Mikel Arteta pushed back on questions over his midfield choices after Arsenal's 1-1 draw with Manchester City on Sunday, insisting there was "a lot of thinking" behind his selections.
The Gunners left it late to rescue a point at the Emirates as Gabriel Martinelli struck in stoppage time to cancel out Erling Haaland’s early opener. Arsenal dominated possession but were left frustrated after failing to turn their control into victory.
When asked about his decision to start with a trio of Declan Rice, Martin Zubimendi and Mikel Merino in midfield, Arteta cut off the line of questioning in his post-match press conference.
"No, we don’t have time for that – there’s a lot of things to that,” the Spaniard replied.
"Nobody asked me about the midfield three in Bilbao. Nobody!"
The Arsenal boss later stressed that substitutions, including the introductions of Bukayo Saka and Eberechi Eze at half-time, were part of the planned game strategy rather than reactive changes.
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Despite the late equaliser, former Liverpool defender Jamie Carragher believes Arsenal were too cautious from the outset – and that the pattern could derail their title hopes.
Speaking on Sky Sports, Carragher said: "I think they wasted 45 minutes. Mikel Arteta has got a team and squad that are that close to being really, really special in terms of winning a Premier League and maybe even a Champions League, I think they're that good.
"But time after time when it comes to these big games he picks a team that feels like he's thinking more about the opposition."
Carragher compared Arteta's current approach to the Liverpool sides he played in under Gerard Houllier and Rafa Benitez, suggesting they too sometimes held back in key matches.
"That is what Mikel Arteta is doing. Liverpool were there for the taking in that second half at Anfield. Man City were there for the taking at the start of this game and he's allowed them to come into the game.
"It's just a recurring pattern, season after season and if you're Mikel Arteta or an Arsenal supporter you've just got to hope that doesn’t cost you at the end of the season because they are a brilliant team."
The draw leaves Arsenal five points behind early leaders Liverpool, who have made a perfect start to their Premier League campaign.
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