John Barnes admits to Arsenal "disappointment" as tactics costs them points
Arsenal were unable to hold onto their lead when they hosted Liverpool last weekend with their defensive tactics ultimately costing them late on in the contest
John Barnes admits he was "disappointed" with Arsenal 's decision to sit back in their draw with Liverpool - which ultimately cost them two points.
The Gunners were looking to put a statement down last weekend when they hosted the Reds and twice led in front of their own fans. They went into the half-time break with a 2-1 lead having played some impressive stuff in the opening 45 minutes.
In the second-half though they dropped off and seemed determined to defend their narrow one-goal lead. Liverpool continued to press for a leveller and found it with less than 10 minutes to go as Mohamed Salah's strike salvaged a point for the visitors.
It saw Arsenal lose more ground to rivals Manchester City and Barnes was surprised to see them adopt such a defensive strategy having impressed throughout the first-half.
He told the Sign Up – Into Football programme on TNT Sports : "It was an excellent game. Arsenal were probably the better team in the first half, especially when they went 2-1 up. At that point, I didn’t think Liverpool would come back, but Arsenal sat back and allowed Liverpool to attack, which led to the equaliser.
"I’m pleased Liverpool showed resilience, but I was disappointed Arsenal didn’t keep pushing forward. Losing Klopp was a tough transition, like when Ferguson left Manchester United or Wenger left Arsenal. But Liverpool players haven’t dropped in level. The new managers come in, and they've bought into what he wants to do.
"They've listened to him. They're changing the way they play. They're much more technical in midfield, but they listen to the manager. They do what he says, because it would easy for them not to do that. So, we're now second. We were first, but it's gone better than I expected."
Arsenal's perceived negative tactics were also pointed out by Jamie Carragher - who claimed Mikel Arteta's side were adopting hallmarks of Jose Mourinho teams from the past with their desire to back their defence, rather than press home their advantage.
He said: " Mikel Arteta is slowly morphing into a Jose Mourinho type of manager and no one really thought that would happen. Today they were 2-1 up, pressing Liverpool, on top and playing really well but they retreated in the second half. That instinct to protect comes from the manager but it happens too often."
Watch Sign Up: Into Football on TNT Sports 1 on Friday 1 November at 5.30pm and stream on discovery+
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