Carragher Claims Arteta’s Arsenal Has More Mourinho Than Guardiola in Title Quest
Jamie Carragher believes Manchester City’s relentless winning mentality, paired with Arsenal’s cautious approach, could be crucial in deciding this season’s Premier League title.
City have already opened up a five-point lead over Arsenal after just nine games, with the Gunners’ recent 2-2 draw against Liverpool sparking a debate on Arsenal’s mentality. Mikel Arteta’s side led twice but chose to protect their lead at 2-1 instead of pushing for a third goal, a decision that led Roy Keane to question their hunger to dominate.
Despite being unbeaten in their last six encounters with City and Liverpool, Arsenal have only won two of those games and have repeatedly fallen behind in the title race. Carragher believes Arsenal’s mindset leans more toward preservation than ruthlessness, likening Arteta’s approach to Jose Mourinho’s style rather than that of his former mentor Pep Guardiola.
“The interesting thing about watching Arsenal, and I’ve been thinking about this for a long time, is that because Mikel Arteta worked with Pep Guardiola, we’ve assumed he’s a Guardiola disciple,” Carragher told Sky Sports. “But when you look at the two most successful managers in the past 15 years, you have Guardiola on one side and Mourinho on the other. Mikel Arteta is slowly morphing into a Mourinho-type manager. No one really expected that.”
Carragher added, “This is not a criticism, but rather an observation of Arsenal’s evolution. Arteta might feel he needs to be defensively solid because, in terms of attacking quality, they aren’t quite at Manchester City’s level. Last season, they were one of the best defensive teams, and they seem to be following that same formula.”
He continued, “If you look at today’s game, Arsenal retreated in the second half, players were going down frequently, and there was secrecy over who was fit before kickoff. It’s all right out of the Mourinho playbook.”
Many City players echo Carragher’s sentiment, questioning Arsenal’s ability to show the ruthlessness needed to lift the title. Last season, Rodri pointed out that Arsenal’s cautious approach at the Etihad convinced City they could overtake them. After a tense clash between the sides this season, Manuel Akanji criticized Arsenal for seemingly settling for a point, and Bernardo Silva even mocked their lack of silverware.
In this shifting title race, it remains to be seen if Arsenal can combine defensive resilience with a winning edge—or if City’s ruthlessness will once again carry them to the top.
