Redknapp slams Arteta after Holding was sent off in North London derby

By Jordan Harris

Jamie Redknapp has told Sky Sports (broadcast on 12/5; 20:39) that Mikel Arteta made a big mistake after Rob Holding was sent off in the North London derby not bringing on Ben White to cover the gap in the Arsenal defence.

The Gunners endured a miserable evening at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. They were soundly beaten by Antonio Conte’s men and the race for the top-four in the Premier League is back on again.

But Arsenal did not help themselves. And few players deserve to come in for more criticism than Holding. The centre-back picked up an early yellow card for holding back Son Heung-min.

And he was dismissed just after the half-hour mark for blocking Son with a nasty challenge.

At the time, Arsenal were only 1-0 down. And Arteta had White on the bench. There was also potentially the option to throw on Nuno Tavares and move Takehiro Tomiyasu into the middle.

However, the Gunners boss made no changes. Shortly after, they conceded a second. And Redknapp thought that the second goal could have been prevented had Arteta acted after Holding was sent off.

“Then I must admit think the manager gets it wrong. When you lose your centre back the first rule is to get another centre back on the pitch as soon as you can. He should have got Ben White on. He was warming up, all his staff were thinking about what they should do next and then they get done by a set piece where they need a centre back,” he told Sky Sports.

Arteta punished after Rob Holding sent off for Arsenal

Of course, Arteta may have been wary of picking White if he was not fully fit. If he was fit enough to come on towards the end of the first-half, then perhaps he would have been in the lineup from the off.

But bringing Tavares on may have made sense.

Perhaps Arteta was wary of going too defensive while they were behind. Ultimately, it was another decision that hurt Arsenal on a dark day for the Gunners.