Arteta's 'Disneyland' Rebuke: Arsenal Boss Defends Stern Warning to Youngster Dowman After Red Card

Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta has defended his firm words to teenage prospect Max Dowman, telling the youngster he was "not in Disneyland" after the player received a red card during the Gunners' surprising League Cup defeat to Fleetwood Town. Arsenal suffered one of the most ignominious losses in their history when they were beaten 5-3 on penalties by fourth-tier Fleetwood after a 1-1 draw in normal time. Adding to Arsenal's woes, Dowman was sent off five minutes before the end of regulation time. Despite the decision to dismiss Dowman for appearing to kick out at Harrison Neal seemingly being harsh, Arteta was not impressed with the 16-year-old, delivering a stern lecture as the midfielder left the pitch. Some pundits criticized Arteta's touchline reaction, suggesting more sympathy was due for Dowman, who is now serving an immediate three-game ban for violent conduct after Arsenal's appeal against his red card and punishment was unsuccessful. However, an unrepentant Arteta stood by his actions in a pre-match news conference on Friday ahead of Arsenal's match against Liverpool. "I understand. But you need to understand the context, the relationship that I have with him and what we discussed just before we went out [for the match]. You want to see the reaction of his teammates? When they have to play with 10, you want to see that? What do you expect? I don’t know … This is the environment, and this is the reality. Otherwise, we are in Disneyland. We are not in Disneyland, we are in the Premier League." Dowman, who debuted for Arsenal at just 15, has been carefully managed by the club. "We look after him so much, but at the same time we’re going to be demanding because he needs to earn the right to play, just like everybody else," said Arteta, whose team is level on points with Premier League leaders Manchester City. "It is not the first time. It happened another time this month with England [Under-19s]. And it will continue to happen because of the way he plays and the way he attracts opponents, and that’s it. We have to be able to tell each other what we think because he is 16 and we have to be very protective of him, but at the same time very straight with him about what we expect of him towards the team, individuals and the club." Arteta, a former Arsenal midfielder himself, stated he had "no issues" with Dowman and expressed disappointment over the failed appeal. "I’m very disappointed, to be fair, especially with the reckless tackles that he received, and then his reaction is minimal in relation to the action," he added.