Jamie Carragher has slammed Mikel Arteta for trying to play like Liverpool and Manchester City when he knows he doesn’t have the players to execute such a plan.
The Spaniard spent time as the assistant manager of Manchester City under the leadership of Pep Guardiola before taking up the Arsenal job.
He has been influenced by Guardiola and his style and that of the Premier League-winning manager are similar.
City won the league last season, but they have spent money relentlessly and they have the most expensively assembled squad in the Premier League right now.
City spent over 100m euros on Jack Grealish in this transfer window while Arsenal spent more than that on the likes of Ben White, Martin Odegaard, Nuno Tavares among others.
These players are average at best when compared to the names on the squad of other top six clubs, yet Arteta has still insisted on playing like the top clubs and Carragher says he isn’t being realistic and it makes little sense.
Carragher told Sky Sports as quoted by The Daily Mail: ‘Having a look at what they didn’t when you’re playing against Chelsea it’s how you deal with their system – a centre-forward and two numbers 10s and wing-backs like wingers. Arsenal – a back four against a back three was very naive.
‘I came up against Lukaku and Dider Drogba and I felt sorry for Mari. To be left one versus one throughout that game, no matter who you are, you would get rolled. I needed help with Drogba, Mari needed help.
‘The best way to describe Arsenal is that they tried to play like Man City and Liverpool would do, but they don’t have the players.
‘Liverpool won’t change against them. Van Dijk is one of the players that will fancy his chances against Lukaku but Liverpool will be brave, Jurgen Klopp will be brave, because he has someone of that stature. Liverpool will be playing to push up to the half way line.
‘I’m not trying to knock Lukaku, but what he did yesterday doesn’t mean he’s going to do that every week. That’s bad organisation from Arsenal. He’s a handful and a top striker but that football was Arsenal’s own doing.’
Hardly a slamming from Carragher and whilst I am far from being a fan of his, he is speaking the truth.
I agree Declan, very well put from Jamie.
You have to play to your players strengths, they are all you have out there. Leno is always a great example, he can’t play out from the back well so don’t do it until you have a keeper that can.
We all knew how they would play Lukaku but we set up with 2 flat defensive lines of 4 players leaving huge gaps for balls to be fed straight to his feet.
The same with RB. We should play to Bellerin’s strength instead of mediocre Cedric.
Just to say that planting trees and modelling clothes are not allowed while the game is in play. If Bellerin has ANY football “strengths” at all, I must have been looking away these last 9 years.
It is true Arteta had his head in the clouds when he came as manager+ played like Man City with players lacking the neccessary technical skill.
Which is why we have purchased White Tavarez
Partey Lokonga and Odegaard.
On the flanks we have Pepe and Saka
Tierney + Tavarez bombing forward down the left
and similar attacking RB replacing Bellerin
will give us even more threat.
Against Brentford we had 22 shots and against Chelsea we had 3 clear chances in the first half.
So we now have technical players through the middle and flair on the flanks.
We just need Auba and Laca to rediscover their shooting mojo and we will be a force again.
Dear Mr Jamie Carragher,
You’re just witnessing the making of the 2022/23 Champions League winning squad. We’ve initiated the project last summer by signing Willian and we are just 1/3 of our way in achieving our ultimate target. Please remain patient like our stand-in captain and our manager ask and, most importantly, trust the process. COYG!!!
You are right! How can I be so blind? The board is secretly assembling a winning squad, but hired Arteta so as to mislead other clubs into thinking Arsenal is mediocre at best. Once the team is assembled, they just need to fire arteta, hire a decent manager, and BOOMM we won the league and champions league.
Evil and jealous forces are actively working behind the scenes to throw a spanner in the meticulous work of our board by trying to ship our team’s talisman across the Atlantic to Corinthians. How unlucky we’d be if that actually happen when we’re inching closer to our ultimate goal!!!
Jamie is right 100%. The point is Arteta should have gone with a 3-4-3 system, not a negative system but a idealistic and realistic system, considering the limitations. This would have given the defence more possibility of covering Lukaku and given Lenno more protection. The full backs can bomb forward only if the defence is ensured to be safe, which was not the case for Arsenal. Also Pepe was continuously passing the ball back bringing more pressure on the defence. You have to play to your players strengths rather play expansive spanky football and end up losing. Playing counter attacking football against the top teams is nothing wrong. Play expansive football if you have the teams like City and Liverpool, confident, sure and strong.
Arsenal have the right players to deliver their expectations , they only need time to rediscover their form and quality backups to up their game which we already witnessed under Arteta.
Carragher is unfortunately correct on this occasion but unlike him, I do not feel any sympathy for Mari, who is clearly not good enough for the EPL.
Flakey old Arsenal im afraid, probably as weak a defensive performance i can remember for a while and terrible tactics. We are coming accustomed to it now at Arsenal.