Jamie Carragher has accused Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta of ‘wasting’ the first 45 minutes of crunch match against Man City by making his side play ‘with the handbrake on’.
The Gunners earned a point at the Emirates with Gabriel Martinelli scoring a superb late equaliser for the hosts.
Arsenal had fallen behind in the first half after being hit on the break by Man City, with Erling Haaland sweeping in following a fine counter attack.
Arteta had turned to his bench at half-time with Bukayo Saka returning from injury to replace Noni Madueke, while £60m summer signing Eberechi Eze came on for Mikel Merino.
Speaking on Sky Sports post-match, Carragher was critical of Arteta’s cautious approach to start the match with the Arsenal boss then forced to make attacking changes having fallen behind.
The former Liverpool defender stressed that with Man City having made a mixed start to the season, Arteta and Arsenal should taken a more proactive approach to win the match.
Jamie Carragher claimed Mikel Arteta wasted 45 minutes in Arsenal’s draw with man City
Eberechi Eze started on the bench but was part of a double half-time change as Arsenal trailed
‘I just think they wasted 45 minutes,’ Carragher said. ‘I think Arsenal are a brilliant team, for me the best squad in the Premier League, and I thought they would come here and win like 2-0 against Man City.
‘Mikel Arteta has got a team who are that close to being really, really special in winning a Premier League and maybe a Champions League, I think they are that good.
‘But time after time when it comes to these big games he picks a team that feels like he’s thinking more about the opposition. That does not mean you can’t win the league, Jose Mourinho has won the Premier League three times and he was like that.
‘For me that was a waste of 45 minutes and the reason I’m saying that is because I played for managers like that at Liverpool and we were really close, we were a top team but we never won the Premier League. I felt at times under Gerard Houllier and Rafa Benitez that at times we had the handbrake on.
‘That is what Mikel Arteta is doing. I won’t change my mind, Liverpool were there for the taking in the second half at Anfield, Man City were there for the taking at the start of this game and he has allowed them to come into the game.
‘It is a reoccurring pattern season after season. If you are Arteta or an Arsenal supporter, you have to hope that does not cost you at the end of the season.’
Carragher’s critique comes with Arsenal already facing a five point deficit to Liverpool after five matches, with the reigning champions boasting a perfect record to date. Arsenal’s dropped points have come in the 1-0 loss by Liverpool at Anfield and the 1-1 draw with Man City.
Former Man United defender Gary Neville suggested the selection of Leandro Trossard and Mikel Merino in the starting line-up should Arteta had opted against taking risks for the match.
Carragher and Keane warned Arsenal could regret their approach come the end of the season
He added that Arteta’s double substitution at half-time appeared an acknowledgement that his team selection was wrong.
‘I thought the same at Anfield and I can’t help thinking, and I’ve said this probably now for a couple of weeks: I’m not going to look at what a manager says, I’m going to look at what he does,’ Neville said.
‘His actions and his actions at half-time were of a manager who I think got it wrong because if you’re making two substitutions at half-time it’s not gone to plan.
‘You know that the players that you started with are not going to be able to win you the game in all circumstances, which is when they go a goal down. So, you’ve given away 45 minutes in a big match.
’You must be looking back at this game and reviewing it and think: should I have started with Eze from the off? Should I have started with Martinelli on the left? I understand why Saka didn’t start, we all get that, but it could have been more attacking than it was, and it wasn’t.
‘Like at Anfield, the attacking substitutions only happen when they are one down, and that’s not right.’
Carragher and Neville’s assessment was backed up by former Man United captain Roy Keane, who stressed that Liverpool’s high standards meant that Gunners cannot afford to be cautious.
The Gunners had finished as Premier League runners-up for the third consecutive season last campaign.
Arsenal and Liverpool both ended the season with four defeats, but the Gunners drew 14 matches compared to their rivals’ nine to miss out on the title.
Roy Keane highlighted Arne Slot’s approach which led to Liverpool’s late win over Newcastle
Keane draw a comparison between Arne Slot’s changes in a bid to win recently at Newcastle when pulled back to 2-2, with teenager Rio Ngumoha ultimately scoring a stoppage time winner.
‘You know too many draws won’t get you there fast, particularly when Liverpool are setting such high standards and Man City did for a number of years when Arsenal were competing with them.
‘They have to change that mindset, particularly at the start of the game today and think “let’s go at them”. It is as if they were waiting for something to happen, they have got the quality, the strength in depth, what are they waiting for?
‘Do Arsenal have the belief they can go and take City on? Arteta says every week he is proud of his team, I would like for him one time to come out and say “I expect more from my players”.
‘Liverpool for example were up at Newcastle, they were 2-0 up and threw it away against 10 men. The manager wasn’t hanging in for a point, he’s throwing young kids and going “we are going to win a game of football”.
‘He [Arteta] has to be more critical and say we need that extra bit if they are going to win the title.
