Jamie Carragher's controversial Arsenal stance backed up in stark Liverpool comparison

Liverpool legend in terms of style of play - as statistics backed up his assertion.

The Gunners came into the current campaign having been backed by many leading pundits as the favorites for the title. Chief , who was certain that near misses in the previous two seasons would provide a springboard for success this time around.

However, the currently sits nine points off early pacesetters Liverpool after 11 games played as they chase a first domestic championship since 2004. Now, the Sky Sports analyst has reinforced his stance that Arsenal boss Arteta has employed a direct style in terms of his tactical set-up this term.

A graphic produced by the Athletic showed data which demonstrated that the Gunners have gone long (by more than 40 meters) with goal kicks 78 percent of the time so far this term. This amount is the most of any team in the division, with Liverpool sitting 17th in the same respective table.

By contrast, team has utilized long-range goal kicks only 16 percent of the time so far this campaign. Reacting to these figures, Reds hero took to X as he interpreted the data as evidence of his claims of Arsenal's stylistic similarity to Mourinho teams of yesteryear, saying: "Arsenal fans telling me they aren’t direct like Jose!"

Previously, the pundit posited that Arsenal's transfer activity in recent summers indicated that Arteta was looking to tweak his tactical approach to add some steeliness to his side. Speaking on "Monday Night Football" earlier this month, he said: "I think there was a feeling that Arsenal were not strong enough, not powerful enough.

"So he brought in Declan Rice, 6ft 2in, box-to-box midfield player. Kai Havertz, an attacking player, whether that's midfield or part of your front three, but he's not a silky player, he's a physical player. He holds the ball up, he's good in the air. Jurrien Timber, brilliant defender, but he's a solid defender first and foremost, not like a Zinchenko going into midfield.

"So when I talk about where this team is morphing to, I don't just pluck a statement out to try and create headlines," he continued, as he tried to explain the reasoning behind his observations. "And it's not a criticism. It's an analysis that this team has gone from intricate players to strong, powerful players.

"You look at the players brought in at Arsenal and it is morphing towards . It's not a criticism for Arsenal or Mikel Arteta, it's analysis. Because this is a guy who's won the Premier League three times.

Carragher added: "Arsenal haven't won the Premier League for 20 years. So it's just where he's taken them. If you think of Mourinho as a manager, if he took over my club, what would I think I was getting? My team's going to be strong defensively. No doubt about that."