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Myles Lewis-Skelly shown delicate balance between discipline and recklessness

After two reds this season and a near-miss in Europe, Mikel Arteta has had a serious talk with the talented teen

Arsenal's Myles Lewis-Skelly fouls Wolves' Matt Doherty leading to a a red card during the Premier League match at Molineux Stadium in January. Photograph: Nick Potts/PA Wire
Arsenal's Myles Lewis-Skelly fouls Wolves' Matt Doherty leading to a a red card during the Premier League match at Molineux Stadium in January. Photograph: Nick Potts/PA Wire
David Hytner
Sun Mar 09 2025 - 12:56

Mikel Arteta did not want to have the chat while the passions were still raging, which they were on Tuesday night and in a jubilant way after the 7-1 Champions League win at PSV Eindhoven. And so the Arsenal manager waited. Myles Lewis-Skelly, though, knew what was coming and it duly did on Friday, as Arsenal prepared for Sunday’s Premier League trip to Manchester United.

The 18-year-old left back was a lucky boy against PSV. On a booking, he committed to a challenge on Richard Ledezma in the 26th minute and got none of the ball and all of the man. It looked to be a second yellow card and yet the referee, Jesús Gil Manzano, chose to spare him. Which was a surprise to everyone, Arteta included, and certainly those who have followed Gil Manzano in La Liga this season, where he has averaged nearly seven cards a game – more than any other official.

Lewis-Skelly had been sent off in his previous Arsenal appearance for a last-man foul on West Ham’s Mohammed Kudus and was dismissed at Wolves on January 25th for a trip on Matt Doherty to stop a counterattack, albeit a red card that would be rescinded. Doherty was not far outside his own box. If it was a dark arts move by Lewis-Skelly, it was not dark enough.

The bottom line is that lessons have to be learned. Arsenal were 2-0 up at the time of Lewis-Skelly’s tackle on Ledezma but, as Arteta said on Friday, it “would have been a different game if Myles had got sent off”. Arteta substituted him in the 35th minute for his own protection and that of the team, even if they were 3-0 up by then.

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“It was today that I did it, when the dust has settled,” Arteta said of his one-to-one with Lewis-Skelly. “It was to talk openly. What can we learn from that situation? How can we expose the team [with an error]? What are the things that we have to try to avoid without losing his essence as a player?

“That’s what we have to do – understand where that line is. Because he is a superb player. He has attitude, he has courage … what he transmits. Certainly we have to maintain that. It’s just understanding the risk/rewards. What part of the pitch you are in and when you have to bet certain things that can give you big rewards. And, sometimes guys, stay away from that bet. Because it is not good for us.

Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta greets Myles Lewis-Skelly after he was substituted during the Premier League match against Manchester City at the Emirates Stadium. Photograph: Glyn Kirk/AFP via Getty Images
Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta greets Myles Lewis-Skelly after he was substituted during the Premier League match against Manchester City at the Emirates Stadium. Photograph: Glyn Kirk/AFP via Getty Images

“It was quite clear that we had a liability there [with Lewis-Skelly against PSV] – with the yellow card and the next action. It wasn’t a moment to take any risk. So, a lesson to learn for him, for sure. The line is really thin in the sport and he needs to understand that.”

Lewis-Skelly’s essence is his physicality in the duels, whether riding challenges or making them, and there is no doubt that the balance can be delicate. “It’s just to dominate the situation, that’s it,” Arteta said. “Control the situation.

“What space are you defending? What is the level of exposure that you have? Is the opponent facing you or not facing you? So, what is the probability to win the ball and when you have to commit to certain duels? Then you have to apply defensive principles that are very clear – to most of the time have the best possibility to win the ball and don’t get exposed. If you don’t do that at this level … big problem.”

Arteta believes that Lewis-Skelly, who made his name in the Arsenal academy as a midfielder, will learn because of his intelligence and because he is a “perfectionist”.

It was, however, interesting to hear Arteta make the point that it was easier to talk about the issue after victory. “To learn when you’ve won … that is much better, believe me,” he said with a smile. “For your confidence and as well for how your team and your colleagues perceive you. So he was lucky on that.”

It has not always been the case this season. Arsenal have had more red cards in the Premier League this season than anyone else – in addition to Lewis-Skelly’s there have been sendings-off for Declan Rice against Brighton, Leandro Trossard v Manchester City and William Saliba v Bournemouth. They have dropped points in all but the Wolves game.

Lewis-Skelly’s fine performances have put him in the frame for a debut England callup when Thomas Tuchel names his first squad next Friday for the World Cup qualifiers against Albania and Latvia. The same is true of Arsenal’s 17-year-old winger Ethan Nwaneri. “It will be an incredible experience for them if that’s the case … whenever that is,” Arteta said. The only worry would be Lewis-Skelly’s decision-making. – Guardian