Arsenal Were Tactically Naive Disaster Against Spurs, Says Jamie Carragher | Football news

Jamie Carragher was “stunned” by Arsenal’s tactical naivety in their 2-0 loss to Tottenham on Sunday.

The Gunners had nearly 70 per cent of possession at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, but got no significant response to first-half breakaway goals from Heung-Min Son and Harry Kane, leaving them 15th on the table. the Premier League with just one win in seven games. .

Mikel Arteta defended Arsenal’s performance after the match, insisting that his players had done “absolutely everything” that he asked of them and blaming poor shots for the defeat even though they struggled to convert possession into scoring chances.

“I couldn’t believe that interview,” Carragher said. “I couldn’t believe some of the things I heard after the game and some of the things I read this morning.

“Arsenal did not play well. Arsenal were terrible, defensively and with the ball, from minute one.

“This idea that because you have possession, you’ve played well, I am flabbergasted when I hear it.

“They never had an opportunity in the game where someone should have scored. I just saw a quote from Mourinho saying that possession is for poets or philosophers. It is absolutely correct if there is nothing with possession.”

Carragher felt that Arsenal were playing into Mourinho’s hands by throwing so many bodies forward in attack, causing the Sky sports expert to question the way Arteta prepared his team for the game.

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“I thought tactically, Arsenal were a mess, so poor,” he said.

“What I couldn’t believe and what was so frustrating to watch was that this has happened so often in Mourinho’s coaching career. Even if you had only watched Tottenham this season, you would know what they were going to try to do.

“It’s almost as if this Arsenal team and Mikel Arteta had been transported to this game from the moon and they didn’t know who Mourinho was and they never saw Tottenham play.

“I was stunned. What I saw and some of the things I heard after the game, I thought they were very poor.”

Carragher found Arsenal’s approach even more difficult to grasp given their record in previous great games under Arteta.

Last season, the Spaniard led his team to victory over Liverpool, Manchester City and Chelsea by sitting deep, absorbing pressure and taking advantage of their opportunities on the fast break.

Against the Spurs, however, they fell apart in exactly the same way.

“The big frustration for me is that I loved Arteta when he first came in, and I still love him, because he played in big games last season and when he faced teams much better than him, he altered his idea,” he said. Carragher.

“He is from Barcelona, ​​he has worked with [Pep] Guardiola. We know what your idea is. But it changed that sometimes last season.

“Against Liverpool they won 2-1 last season. They had three shots, they faced 24, possession was 31 percent, but they win the game. For me, tactically fantastic.

“If I asked someone in this country who is the manager of the team that got those results [against Liverpool, Manchester City, Chelsea and Manchester United] It was, you would say José Mourinho.

“What I can’t believe is why Arsenal didn’t do that on Sunday. They’re playing Tottenham, who are the best in the league, when they are 14, away from home in a derby.

“They are better than you. Go there and do the same. Do Mourinho work with him. You can still lose the game, that can happen, but don’t be so naive to play that way.”

Carragher was baffled by the space Arsenal left for Kane and Son, highlighting the position of Hector Bellerin when the right-back was caught on the field for both goals.

“Who is the most dangerous combination in European football right now? Kane e Son,” Carragher said.

“The message in Bellerin’s head from the coach going into the game has to be, when the ball is on the other side, I’m next to my center.

“Bellerin’s job for me is to catch the ball, feed Willian and support from behind, they very rarely overlap unless I’m 100%. Don’t leave them that space there. But what do they do? They do exactly that. .

“I can’t believe how poorly Arsenal were tactically to play directly into José’s hands. Didn’t they see the Man City game? Didn’t they? Exactly the same thing happened.”

Carra: Stay with Arteta but expect more pain

Arsenal’s poor start to the season has put Arteta under pressure just months after he guided Arsenal to FA Cup success, but Carragher insists the 38-year-old should be given time and insists he has not been helped by some of the recent club changes. recruitment.

“There may be talk that he is under pressure now with the situation he is in, but he wouldn’t even think about Mikel Areta’s position,” he said. “I really like Mikel Areta.

“There is a lot of nonsense at the club. I think some of the transfers are a joke, in terms of bringing Willian, [David] Luiz inside, Cedric [Soares] in. Is Kia Joorabchian doing club signings?

“Mikel Arteta brought [Thomas] Partey and Gabriel [Magalhaes]. They look like the two best Arsenal players right now.

“I think they’ve had four managers and three CEOs since 2018. Stay with Arteta, but Arsenal are going to suffer a lot.”