Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta fires back at Jamie Carragher over 'handbrake' jibe

Mikel Arteta has laughed off accusations that he plays with the handbrake on - and insisted his philosophy is the most attacking in English football.

Sky pundits Gary Neville and Jamie Carragher both claimed Arsenal went safety first against Manchester City and applied the “handbrake” with his team selection and tactics. But ahead of Arsenal’s trip to Port Vale in the Carabao Cup, Arteta went on a rant about how he has assembled a wealth of attacking talent and even his keepers set out to attack.

Arteta singled out the likes of keeper David Raya, defender Gabriel and midfielder Mikel Merino as examples of being attack-minded players. The Gunners boss said: “For sure, if you look at the players that we have, starting from the keeper, very attacking goalkeeper, the most attacking goalkeeper in the league by far.

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“The centre backs, the most attacking one, in one phase the most attacking one. The two full-backs, you look at every stat, that's it. We mainly play with a player on the right-hand side attacking midfield, he played as a nine last year.

“So how attacking that is, more than a nine playing in midfield, I haven't seen it in the league. So I think we have a lot of attacking, different qualities of attacking players, some of them more talented in some areas than others in relation to the game that we play.

“I think when you look at the winning record on this football club, the goals that we scored, the clean sheet that we had, the way we played against Manchester City, in the territory we played against Man City. I cannot waste that opportunity.

“And if the intention of those comments, which ones are the good ones, positive, to be better for us, not to be so good for us, it depends where the comment is coming from. That's when I can analyse it.

“So, how can you be dominant against such a team if you have, what was the word? Handbrake. Dominance and handbrake, they are two different words. But I accept everything. I will learn more to have a different vision.

“What is the intention, what is the purpose of that? Because I had a lot of messages to my phone, they could not believe what we did to Manchester City. People, coaches, managers, CEOs, presidents, so proud.

“I look at the players and the people around. I am much more filled and fueled with that than with other ones that didn't make it.”

Arteta will ring the changes at Port Vale with keeper Kepa Arrizabalaga set to start and there may also be a chance for 15-year-old Max Dowman with Noni Madueke ruled out between six to eight weeks.

Arteta added: ”Everybody loves Max. You just want to hug him, help him. He's such a nice boy as well, and he's very much liked by everybody here.”

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