Jamie Carragher and Paul Scholes Weigh In on Arsenal’s ‘Dark Art’ Tactics.

Jamie Carragher and Paul Scholes shared their thoughts on Arsenal’s controversial tactics during their 2-2 draw against Manchester City During a recent episode of “The Overlap,” The discussion centered around accusations that Arsenal, under Mikel Arteta, have been employing “dark arts” to gain an edge over their rivals.

Jamie Carragher, the former Liverpool defender, suggested that Arsenal have become more adept at exploiting the rules to their advantage. He pointed out that Arsenal’s goalkeeper, David Raya, frequently went down during tense moments, forcing the referee to stop the game. According to Carragher, this tactic is reminiscent of strategies used by former Chelsea and Manchester United manager Jose Mourinho, who was known for his ability to manipulate game situations to his team’s benefit.

Carragher noted, “There’s one thing I do notice Arsenal doing more than anyone. I don’t know if the stats back me up, but I think the goalkeeper goes down a lot more than other goalkeepers in tense situations. The rule is a goalkeeper can’t go off, so that’s definitely one that the coaching staff at Arsenal are more switched on about than anyone else”.

Paul Scholes, the Manchester United legend, was more direct in his criticism. He labeled Arsenal’s tactics as “cheating,” a term Carragher hesitated to use himself. Scholes remarked, “Cheating, that’s called, isn’t it Jamie?” to which Carragher responded, “It is, but you said it so you can have the headline, not me”.

The controversy revolves around the IFAB rule that mandates any player who receives medical treatment on the field must briefly leave the pitch, except for goalkeepers. This loophole allows goalkeepers to remain on the field, even if they appear to be injured, thereby disrupting the flow of the game.

In response to the criticism, Mikel Arteta defended his team’s tactics, emphasizing the importance of learning from past experiences. Arteta stated, “We learnt from the past. Unfortunately, we’ve been in the same situation a few times. We were in that same situation with Granit after 38 minutes and we lost 5-0. We’d better learn. If not, I would be thick, very thick”.

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