. Arteta provided an update on injured quartet Cristhian Mosquera, Riccardo Calafiori, Piero Hincapie and Max Dowman, suggesting some could return this weekend.
After Forest, Arsenal travel to Inter in the Champions League, then host Manchester United, now led by interim boss Michael Carrick following Ruben Amorim's sacking. Further fixtures include a visit from Kairat Almaty, a trip to Leeds United, and the Carabao Cup semi-final second leg against Chelsea.
