Jamie Carragher backed up his controversial claim that Mikel Arteta is “slowly transforming into a Jose Mourinho style of manager” on Monday Night Football before lighting the fuse by highlighting the key difference between the two managers.

Carragher recently suggested that the style in which Arsenal play under Arteta is more similar to that of the Chelsea legend than that of his mentor Pep Guardiola at Manchester City.

The claim caused quite a stir among Arsenal fans, but Carragher explained his stance ahead of Fulham’s clash with Brentford on Monday, saying Arteta lack of confidence in his offensive players led him to focus on the defensive side of the game.

“Anyone who thinks I just picked this Jose Mourinho thing to create negativity around Arsenal… it’s about analyzing exactly where Arsenal are going,” he told Sky Sports.

“If people don’t agree with that, I don’t think you’re actually looking at what’s happening with Arsenal at the moment.

“I think Mikel Arteta feels he doesn’t have the attacking quality Manchester City have, so he’s going to another one to try and win the league. Strong defensively and a more powerful team.

MORE ON F365 ARSENAL:
Odegaard tops, Willian bottom of all Arsenal signings after Wenger
Arsenal’s flawed left side both make Premier League worst XI of the weekend
Arsenal continue descent into Arsene Wenger-inspired match under Mikel Arteta

Carragher highlighted the similarities between the current Arsenal team and Mourinho’s tactical approach during his first spell at Chelsea, highlighting the defensive strength, height and power, as well as the reliability of both teams.

The expert, however, insisted that the comparison was not considered criticism, before going all out by highlighting the main difference between the two managers.

“My first thing would be for my team to be strong defensively – Arsenal are strong defensively,” Carragher said.

“The size, strength and power of my team… we highlighted the strength and power of this Arsenal team. That’s what you get from Mourinho, that’s what you get from Arsenal.

“A dependence on set pieces at times. You think how powerful (Didier) Drogba and (John) Terry were at Chelsea, it’s exactly the same with Arsenal. Sometimes Arsenal and the goalkeeper go straight. How often have we seen Petr Cech go direct?

“The only thing we should also say that Arsenal is not like José Mourinho is winning trophies.

“He’s the guy who won the Premier League three times. Arsenal haven’t won the Premier League in 20 years.

Arteta himself was certainly not unhappy with the comparison, insisting he was full of admiration for Mourinho.

The Spaniard said: “Of course. I’ve known him since I was 15. He coached me. He was in Barcelona. Yes, he won 26 titles. So he’s someone you really have to look up to, the way he did it, the way he changed the culture at clubs, the way he did it in different countries. But I don’t like to compare myself to anyone.