Mikel Arteta is winning lots of football matches and finally achieving the recognition he deserves as a coach.
But with success comes scrutiny, a higher profile and extra responsibility to tread the right path.
And this is where Arsenal and their manager need to take a good look at themselves.
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There was never any doubt that they would come from behind to beat a lame West Ham team on Monday night in their most recent match.
The quality and energy throbbing through the Arsenal squad is palpable at present and even supporters of other teams should offer grudging respect for the way this club is turning around.
However, after years of frustration and relative failure there remains a nasty little habit taking the gloss off Arteta’s admirable achievements in his three years.
In the first half of Monday’s win against West Ham there was a snapshot moment that removed the respect for Arsenal’s comeback victory.
An airborne collision between Hammers’ winger Jarrod Bowen and Kieran Tierney in front of the dugouts ended with the Arsenal defender on the ground holding his head.
Arteta tore along the touchline quicker than any of his forwards brandishing an imaginary card in the direction of referee Michael Olvier.
Bowen had already been booked, in the opening ten minutes, so had Oliver been influenced by Arteta’s petulance, he would have been sent off.
To the officials, the coming together of the two players was an accident. TV replays confirmed it seconds later.
The Arsenal player had actually jumped into the arm of Bowen who had his elbows out in a legitimate method of maintaining balance in mid-air.
For Arteta to steam in with this ill-informed, outrageous act of taking the law into his own hands in a cynical bit to influence the ref is indefensible.
To actively try to get a player sent off whilst not in possession of the full facts is deplorable. As much undermining the integrity of referees as post-match comments which question their impartiality.
For that offence, managers can be retrospectively fined. A similar punishment should be introduced to head off this type of menace.
It happened previously this season when Brighton’s Kaoru Mitoma performed the same stroppy card waving towards ref Graham Scott having been wrestled to the ground by Wolves’ defender Nelson Semedo.
Even Brighton fans wrote how this incident left a bad taste in their mouths and soured what was an outstanding game from the Japanese player.
The football world is mourning the loss of Pele, a player with the utmost dignity who whether he liked it or not, is the yardstick for every measure of standards in the modern game and will be for some years.
The Brazilian originated all the tricks you see on pitches these days and won three World Cups - without resorting to this kind of classless, distasteful behaviour.
Arteta is only 40 and not long ago was a player himself. He can probably still smell the turf and the odour of sweat and toil from the days when he was in the thick of it on the other side of the white line.
He of all people should be best positioned to understand the unwritten law of football that trying to get players sent off is one of the worst acts of betrayal.
His predecessor Arsene Wenger was blighted by the same volatility that erupted from time to time when things were not going his way.
His explosive feud with Jose Mourinho is well documented but there were other incidents that chipped away at his image as the bookish professor teaching us English how to play the game.
Ironically against West Ham again, he took umbrage when the home side grabbed a late winning goal - a rare event for The Hammers who more often than not come off a lot worse against their London neighbours.
Wenger felt that West Ham boss Alan Pardew was too animated celebrating the goal and waded in for a full on shoving match.
At that moment, the Frenchman’s customary cool and intellectual crown slipped to reveal a spoiled brat failing to come to terms with a setback in the most unsporting way.
It was 2006 and Arsenal were untouchable as a team yet Wenger lost it.
Whatever happened to honour among thieves?
These traits should be taken into consideration when teams are parading league titles and cups. Winning is one thing but winning with class is another.
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