Jamie Carragher compares Mikel Areta to Jose Mourinho in damning Arsenal verdict

Jamie Carragher claims that Mikel Arteta is becoming more like Jose Mourinho than mentor Pep Guardiola, suggesting that Arsenal don’t play ‘great football’.

Arteta’s depleted side had to settle for a 2-2 draw at home to title rivals Liverpool on Sunday, despite taking the lead twice and being in front at half-time. The result leaves Arsenal five points adrift of Guardiola’s Manchester City at the top of the Premier League table, having also dropped points by losing to Bournemouth last weekend.

That game saw the Gunners reduced to 10 men for the third time this season and they’ve failed to win any of those matches (two draws, one defeat). Arteta chose to prioritise defensive solidity but Liverpool legend Carragher believes that there’ve been plenty of other occasions when the Arsenal boss has been too conservative, echoing Mourinho’s tactics rather than Guardiola’s.

“I’ve been thinking about this for a long time, probably going back to this fixture last year,” Carragher began on Sky Sports, having watched Mohamed Salah equalise for his former club, keeping them four points above Arsenal in second.

“Because Mikel Arteta worked with Pep we all think he is a Pep Guardiola disciple. If you look at the two most successful managers in the last 10-15 years you’ve got Pep on one end and Jose – almost equally successful – at the other end.

“Mikel Arteta is slowly morphing into a Jose Mourinho type of manager and no one really thought that would happen. They were 2-1 up, pressing Liverpool, on top and playing really well but they retreated in the second half.

“I know they had a couple of injuries at the back but they still got the midfield players and some attackers who you think you can get on the ball and go forward and try and take the sting out of the pressure you’re under. But that instinct to protect comes from the manager but it happens too often.”

Arsenal’s first time going down to 10 men this term was at home to Brighton, as Declan Rice was shown a second yellow card for delaying the restart. When Brighton equalised, Arteta reacted by taking an attacker off and replacing them with a defender.

Three weeks later when the Gunners were 2-1 up away to City, Leandro Trossard’s sending off prompted Arteta to make the same tactical alteration at half-time. The match ended 2-2 following John Stones’ 98th-minute equaliser.

And at Bournemouth, an early red card for William Saliba resulted in the same change from Arteta but this time in the first half. This time Arsenal were beaten, with substitute Jakub Kiwior making an error in the 2-0 defeat.

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