"Disrespectful to the opposition" - Alan Shearer blasts action of Arsenal man against Newcastle

Newcastle United legend Alan Shearer has blasted Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta for his touchline antics. The former England striker believes the Spaniard was highly disrespectful during the goalless draw against the Magpies.

Arsenal missed the opportunity to go 10 points clear of Manchester City for the time being. They were held at home by Newcastle United and that has handed the Cityzens the chance to close the gap to five points with a win over Chelsea on Thursday, January 5.

Speaking on Premier League productions, Shearer claimed the Arsenal manager needs to 'have a word with himself' and calm down. The legendary footballer said:

"I think Mikel Arteta needs to have a word with himself or his assistant needs to have a word with him and calm him down. I think he is disrespectful to the opposition. He's making it very difficult for referees who have a hard enough job as it is. I get he wants to be animated on the touchline. If his players were behaving like him, then he wouldn't like it. He needs to calm down. I get the big stakes. They are top of the league and it's an emotional game."

Shearer continued:

"But he's making it very, very difficult for referees because he's being disrespectful to the opposition – when you see your manager on the touchline behaving like that. He has to calm down. He's the one who has to make tough decisions and stay calm. At the minute, he's going crazy on the touchline, it can't be helpful, can it?"

Mikel Arteta insists Arsenal deserved two penalties vs Newcastle United

Mikel Arteta was furious with the referees for not awarding two penalties to Arsenal in the goalless draw against Newcastle United.

He claimed that the calls were 'scandalous' and said:

"They are two penalties, it's very simple. I'm talking about what I've seen, now, and it's two scandalous penalties. I'm extremely proud of my players. The way we played, the way we dominated the game, the way we tried, the way we continued."

The Gunners are currently eight points clear at the top of the table, but the lead could be cut to five if Manchester City beat Chelsea on Thursday.