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.’