“Come on, you have to do your job, not more” - Arsenal star Riccardo Calafiori reacts to Leandro Trossard's red card against Manchester City

Arsenal defender Riccardo Calafiori has aimed a subtle dig at referee Michael Oliver following his side’s 2-2 draw with Manchester City on Sunday (September 22). The Italian defender appeared to suggest that Oliver should not have sent off Leandro Trossard while opining that the latter didn’t hear the whistle.

Arsenal forward Trossard was given a second yellow card on the stroke of half-time for kicking the ball away after he was adjudged to have fouled Bernardo Silva. The current law states that a yellow card should be given to any player who kicks the ball away, and Trossard obviously violated the rule.

Summer signing Calafiori, however, thinks Oliver’s decision to give Trossard his marching orders was harsh and disrupted the flow of the game. He told Sky Sports after the match:

"I don't want to say too much, but the referee, for me, they have to do their job to keep the game good to watch, but in these kinds of actions they don't have to put themselves too much. I think Leo [Trossard] didn't even hear the whistle. And come on, you have to do your job, not more."

"You don't have to do too much on the pitch. Let the guys play, let the teams play, because these are pure spectacles," he added.

Manchester City, who were down 2-1 when the red card occurred, scored a late equalizer through John Stones to salvage a point.

Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta gives his opinion of Leandro Trossard’s red card

Apart from Riccardo Calafiori, Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta also gave his two cents on Leandro Trossard’s red card after the match. The Spaniard reflected on how the numerical disadvantage made the match difficult for his players and also drew parallels between the red card incident and a moment where Jeremy Doku seemed to commit a similar offense. He said (via TNT Sports);

"It is very obvious, I don't need to talk about it. I think the red card is very clear, very obvious what people think. It is not my job to come here and judge what happened. My job is to survive in one of the most difficult environments there is in football for 55 minutes and try to get things done to survive."

Arteta added:

"The rest is not my job, but it has already happened twice in five games, which is very worrying to see in the best league, the Premier League. [The red card] makes the situation impossible. It is very, very hard to play with 11 players, with 10 it is impossible. With 10, you have to defend your six-yard box time and time again."

Arsenal will next be in action against Bolton Wanderers on Wednesday (September 25) in the third round of the EFL Cup.