Jamie Carragher has suggested that Mikel Arteta is evolving into the next Jose Mourinho rather than the new Pep Guardiola.
Arsenal played to a 2-2 draw against Liverpool on Super Sunday, despite dominating the first half.
The Gunners, hampered by injuries to Gabriel and Jurrien Timber, struggled after the break.
This match followed a familiar pattern, reminiscent of their recent draws with Brighton and Manchester City, as well as their defeat to Bournemouth.
“I’m starting to worry about Arsenal’s mentality now,” concluded Sky Sports’ Roy Keane.
“When they get themselves in front, they sit back, instead of going after the third goal.
“Liverpool were there for the taking if they wanted it.
“I just worry about their belief, do they have the belief that they can really challenge Manchester City?”
In mitigation, all of Arsenal’s setbacks this season have occurred when they were reduced to 10 players.
In the second half against Liverpool – who entered the weekend atop the table – the Gunners played with a makeshift back four composed of Thomas Partey, Ben White, Jakub Kiwior, and Myles Lewis-Skelly.
“The interesting thing about watching Arsenal, and I have been thinking about this for a long time, because Mikel Arteta worked with Pep Guardiola we have been thinking that he is a Pep Guardiola disciple,” Carragher said.
“But if you think about the two most successful managers in the last 15 years then you have Pep Guardiola over here and Jose Mourinho over here.
“Mikel Arteta is slowing morphing into a Jose Mourinho type of manager.
“Nobody really thought that was going to happen.
“Today, they retreated in the second half.”
He added: “This is not a criticism, this is an observation of where Arsenal are at as a team.
“Maybe it is because Arteta has looked at his attacking players and thought ‘we’re not as good as Manchester City, we have to win the league by being the best team defensively.’
“And that’s what they were last season and possibly still are.
“But this idea that Arsenal play great football and he is a Pep Guardiola man, he is not. Just look at the players going down today, the secrecy before the game about who was fit and who wasn’t.
“It’s all out of the Jose Mourinho playbook.”
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