Former Arsenal striker Alan Smith says manager Mikel Arteta would have been seriously concerned by the actions of some members of the Gunners squad over the past few weeks.

The Spaniard has been trying to cultivate a strong dressing room atmosphere since his arrival at the Emirates a year ago but incidents involving four members of the first team recently would have damaged those plans:

“They get well beaten by Aston Villa, then Willian shoots off to Dubai without permission. David Luiz and Dani Ceballos swap punches in an unusually fierce training ground scrap and Pepe gets stupidly sent off in the goalless draw at Leeds.”

“For a manager who insists on togetherness and discipline, this period will have disturbed Mikel Arteta. The Spaniard has enough on his plate without getting waylaid by avoidable distractions.”

It’s certainly not a good sign in terms of discipline but these stories only tend to come out when the club is not doing well on the pitch. If Arteta’s side can turn things around with wins over the festive period then these issues will dissolve into the background.

The Gunners face a challenging game against Wolves at home tomorrow, and it will be interesting to see who is selected to start, considering the suspension to Nicolas Pepe and the injury doubts surrounding the likes of Willian and David Luiz.