Jamie Carragher has branded Per Mertesacker's performance in Arsenal's 3-2 defeat to Stoke City on Saturday as "not acceptable".
The German international was part of a defence that conceded after just 20 seconds as Peter Crouch opened the scoring at the Britannia Stadium, while Bojan Krkic and Jonathan Walters handed their side a 3-0 lead going into the break.
Arsenal rallied in the second half to almost snatch an unlikely point, but Carragher feels that Mertesacker should carry the majority of the blame for the defeat.
Carragher told Sky Sports News: "We talk about leadership, character - like [Arsene] Wenger always talks about after the game.
"He's abandoned ship, he's left them on their own and that is not acceptable for a player of that quality and experience. He's abandoned ship. It's just not acceptable.
"You're in a game away at Stoke in a tough venue - let your players around you know you're not going to accept what's going on. This is your captain on the day."
Mertesacker admitted that his performance was "shocking" in his side's loss to the Potters.
Simon Sinclair
