Former Liverpool defender, Sky Sports commentator Jamie Carragher criticized Gunners coach Arteta mercilessly

Is it wrong to call Arteta a "coward"?

After Arsenal drew 1-1 with Manchester City at home, former Liverpool defender and Sky Sports commentator Jamie Carragher mercilessly criticized Gunners coach Arteta, and even called him a "coward".

Carragher believes that if Arteta had not been too conservative tactical choice - especially with a home advantage, Arsenal would have had the chance to score all three points. This mentality of "seeking stability and fearing loss" just exposed the team's fatal shortcomings on the road to championship.

Overconservative, killing offense

Carragher pointed out that the depth and overall strength of Arsenal's lineup this season have the capital to compete for the Premier League and even the Champions League championship. However, facing Manchester City, Arteta chose an extremely conservative starting lineup: Rice, Zubimendi and Merino formed three midfielders, intending to limit Rodri to avoid conceding goals by strengthening midfield control.

This formation clearly reflects Arteta's tactical intention: first seek undefeated rather than actively competing for victory. But the result is that the team's creativity is severely suppressed. Although the ball possession rate in the first half was as high as 67%, Arsenal only had 4 shots, and the offensive end was almost unthreatening.

"Arsenal is too focused on their opponents, they are running at Manchester City's pace instead of experiencing their full potential," Carragher criticized. "It's not like a champion team should do. I regret Arsenal."

He even compared this tactic to "braking the bike" and preventing the team from moving forward at full speed. Carragher also took the conservative tactics of Hollier and Benitez during his time at Liverpool as an example, pointing out that similar ideas did not ultimately lead to success.

Missed the key candidates, and the creativity was exhausted

The Guardian reporter also expressed a similar view. The article sarcastically said that Arsenal has the "strongest bench in team history" in this game, but abandoned the most creative players in the starting lineup.

Usually, the team relies on the captain Odgao or Saka for a flash of inspiration. But when the two were unable to start due to physical problems, Arteta should have enabled Eberec Azero to make up for the lack of creativity. However, he chose Trosad to further strengthen his defense.

This decision put the team in a deadlock in the first half, and there was a lack of changes and breakthrough points on the offensive end.

The gate was opened in the second half, and the substitute surprise rescued the master

It was not until the second half that Arsenal was forced to attack with all his strength when he was lagging behind that Arteta finally "crossed the boundary of cowardice" and gave a try. He replaced Martinelli, Aze, Envanelli and Saka one after another, and once ranked 5 attackers on the court at the same time.

The strong offensive pressure completely defeated Guardiola's defense line. In the 93rd minute of the game, Martinelli, who came on the bench, received a wonderful pass from Aze and scored with a pick-up shot, helping the team tie the opponent.

It is worth mentioning that the two equalizers - Martinelli and Aze, were the offensive weapons hidden in the first half. The

draw cannot hide the regrets. It takes courage to compete for the championship. The score of 1-1 is not unacceptable to Arsenal, but they could have done better. If you dare to draw your sword from the beginning, the result of the game may be completely different.

Carrag's criticism may be sharp, but it hits the nail on the head: caution is not a shortcoming, but excessive caution becomes a shackle. A team that competes for the championship not only requires strength and resilience, but also requires the courage to win from the first minute. This is a lesson Arteta and Arsenal urgently need to make up for.