Mikel Arteta has downplayed the half-time altercation between Declan Rice and assistant manager Albert Stuivenberg during Arsenal's Carabao Cup victory over Chelsea, insisting the matter is 'all sorted'.
Television cameras captured the heated exchange as the players returned to the pitch for the second half of Wednesday's 3-2 win at the Emirates Stadium. Rice was seen shaking his head and shouting 'just go' at Stuivenberg, before defender Gabriel Magalhaes stepped in to calm the situation. The England midfielder then appeared to say, 'he doesn't know what the hell he is on about'.
However, when Rice was substituted in the 82nd minute, he made a point of hugging Stuivenberg on the touchline before heading to the bench. Asked about the incident at his pre-match press conference on Friday, Arteta said: 'All sorted, all good.' He added that by the time he found out about the row, the problem had already been resolved.
Elsewhere, Arteta agreed with Thomas Tuchel's assessment that England players will need 'social skills' to make the World Cup squad. 'I fully agree with Thomas. There are players that maybe in terms of minutes they don't have that much impact, but the impact they have in and around the team to bring everybody together is critical,' Arteta said.
