Keane brands Arsenal ‘like a small team with a small mentality’ but Wright hits back

Manchester United legend Roy Keane insists Arsenal were playing “like a small team with a small mentality” against Manchester City.

A number of Man City players voiced their frustration with Arsenal’s tactics – and perceived gamesmanship – after an absorbing clash between the Premier League title rivals ended 2-2 on Sunday.

Pep Guardiola’s champions needed a last-gasp John Stones equaliser to snatch the point after the Gunners, with 10 men, sat deep and stifled the hosts for the majority of the second half at the Etihad Stadium.

Arsenal’s time-wasting and use of so-called “dark arts” drew the most ire from Man City, though not from manager Guardiola, who felt his opposite number Mikel Arteta – his friend and former assistant – was perfectly entitled to play as he did.

But former Man Utd captain Keane reckons tactics from Arsenal to “just boot it” showed they have a “small mentality” for a team that is supposed to be going for the Premier League title.

“They were just booting it, like a small team with a small mentality,” Keane told the Stick to Football podcast.

“Go back three or four weeks, Arsenal did the same thing against Brighton with 10 or 15 minutes to go – the goalkeeper went down against Brighton at home.

“This idea that they’ve gone to the great Man City, their mindset against Brighton at home was exactly the same – that’s my argument.

“I’m saying when you’ve got it, still look after it. When you do get it, try and get four or five passes together.

“They were time-wasting against Brighton at home, so forget this idea it was Man City.”

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But Arsenal legend Ian Wright hit back at Keane’s claims and insists the Gunners were entitled to play how they did in the defending champions home ground.

Wright added: “We weren’t time-wasting (against Brighton), still going for it.

“We’ve seen what Manchester City do to teams that go down to 10 men, we [Arsenal] had to do something different – and it nearly worked.

“I’m not going to lie and say I’ve seen that happen before where you don’t even have an outlet, because you need to give the defenders a breather at some point.

“They were without Martin Odegaard to pass it out to somebody to get the foul, waste time or go down. I’m not going to criticise them, especially at Man City, with 10 men, trying to win a game.”

On teams coming to frustrate Man City, Guardiola said after Tuesday’s 2-1 Carabao Cup win over Watford: “I realise that the opponents, after winning four Premier Leagues in a row, six in seven, aren’t going to install the red carpet in every single game (for us) to make incredible (football) in our best dresses, perform like we want. I’ve never thought that. This is the challenge.

“People misunderstand me or don’t believe me when I say the opponents can play how they want to. It (is up) to us to handle them and break them in the way we have to do.

“With Mikel, after a time we texted each other and the relationship doesn’t change. They decided to play in that way and it is more than perfect. They were brilliant. It’s about us, how we can break them, and we did it really well.

“I said to Mikel they did amazingly, it’s not a problem. They know their players and do exactly what they have to do.”