Arsenal News: Scholes Criticises Rice's Emotional Behaviour as Man City Face Points Dediction
As Arsenal celebrate a commanding 4-1 victory over Tottenham in the north London derby, two significant stories have emerged involving the Gunners and their Premier League rivals. Mikel Arteta's side secured their second derby win of the season away from home, thanks to braces from Eberechi Eze and Viktor Gyokeres, restoring a five-point lead at the top of the table after recent dropped points against Brentford and Wolves.
However, second-placed Manchester City still hold a game in hand, set to face Leeds this Saturday, while Arsenal prepare for another high-stakes London derby against Chelsea at home this Sunday. Amidst this, Mirror Football highlights key developments affecting the north London club.
Scholes Labels Rice 'Overly-Emotional' After Mistake
Manchester United legend Paul Scholes has publicly criticised Declan Rice's behaviour following Arsenal's win over Tottenham. Rice was seen urging his teammates to maintain focus after Arsenal took the lead, but just two minutes later, he made a sloppy mistake, losing possession in a dangerous area that led to Tottenham's equaliser.
Although the midfielder apologised and performed solidly thereafter, Scholes argued that Rice lacks the calm leadership exemplified by Premier League icons like Roy Keane. Speaking on the Good, the Bad and the Football podcast, Scholes expressed concern over Rice's emotional demeanour.
"When Roy [Keane] was leading the team, there was a certain calmness about it. When I look at Declan Rice, he almost looks too emotional. He's lively, shouting 'Come on! Come on! Come on!' and then he makes his mistake. In title races and tough games, you need calmness. I think he could be a captain, but right now, he's so emotional," Scholes stated.
He added, "I don't like all that geeing up the crowd just before a goal. People might call me miserable, but game-management requires calmness in key situations, not excessive emotion."
Manchester City Could Face Severe Points Dediction
In a separate development, football finance expert Kieran Maguire has warned that Manchester City could be deducted between 40 and 60 points if found guilty of the most serious charges against them. The club faces 115 alleged financial breaches between 2009 and 2018, with a hearing ending in December 2024 after a 12-week tribunal, but no verdict has been announced yet.
City have denied any wrongdoing and remain confident of being cleared. However, Maguire notes that the commission is still deliberating over an estimated 500,000 pieces of evidence. He suggests that precedent from Everton and Nottingham Forest, who received six and four-point deductions respectively for single offences over three years, could lead to a harsher penalty for City due to the nine-year period involved.
"I think you have to add a zero to what we've seen from Forest and Everton, so somewhere between a 40 and 60-point deduction would, on merit, be consistent with other decisions. If they want to go further, we don't know the severity," Maguire said on The Overlap Fan Debate.
Whether such an extreme punishment will be imposed remains uncertain, and Arsenal are advised to focus on their own performances rather than speculate on potential impacts from City's case.
