Gary Neville and Jamie Carragher accused Mikel Arteta of "having the handbrake on" once more in Arsenal's 1-1 draw with Manchester City - adding it could cost them the Premier League title again.
Just like against Liverpool in August, Arteta picked a midfield three of Mikel Merino, Martin Zubimendi and Declan Rice against City - a selection which was much-maligned after the 1-0 defeat at Anfield.
Arsenal were trailing 1-0 to Erling Haaland's ninth-minute opener at half-time when Arteta changed his midfield - taking Merino off for Eberechi Eze.
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Before that switch, with the Gunners missing their captain Martin Odegaard through a shoulder injury, Arsenal had failed to produce a shot until the 31st minute, while their first effort on target came in first-half stoppage time.
Arsenal eventually found an equaliser through Gabriel Martinelli's stunning stoppage-time dink - from Eze's excellent pass - but Arteta's team selection and midfield was a big topic of discussion, especially as the Gunners restricted City to just 32.8 per cent possession - the lowest top-flight total in Pep Guardiola's managerial career for a league match.
"I think Arsenal are a brilliant team, for me the best squad in the Premier League, and I thought they would not win comfortably, but would win 2-0 against Man City today," said Carragher.
"And Arteta has got a team and a squad that are that close to being really, really special in terms of winning a Premier League and maybe even winning a Champions League, I think they are that good.
"But time after time, when it comes to these big games he picks a team that feels like he is thinking more about the opposition and that does not mean you cannot win the Premier League, Jose Mourinho won it three times and he was a little bit like that.
"But, for me, that was a waste of 45 minutes [in the first half]. And the reason I am saying that is because I played for managers like that at Liverpool and we were really close and a very top team, but we never won a Premier League.
"I always felt at times under Gerard Houllier and Rafa Benitez, maybe we had the handbrake on in certain games and that is what Arteta is doing.
"Liverpool were there for the taking in that second half at Anfield, Man City were there for the taking at the start of this game and he has allowed them to come into the game.
"It is just a recurring pattern season after season and if you are Arteta and an Arsenal supporter, you just have to hope that does not cost you at the end of the season as they are a brilliant team with a fantastic squad, but the margins are so small."
Meanwhile, Neville added: "My narrative with Arsenal was thinking is he going to take the risk? Is he going to send his players the message that I am going for it, that I believe in you? And the teamsheet comes through and I see that Leandro Trossard, who's a very good player, and Mikel Merino are on it.
"I thought the same at Anfield and I can't help thinking, and I've said this probably now for a couple of weeks: I'm not going to look at what a manager says, I'm going to look at what he does. His actions and his actions at half-time were of a manager who I think got it wrong because if you're making two substitutions at half-time it's not gone to plan.
"You know that the players that you started with are not going to be able to win you the game in all circumstances, which is when they go a goal down. So, you've given away 45 minutes in a big match.
"You must be looking back at this game and reviewing it and think: should I have started with Eze from the off? Should I have started with Martinelli on the left? I understand why Saka didn't start, we all get that, but it could have been more attacking than it was, and it wasn't. And again, like at Anfield, the attacking substitutions only happen when they are one down, and that's not right.
"At Arsenal Football Club, you make your attacking plays at 0-0 to give you the best chance of going and making an impact, but also it sends your message to your players that I believe in you, you're going to go out there and win me this game.
"That's the bit that I have doubts about Arsenal, and it isn't going to go away until someone proves me wrong. I like them, and they're a good side. I like watching them play, but they've got to take the handbrake off."
Keane: Arteta too defensive-minded - the mentality has to change!
Meanwhile, Sky Sports' Roy Keane says Arsenal have to change their mindset if they are to become Premier League champions this season.
"The few managers I've played under, particularly at club level, I always thought were gamblers - Brian Clough and Alex Ferguson were gamblers," said Keane to Sky Sports.
"They were all about winning and not waiting and not worrying too much about the opposition. They went for it and they got the rewards, and maybe Arteta is defensive-minded.
"When I'm looking at Arteta, I think his mindset is, 'Let's make sure we don't get beaten today'. But because of the standards of the other teams, and we're talking about Liverpool and Man City over the last few years, that won't be enough.
"We've all sat there and gone, we'll take the draw. But you know too many draws won't get you anywhere fast, particularly when Liverpool are setting such high standards, and Man City did for a number of years, where Arsenal were competing with them.
"So they have to change that mindset, particularly at the start of the game today, 'Let's go at them'. It's as if they were waiting for something to happen. They've got the quality, the strength and depth. What are they waiting for? Have they got that belief?
"Arteta every week says he's proud of his team. I'd love for him to come out one time and go, 'No, I expect more from my players. We're Arsenal, we've got a big squad, we've spent a fortune, we're going places'. Instead of every week going, 'I'm proud of this and I'm proud of that'.
"You get proud of your team when you're winning trophies, and that's the next step for them. So Arsenal have to look at that and go, 'Are we proud to get a draw against a Man City team who aren't at their very best?'.
"He has to be a bit more critical and say we need that extra bit if they're going to win the league title. Otherwise, come the end of the season, we'll be sitting here and they're second. But they've been second for the last three years."
Arteta's spiky response to midfield questions
Arteta was asked in his press conference about the midfield selection, which produced a spiky response.
"I'd say it was the best one to start the game. Nobody asked me about the midfield in Bilbao. Nobody. It's a different game, but the same midfield. I believe it was the best thing for the team."
Asked if the introduction of Eze for the second half was an indication he got the midfield selection wrong, the Arsenal manager replied: "No, it's too easy to say that. I think it's very clear what we wanted to do. We started the game very well.
"After they scored - doing absolutely nothing before that - we were a bit shaky for five or seven minutes and after that we still gripped the game again and started to dominate it.
"In the second half, it was a continuation of that, with one different player and then with two or three different players."
Is the criticism of Arteta fair?
Sky Sports' Sam Blitz at the Emirates Stadium:
Carragher and Keane also criticised Arsenal for being short in creativity, especially from open play. That may be a little harsh given the Gunners scored one from open play against Man City on Sunday, two against Athletic Club and three against Leeds.
However, Arsenal have got themselves stuck at some point in most games this season. They needed substitutes to come off the bench against Athletic and City to save them, a set-piece to beat Manchester United, and even in the two home wins over Leeds and Nottingham Forest, they looked short of ideas for half an hour.
For at least a third of every game, Arsenal have been unconvincing. On the opposite side of the coin, so have league leaders Liverpool. But there is a difference - one team has 15 points, the other is five further back.
In three out of the last four games, Arteta has not helped himself with a conservative midfield selection. Arsenal have now played 10 Premier League games with Merino and Rice both playing in midfield. They have won just once, and that was against relegated Ipswich Town.
Surely that is enough for Arteta to change the system? Maybe start Eze if Odegaard is out injured, or even Ethan Nwaneri, who deputised well for the Arsenal captain in the games against Leeds and Forest?
Arteta has been reliant on substitutes, mainly Martinelli, in recent games to change it but, as was seen in the 1-0 defeat to Liverpool, that will not happen every week.
Arteta's Arsenal are already five points behind Liverpool - they cannot afford any more of the missed opportunities that their games against Liverpool and Man City have ended up being.
(c) Sky Sports 2025: Arsenal 1-1 Man City: Gary Neville and Jamie Carragher accuse Mikel Arteta of having handbrake on while Roy Keane feels he is defensive minded
