Jamie Carragher has praised Mikel Arteta’s “exciting” Arsenal team for changing their identity, ahead of their game with Liverpool on Saturday.
The Gunners began the current campaign with three consecutive defeats - with Carragher labelling the team’s opening loss to Brentford as “new season, same old story”.
Following the club’s struggles in the opening month of the season, however, the north London side have gone 10 games unbeaten across all competitions and climbed to 5th in the table.
Former Liverpool defender Carragher admits he has been critical of Arsenal in the past but believes Arteta’s use of young players has given fans something to “get behind”.
“Since I've come into punditry, I’m probably not the most popular guy with Arsenal supporters because it’s been a time where Arsenal have been really poor. This is the first time I feel almost excited by [them],” he told Ian Wright on the Wrighty’s House podcast.
“There is something about Arsenal right now. It feels like there’s a coming together.”
Carragher continued: “I think these lads [Arsenal] over the next two or three years will need more to win a league or a Champions League but could they win a couple of FA Cups or [League] Cups?
“I know what Arsenal have done in the past and you want more - but it could be some team with Ben White coming in and you just think there’s something to get behind.
“It feels like Arsenal fans like the team.”
Despite his appreciation for Mikel Arteta’s ability to turn around the club’s fortunes, Carragher does expect Jurgen Klopp’s Liverpool to be “firing” at Anfield this weekend.
The Reds have earned just one point from their last two games, with a draw against Brighton and defeat to West Ham causing the club to lose ground on their title rivals.
However, Carragher has drawn an interesting comparison between the current Arsenal side and a certain Liverpool team from his playing days that also benefited from an influx of young players.
“It reminds me a little bit of us at Liverpool with Gerard Houllier, where he got rid of Incey, Phil Babb, [Jason] McAteer, Robbie Fowler. That sort of Roy Evans era,” he admitted.
“Then it was me, Danny [Murphy], Stevie Gerrard, Michael Owen, John Arne Riise, with a few foreign players and this sort of young team coming together.
“We never won the league or the Champions League but we won a few trophies.
“That’s the team I’m most fond of when I look back at my career because I don’t think there’s anything better than playing with your mates and I always class that team as my mates.”
