Carragher questions Arteta's 'handbrake' defence as Arsenal's 'most attacking goalkeeper' claim is challenged

Jamie Carragher questioned Mikel Arteta's rebuttal of criticism over his so-called 'handbrake' tactics, saying the Arsenal manager's claim of having the league's most attacking goalkeeper does not stack up after Arsenal's 1-1 draw with Manchester City.

On the Stick to Football podcast, Carragher said Arteta opened by praising goalkeeper David Raya as the most attacking stopper in the division, quoting the manager's line: “we've got the most attacking goalkeeper in the league.” He argued that the rest of Arteta's points—about full backs and other positional claims—failed to align with the performance in the match, and he suggested the rationale did not hold up under scrutiny. "Then he mentions [Martin] Zubimendi, a creative No. 6, and a wide player who played centre forward last season. He was almost trying to argue against it but wasn’t really making that much sense," Carragher said.

Arteta faced sharp criticism for the tactical setup in the 1-1 result, which saw him field a midfield trio of Mikel Merino, Martin Zubimendi and Declan Rice, with Leandro Trossard operating on the left flank. Arsenal bench options included Eberechi Eze and Gabriel Martinelli, who eventually appeared late in the game as Martinelli scored in stoppage time to cancel out City’s opener. Carragher argued the approach effectively wasted the game’s first 45 minutes, urging Arteta to reconsider his stance.

Sources at the time highlighted broader questions about Arsenal's ceiling this season. Gary Neville questioned whether the Gunners truly believed they could win the title, suggesting Arteta needed to “take the handbrake off” against a City side that finished with 32.8 percent possession—the lowest figure of Pep Guardiola’s league campaigns. Carragher’s critique extended to the broader balance of the team: while Arsenal have the league's best defence and a high likelihood of clean sheets, there was concern about whether their threat in open play could translate into a sustained title challenge.

The draw left Arsenal five points behind the Premier League leaders ahead of a difficult trip to Newcastle United, with renewed focus on whether the squad can create chances beyond set pieces. Carragher reiterated that even with a strong defensive backbone, the path to the title would require more than lay-your-case rhetoric; he argued the team’s structure needed to reflect its stated attacking capabilities rather than rely on a single tactic to grind out results.

As Arsenal shift attention to a Carabao Cup tie later in the week, the debate over Arteta’s approach is unlikely to subside until the team demonstrates a more expansive attacking identity on the field.