Jamie Carragher has been left stunned by Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta’s comments after the North London derby defeat to Tottenham Hotspur.
Speaking to Monday Night Football, which was broadcast on Sky Sports, Carragher explained how he was shocked by Arteta’s defence of Arsenal’s performance on Sunday.
The Arsenal boss said that he felt his side played well against Tottenham, despite their 2-0 defeat.
But Carragher took a very opposing stance, and felt that Arsenal actually played straight into Jose Mourinho’s hands.
“I could not believe that interview, I couldn’t believe some of the things I heard after the game and some of the things I read this morning,” Carragher said.
“Arsenal did not play well, Arsenal were awful defensively and with the ball from minute one. ‘This idea that because you have possession you’ve played well… I’m flabbergasted when I hear it.
“They never had one chance in the game where someone should have scored. ‘I’ve just seen a Mourinho quote saying, ‘Possession is for the poets or the philosophers’, and he’s absolutely spot on if there’s nothing with the possession.
“And I thought tactically Arsenal were a shambles, so poor. What I can’t believe and what was frustrating me so much watching it was this has happened so often in Mourinho’s managerial career.
“Even if you’ve only watched Tottenham this season, you’d know what they were going to do.”
Arsenal did indeed dominate possession, but they left themselves exposed on numerous occasions in the first-half.
Spurs’s counter attacking play caused them all sorts of problems in the opening 45 minutes, and although they pushed hard to score in the second period, they created very few clear cut opportunities.
Arsenal have now fallen 11 points behind Tottenham in the Premier League table, which represents a dreadful start for them.
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