Martin Keown has slammed small-minded Arsenal players for over-celebrating their derby win over Tottenham and urged them to post photos of dressing room revelry when they’ve won a trophy.
Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, Aaron Ramsey and Sead Kolasinac were among those to get carried away via social media in the aftermath of the 4-2 win earlier this month, while the club’s Twitter account this week showed Aubameyang and Alexandre Lacazette taking part in a commentary of the game’s highlights.
“I don’t get it,” agreed Keown in a Q&A with the Daily Mail (Friday, 12.53pm). “What I want to see is a picture of the players in the dressing room with the Premier League trophy and that’s all.
“When we beat Tottenham, we never bothered to take photos together. We only wanted to take photos if we had won a piece of silverware.
“You can argue all day long about it being good for team spirit and all that, but there is a long way to go in the season. Just keep it simple, stay concentrated. Arsenal aren’t the only culprits who go over the top with celebrations, of course.But I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, I only want to see a picture of players after a match if they’re holding a trophy.”
OPINION
On reflection, Arsenal players might regret over-celebrating the derby win over Tottenham. Certainly, the images that emerged in public of the players going bananas in the dressing room afterwards. They made the players look small-minded and overly fixated with their neighbours on the other side of the Seven Sisters Road. Rose’s comments are fair enough, but Spurs aren’t blameless, either. The official Tottenham account posted a video of Rose, Dele Alli and company dancing in the dressing room following a recent Champions League win. They should know better. Celebrate wins by all means. Joyous outpourings are a key part of football’s narrative, especially when something notable has been achieved. But, don’t go posting it on social media for the world to see. It lacks class and is showing off. Arsenal will hopefully have learned their lesson. And, so should Spurs, too.