Mikel Arteta has rejected criticism that Arsenal played with the handbrake on in the draw against Manchester City on Sunday and insisted that he has been surprised by the negative reaction to their approach.
A late equaliser from Gabriel Martinelli rescued a point at the Emirates Stadium after Erling Haaland’s opener despite Arsenal dominating possession, with City recording just 33.2% – the lowest registered by a team managed by Pep Guardiola in more than 600 league matches.
Arteta was criticised by the Sky Sports pundits Gary Neville and Jamie Carragher for his decision not to select Eberechi Eze from the start and opting for the more defensive-minded Mikel Merino in a three-man midfield. While the Arsenal manager insisted he had not heard their criticism, Arteta was adamant that his team put in a positive performance against City despite slipping five points behind the early leaders Liverpool.
“I would be extremely surprised with my knowledge and my knowhow and how I analyse a football game,” he said. “Because it was impossible for somebody to predict such dominance from Arsenal through 96 minutes because it never happened in 17 years of Pep as a manager.
“So if the narrative goes somewhere else, and we talk about dominance, about something else, how can you be dominant against such a team if you have ... what was the word that was used? Handbrake. Dominance and handbrake, they are two different words. But I accept everything. I will learn more to have a different vision.”
Asked about his decision not to select the new £67.5m signing Eze, who came off the bench to set up Martinelli’s equaliser but also started in the wins against Nottingham Forest and Athletic Bilbao, Arteta said: “Could he play 90 minutes? That’s a question I put for myself because none of you know the load that he can do. So it’s easy to say he could have played from the start. Maybe not. Because he already played two games from the start. And he’s never played as a right attacking midfielder in his field. So that’s another one. A new element for him. But all good.”
Arteta confirmed that Noni Madueke is likely to be out for several weeks after sustaining a knee injury against City, with the England forward expected to have more tests in the coming days. There was more bad news with the new signing Piero Hincapié having been ruled out of the Carabao Cup tie against Port Vale on Wednesday with a groin strain, while Arteta also revealed that Kai Havertz is expected to be out for months as he recovers from a knee injury.
“Maybe something to look at more in-depth, and we absolutely did that,” Arteta said of the number of injuries Arsenal have endured in the past 12 months. “Try to keep that as low as possible. That’s what we are trying to do.”
The teenagers Max Dowman – who at just 15 would become the youngest men’s player to start a game for Arsenal if selected – Myles Lewis-Skelly and Ethan Nwaneri are all expected to play some part against Port Vale, who last defeated Arsenal in 1901.
