Jose Mourinho has cast doubt on Mikel Arteta’s tactical acumen after Arsenal’s defensive display against Manchester City.
The Gunners earned a goalless draw at the Etihad Stadium last month, deploying a deep block and limiting City to just one shot on target. Arteta’s tactics were widely praised, but Mourinho believes they are not a blueprint for future success.
“In my time, it was not a magic strategy. And I won at Manchester City a few times,” Mourinho told The Telegraph. “But it was not an amazing strategy. It was a defensive game. Park the bus. Park the double bus. It was a different perspective.”
Mourinho highlighted Arsenal’s reliance on central defenders, saying, “They feel the need for defensive stability and a defensive compactness.”
While Mourinho was critical, Arteta was delighted with his side’s defensive performance. “Defensively, I think we were outstanding,” he said. “We had to go and put them under pressure higher up the pitch.”
However, Mourinho believes Arsenal’s approach will not lead to long-term success. “It’s extremely difficult to do that, but that tells you the commitment of every player, the discipline that they showed and how they compete,” he said. “One thing is to play a football match and the other is to compete [in] it. Against this team, we did that today really, really well.”
