Arsenal: Mikel Arteta doubles down on tactics as criticism of 'handbrake on' approach intensifies | OneFootball

The Spaniard has again rebuffed claims that the Gunners are overly cautious in their approach

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Mikel Arteta has dismissed the idea of his Arsenal team being cautious by stressing how even his goalkeeper plays an attacking role.

Sky Sports pundits Jamie Carragher and Gary Neville criticised Arsenal’s intent in the first-half of the game at Emirates Stadium.

But Arteta said: “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.

“The centre backs, one of them the most attacking one, in one phase the most attacking one. The two full-backs, you look at every stat, that’s it.

“[Martin] Zubimendi playing there. We played with a player on the right-hand side as an attacking midfield, he played as a No9 last year.

“So how attacking that is, more than a No9 playing in midfield? I haven’t seen it in the league - an attacking midfielder that was a No9, and three front players that are very, very much attacking.

“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. But yeah, very good.”

Arteta is determined not to let the criticism of his team’s style impact him and instead he will focus on the comments from those inside Arsenal.

“I try not to convince somebody that feels that way to something else,” said Arteta. “I cannot spend my energy on that.

“I think when you look at the winning record of this football club, the goals that we scored, the clean sheets that we had, the way we play, 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.

“I think that’s when I can analyse it. What is the intention, what is the purpose of that? Because I heard a lot of things using my phone, they could not believe what we did to Manchester City.

“And people, coaches, managers, CEOs, presidents, so proud. And I look at the players and the people around. I am much more filled and fuelled with that than with other ones that didn’t make it.”