Mikel Arteta vows to curb his wild side on the touchline to avoid facing a ban after picking up another yellow card against Chelsea… as the Arsenal boss admits his antics ‘don’t give off the best image’

Mikel Arteta will clean up his act on the touchline to avoid facing a ban, as he admits the public image of his antics is ‘not the best’.

The Arsenal boss is one yellow card away from a one-game suspension after he was booked for abusing the referee after his side’s draw with Chelsea.

And ahead of Friday’s clash with Sheffield United, Arteta revealed he is working hard to change his image.

‘I don’t want to get sent off,’ he said. ‘Sometimes when I look at myself and I’m so agitated I think it can sometimes give an image that is not the best.

‘Sometimes it’s difficult when you are in the heat of the moment, because you are representing the club and you want to defend them.

Arteta received another yellow card against Chelsea and is one away from a potential ban

‘That’s what drives me. It’s to defend the players to defend the club. Nothing else. It’s not about me.

‘I think I am changing. If you think differently, let me know. But I have made a conscious effort.

‘If you ask the players that played with me they would say I was always on their backs when I played as well. It’s who I am.

‘Probably in 10 years’ time I will be very different. I think I will evolve, in many ways.’

Arsenal host Sheffield United without Gabriel Jesus and Thomas Partey, who Arteta revealed will both be out for ‘weeks’ with muscle injuries.

It means they are likely to miss next week’s trips to West Ham in the League Cup and Newcastle in the Premier League, before home matches against Sevilla and Burnley before next month’s international break.

And Arteta warned that at this rate the Premier League will have to allow clubs to increase the size of their squads beyond 25.

He said: ‘We will need more players. The players have a certain amount of energy. The battery lasts so long and we will burn them.

He also claimed sides need more players after Gabriel Jesus and Thomas Partey were ruled out 

‘We have to adapt. If we have more games, we have to do that… or instead of five subs, we have 10.

‘The five subs is now something normal but it was a big fight to go from three to five.

‘If the calendar extends, you need players to pick. When is this going to stop and how long will it take for us to make the right decisions?

‘The laws will change and probably our capacity to do things during games will change as well.’