“They just wasted 45 minutes” : Jamie Carragher blasts Arsenal and Mikel Arteta after draw with Manchester City
Arsenal were held to a 1-1 draw at the Emirates by Manchester City on Sunday. The hosts had to salvage a last gasp equalizer against Manchester City, courtesy of a brilliant goal from Gabriel Martinelli. The visitors drew first blood via Erling Haaland’s goal in the first half.
Liverpool legend Jamie Carragher blasted Arsenal’s tactics in the first half, where they could hardly create any chances. He stated that he expected Manchester City to put up a fight, but expected the Gunners to come out victorious. He also claimed that Arsenal have the best squad in the Premier League, and are even capable of challenging for the Champions League title.
However, he was unhappy with Mikel Arteta’s team selection on Sunday. Jamie Carragher believes that the Spaniard picks his team based on the opposition, and not his strongest eleven. There was a strong case for starting Martinelli on Sunday, who netted midweek in the UCL clash against Athletic Bilbao.
“They just wasted 45 minutes,” Jamie Carragher said on Sky Sports about Arsenal’s performance against Man City.
“Man City are a title rival right now because of what they have done in the past, but they have had a poor start to the season by their standards and most people in this country would say the title is between Arsenal and Liverpool. And I could not see any way coming into this game – I think Arsenal are a brilliant team, for me the best squad in the Premier League and I thought they would not win comfortably, but would win 2-0 against Man City today.”
Arsenal drop two crucial points in the title race
There was a visible difference in the second half, with Eberechi Eze and Gabriel Martinelli coming on as subs. The hosts did everything but score a goal, which eventually came in the added time.
“And Arteta has got a team and a squad that are that close to being really, really special in terms of winning a Premier League and maybe even winning 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 is thinking more about the opposition and that does not mean you cannot win the Premier League, but for me, that was a waste of 45 minutes,” said Carragher.
Arsenal have now dropped two more points, and have fallen five points behind Liverpool with just five games into the season. Liverpool have started their season with five wins from five, and look the team to beat this season. However, Arsenal have had one of the toughest starts to the season, with visits to Old Trafford, Anfield, and a home game against Manchester City, all in the first five games of the season.
