Jamie Carragher is wrong about Mikel Arteta, Pep Guardiola and Arsenal, and here’s why

However, either team could draw different conclusions from the draw, with the Gunners potentially conceding after twice leading the game but also doing so with a makeshift back four.

Arne Slot’s team fought back twice and earned a point. Emirates Stadiumwhich was not a good hunting ground for the team, although there was a potential missed opportunity to beat Arsenal side with an unstable back line.

Overall, the true value of this item cannot be properly assessed until Premier League the title picture becomes clearer.

However, some analyzes aimed at Mikel Arteta in particular, it may not have been entirely fair after the game.

Jamie Carragher compares Mikel Arteta to Jose Mourinho

Recently, a constant comparison surrounding Arsenal and Mikel Arteta has been with Jose Mourinho and his old title-winning teams.

The former Chelsea manager won trophies with a tough style of play that was often criticized for being too defensive.

Given that the Gunners have a solid defensive foundation and occasionally fall back in winning games, this comparison becomes more and more obvious.

Speaking on Sky Sports after the game, former Liverpool defender Jamie Carragher said: “Because Mikel Arteta worked with Pep Guardiola, we almost think he’s a Pep Guardiola disciple.

“And if you look at the most successful managers in, say, the last 10 to 15 years, you have Pep Guardiola with a certain style of football and you have Jose Mourinho almost as successful at the other end.

“Mikel Arteta is slowly turning into a Jose Mourinho-type manager and no one really thought that would happen.

“I just think it’s really interesting how they got there. So you see today, the score is 2:1, Liverpool are pressing, ahead of Liverpool playing very well, they retreat in the second half.

“I know they’ve had a few back injuries, but they still have midfielders playing, they’ve got some attacking players who you think, ‘Can you get the ball?’ Can you go further and try to alleviate some of the pressure you’re under?’

“It comes from the coach, but now it happens too often, we see it with ten people. I understand what happened at Manchester City, I think what they did at City was brilliant.

“Commentating on the game, I enjoyed watching it, but what they did here against Brighton, what they did against Bournemouth last week, the best teams I’ve seen before have been reduced to ten men and I also go back to your own experience. Yes, you are under pressure, but you ease it up and hold the ball a little more and still have a threat going forward.”

Comparison with Jamie Carragher is not true

While Carragher’s comments weren’t too far-fetched, they don’t quite reflect the changes at the top teams over the past few years.

Arteta is no closer to Mourinho, who was a great coach, than Guardiola was during his time at Manchester City.

The champions don’t play in the reckless tiki-taka style that has been commonly associated with head coaching over the years.

They, like Arsenal, tend to recruit defensively oriented players as they spend a lot of money on their defensive line.

Both the Gunners and City have created stronger teams capable of achieving this excellent profit in the fight for the title, which is now simply decided for them.

The top half of the Premier League has become something of a cup competition in itself, where one defeat can end any hope of winning the title.

Liverpool’s own frantic nature cost them dearly in the race to Arsenal last season as they ran in the smoke of an emotional rollercoaster as they clung to scores of last-minute goals.

Their own change under Arne Slott featured a more controlled approach, conceding just five goals in nine games.

Four of the nine games were decided by one goal, which worked, but will only work until it doesn’t, at which point people may wonder why Liverpool don’t throw more of the kitchen sink in games against inferior opposition.

Not only does Arteta want control and ensure that, but that doesn’t bias him towards Mourinho any more than any other manager.

If his players could hold onto the ball and attack more, I’m sure they would, but that argument in itself perhaps takes some of the credit away from Liverpool.

The Reds changed the game after half-time, making it difficult for Arsenal to come out and play their game.

However, their greatest joy came from the goals that came behind the Gunners’ high defensive line, one of which resulted in an equalizer.

It’s not something you’d normally associate with a Mourinho-style side, who might fall back even further.

Overall, it’s a narrative that has shades of truth to it, but it doesn’t reflect the entire story as part of a larger game.

Arsenal are not a team that simply sits back after taking the lead, just like their opponents are not the purest form of football imaginable.

The Gunners may have had reasons to struggle this season, but Arteta certainly made no excuses for a team that has some catching up to do.

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