Jamie Carragher has pinpointed a tactical shift from Mikel Arteta as Arsenal's potential route to ending a 92-year wait for the Champions League. The former Liverpool defender believes the manager's move towards a more adventurous style is a calculated gamble to conquer Europe, even if it makes the team more open domestically.
Carragher wrote that the fundamental question for Arteta is whether to stick with the successful blueprint that won the Premier League last season or make tweaks for continental glory. "The fundamental question for Arteta right now is what can and should he do about it?" Carragher said. "Stick with a successful blueprint that has earned admiration and won the Premier League, or make the necessary tweaks which might make Arsenal more loved and a better watch every week, but also more vulnerable?"
Arteta is demanding his attackers embrace more defensive responsibilities, a style Carragher compares more to Jose Mourinho than the club's historic attacking traditions under Arsène Wenger. This approach helped Arsenal concede just two goals in the knockout stages of last season's Champions League. The consensus, according to Carragher, is that improving on last season's domestic title requires playing more adventurously while finding the extra ingredients to win in Europe. "In Arsenal’s case, the consensus is that improving on last season’s title requires playing more adventurously while finding the extra ingredients needed to win the Champions League," he noted.
The debate is framed by Arsenal's current form. They sit second in the Premier League with 18 points from seven games, just three points behind leaders Manchester City. Their recent results show a team in strong shape, with a 2-0 win over Everton on Friday extending an unbeaten run to five matches.
Their only defeat this season was a 3-0 loss at Brighton in September, but they responded with a gritty 1-0 win at Nottingham Forest and a 2-1 victory over Chelsea. In Europe, they drew 2-2 with Bayern Munich last week, with Declan Rice's late goal securing a point after Harry Kane had put the German side ahead from the penalty spot.
The risk Carragher identifies is that a more expansive game could undermine the defensive solidity that has made Arsenal clear favourites to retain their Premier League crown. Arteta, who took over a team that had to find a way past the dominant forces of Jurgen Klopp's Liverpool and Pep Guardiola's Manchester City, built a title-winning side on discipline. Opening up more might please purists but could hand an advantage back to rivals like Manchester City and a resurgent Liverpool.
With Paris Saint-Germain seen as their biggest competition in this season's Champions League, the stakes are high. Arsenal's next test is at Anfield, where a positive result would reinforce their title credentials regardless of the stylistic debate. Bukayo Saka leads the team's scoring charts with three goals this term. The team travels to Merseyside on Sunday, 1 November, for a match that will be a major indicator of their current balance between adventure and control.
More detail at Daily Mirror Football
