Carragher: Arsenal players like Chelsea when they wanted rid of Mourinho

Jamie Carragher accused the Arsenal players of ‘chucking it’ against Crystal Palace on Monday night, saying they look as if they want rid of the manager.

  • Carragher criticised Walcott for his post-match comments
  • Attacks side’s attitude and fight
  • Says they are playing like they no longer want Arsene Wenger to stay

The former Liverpool man was incensed in a manner we’ve not seen from a single Arsenal player this season. He showed a passion and rage about Arsenal’s performance that the fans can only dream of seeing from the men they watched in red and white every week.

“His opening comment is, “That’s not Arsenal,” Carragher said in regards to Theo Walcott’s tepid post-match interview.

“That is Arsenal. That’s four on the bounce. He’s speaking like that’s a one-off. This has been a performance that we see year in, year out from Arsenal. Exactly the same, nothing changes.

“And listen, we’re happy, we like a player coming out on TV. But this thing about, “Well done for coming on and being honest”… shut up talking about what happened after the game.

“And he’s saying from kick-off, “We knew straight away they were more up for it”. How can that possibly be? And “This is not Arsenal”? It is Arsenal. It is. Ten years of it, 15 years of it. Of the same things year in, year out.

“And Oxlade-Chamberlain gave an interview too, after the West Brom game. And if I’m being honest and I’ve seen it before, we think, “Oh great, coming out and talking and being honest. What the fans want to hear”. I think sometimes they’re coming out and looking after themselves. ‘I’ll say this, and I was honest.’

“Don’t tell me, show me.”

He continued: “That takes me back to a performance on Monday Night Football last year that Claudio was involved in. Where we said afterwards, “The Chelsea players have chucked it for Jose Mourinho”. 

“It looks like the Arsenal players have chucked it. Four games on the bounce conceding three in all of them, putting in a performance like that.

“That’s what it looks to me. People always talk about Arsene Wenger, it’s clear the fans are split. I don’t think the fans are split, more of them want change. It’s now looking like the players want change.

“And I’ve always been a massive admirer – I still am – the class of him, the way he speaks after a game, before games. But it’s time for a change. 

“The club is Arsene Wenger’s from top to bottom, he’s been there that long and rightly so. But now the whole club looks a problem. It looks on the pitch you can see that. Leadership from the top of the club.”

If some Arsenal players could display this sort of passion, maybe we wouldn’t be in this state.