Jamie Carragher says Arsenal can learn a lesson from Liverpool as Mikel Arteta looks to cement the Gunners as the Premier League's best side and kick on in Europe too

Jamie Carragher says Arsenal must learn from Liverpool when it comes to establishing itself as the dominant team in the Premier League, with Mikel Arteta seemingly reverting to type.

This summer, the Gunners attempted to sign Vinicius Jr. from Real Madrid, but that move fell through. After Arsenal was beaten heavily by Brighton a couple of weeks ago, Arteta solidified his team for a narrow win over Nottingham Forest, and Carragher believes that is the way forward.

In contrast, when Liverpool won the title in 2025, Arne Slot's side looked to become even more attacking and technical, which is a decision that is yet to pay dividends, even if there have been some good recent signs under new head coach Andoni Iraola.

"In the aftermath of Liverpool winning the title, the response was the polar opposite to Arsenal this season," Carragher writes in his Daily Telegraph column.

"Rather than celebrate the robust qualities which won the league, there was such a preoccupation with what was needed to take the next steps and go further in the Champions League, Liverpool opted for a major reset.

"'My football is Paris St-Germain vs Liverpool and Liverpool vs Paris St-Germain,' Slot said, the round-of-16 Champions League meeting between the teams dominating his thoughts — and those of his recruitment team — more than the domestic wins that put Liverpool back on top.

"Wherever Liverpool go from here under Iraola, the team have gone backward since then despite spending £700M (nearly $1 billion), including substantial fees on the most highly rated attackers in Europe.

"From going toe-to-toe with PSG, losing on a penalty shootout, Liverpool are now miles behind the European champions, and optimistically it could take a year at least to close the gap to Arsenal.

"That must serve as a warning to Arteta as he considers what direction to go and how quickly he feels it needs to be done. We will only know what difference it will make to the side’s balance after he recruits higher caliber strikers and wingers, and whether he is then to take off the reins and encourage more flourishes upfront, sacrificing a layer of defensive protection."

Arsenal heads into the next weekend of fixtures six points ahead of Liverpool. It trails Manchester City by three points, though there could yet be sanctions that take Enzo Maresca's side out of contention.

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"It would have been fascinating to watch Arsenal in the parallel universe in which Vinicius signed, because it’s unlikely he would have been tracking back at the City Ground last weekend," Carragher added.

"Arteta demands his attackers embrace defensive responsibilities. That’s his make-up. Tactically, he remains more like Jose Mourinho than Arsene Wenger."