Apologies Are Not Enough: Eboue Should Fear His Future at Arsenal

After receiving a second yellow card for kicking out at Tottenham's Luka Modrić in Sunday's North London Derby clash, Emmanuel Eboue has apologized to his team mates, Arsenal fans, and presumably, coach Arsene Wenger, for not controlling himself.

The apology, which seems heartfelt and full off regret, also shows Eboue reflecting upon the impact that the referee's decision had on his team mates, his side's fortune's in the game, and Arsenal's desire to win over their fiercest rivals.

The apology ends with Eboue stating "I know have to control myself [on the pitch] but I did not want to let Tottenham win.  I just wanted to give my best."

Eboue is no stranger to Arsenal fans, who riled the player back in December after he was substituted in for Samir Nasri in a home game against Wigan. Eboue, coming back from injury, was having a tough time getting his rhythm; with many of his passes going astray.

At one defining moment, Eboue took the ball off of his own team mate in a bizarre moment of madness. As fans lost their own nerve, and started to loudly boo the player and call out to the Arsenal coach, Eboue was quickly substituted by Arsene Wenger and was visibly upset at the harsh manner that he was criticized by the fans.

He should expect harsher feedback now.

After being bright and inventive early on in the match, the old Eboue surfaced; his dramatic posturing and constant bickering at the referee became too much, and after three warnings, he was booked for dissent. Later on, a touchline clash with Modrić saw Eboue, seemingly smug that Modrić was being carded by the referee for his part in the melee, receive a yellow card himself, his second, and then shocked at the turn of events.

What did he think? Did he think the referee didn't see him kick out (anyone who remembers David Beckham being sent off for England for doing something similar will know that referees detest players taking disciplinary actions in to their own hands) at the Tottenham player. Did he think that his earlier booking didn't place him foremost in the referee's mind as a player to watch out for as being a "loose cannon"?

In Arsene's post game press conference at White Hart Lane, the Arsenal manager commented on the disallowed goal that was called back on an apparent foul on Spurs' Johnathan Woodgate, but the agitation about Eboue was obvious. When asked if he had spoken to the player about how he felt, the manager answered that he had, but made the comment that Arsenal keep such things behind closed doors.

No doubt Wenger was furious at Eboue, for this is not the only time Eboue's petulance and dramatic immaturity has cost him and his side in a match.  In March 2007, an EPL Disciplinary Commission proved a charge of violent conduct against the Arsenal midfielder for striking Wayne Bridge during an incident towards the end of the Carling Cup Final and handed him a a three-match suspension.

This time around, Eboue may face league discipline again, especially in light that City's Sean Wright Philips has been suspended for his own retaliatory actions the weekend prior.

In terms of impact to the derby match, Arsenal did create some good chances despite being 10 men, and there was some clear signs that had the team been full strength, they might have gotten all three points. As it was, being forced to defend away from home became the order of the day, and Arsenal managed to come away with a point.

Sitting fifth in the League, Arsene Wenger now has to prepare new signing Andrey Arshavin faster than he would of liked, given the fact that Arsenal's options on the right hand side have a larger dent in them—with Walcott still out due to a shoulder injury.

As far as Eboue is concerned, its one thing to have a poor performance in the game (many of his passes went astray, apart from his inventiveness in finding space to create chances); it's another thing to loose your nerve and get sent off for completely avoidable actions.

It's the kind of thing you expect from a schoolboy or child; getting frustrated to the point of taking matters in to your own hands. Perhaps he was upset at the disallowed goal, but plainly, there is absolutely no excuse for how he acted.

We have seen Arsene Wenger act swiftly this season, stripping William Gallas of the captain's armband after it was clear he was not up to the task. For Eboue, it is clear that he cannot handle the pressure at the highest level, and that is not something you can fix if the player himself doesn't have the mental toughness or emotional intelligence to control.

As Arsenal become a stronger side with player's coming back from injury, and the obvious role that Arshavin will be playing in an Arsenal team that must start scoring more goals in games to help ensure that they take away full points so they can start climbing the table in to a comfortable Champions League spot, the future role for Eboue becomes uncertain.

It is very hard for any player, who has had repeated "control" issues that has impacted his team mates, to come up with supporting evidence that he can and will change for the better. Given Eboue's penchant for cracking under pressure, I can only presume that he is too much of a risk for Arsene to put any more faith in, and so, I think his future with Arsenal, if it didn't already have a host of doubts about it, now looks certain to come to be coming to an end.