Roy Keane

Roy Keane explains why he is now worried about Arsenal’s mentality

Roy Keane has voiced his concerns regarding Arsenal’s defensive approach, particularly after taking the lead in matches. This issue was on display during today’s clash with Liverpool, where the Gunners twice went ahead, only to let the Reds fight back on both occasions. Arsenal initially showed dominance in the game, especially after Bukayo Saka’s goal put them ahead at 1-0. They continued to control possession and looked capable of extending their lead.

However, after retaking the lead at 2-1, Arsenal shifted their focus to preserving their advantage rather than pushing for another goal to secure the win. This conservative approach came at a cost, as Liverpool managed to break through and equalise, leading to a frustrating 2-2 draw for the Gunners. According to Keane, this mentality is a worrying sign, especially for a team with title aspirations, as it shows a lack of killer instinct when in a position of strength.

Salah scoring against Arsenal

During his analysis on Sky Sports, Keane stated:

“All the brilliant players affect games, and that’s what Saka does. You can see that with his finish. What came across in his interview was, he’s disappointed, but I’m starting to worry about Arsenal’s mentality now. When they get themselves in front, they sit back, instead of going after the third goal. Liverpool were there for the taking if they wanted it.”

The former Manchester United captain’s assessment reflects a broader concern with Arsenal’s strategy this season, which has seen them adopt a more defensive style, especially when protecting a lead. This shift could be partly attributed to injuries to key defenders like Gabriel and Jurrien Timber, forcing Mikel Arteta to prioritise defensive stability. Additionally, the absence of creative playmaker Martin Odegaard has hampered their ability to maintain attacking pressure.

To compete for the Premier League title, Arsenal must find a balance between solid defending and maintaining the attacking intensity needed to finish off opponents, rather than allowing them back into games.


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  1. Just returned to my hotel after the game and read what Keane has said.
    Liverpool we’re never there for the taking, even during the first half, when we were the better side.
    The second half saw them coming out and attacking us, but it was Gabriel’s injury that really changed the game and it’s no coincidence that their equaliser was down the middle.
    The referee was not protecting Saka in any way, as I counted at least six fouls on him in the first half alone.
    Just to remind ourselves, we finished with the following players off the pitch for one reason or another :
    Saliba, Timber, Califiori, Gabriel, Odegaard, Saka, Martinelli and Tierney, while facing a, nigh on, full strength Liverpool side.
    The crowd was back to its brilliant best.
    We have to wait for our 2000 win in the English top flight, while only Liverpool are ahead of us with 2066.

    1. I would add a few more notes:
      1) the equalizer was born from the fact that the defensive 4 played perhaps for the first time in this composition,
      2) the referee influenced the game in a rude way and I mean 3 moments: Foul by van Dijk at the beginning of the match-after the whistle, Diaz kicks the ball twice after the whistle (we always get a yellow card for this) and during the foul on Gabi the commentator said that if a penalty was whistled in the match WHU v. MU, so this penalty must be whistled even with closed eyes.

    2. Couldn’t agree more ken1945 and being there is different from watching it on the box. I’m not surprised that Saka was taken off as he was frequently fouled, all of this after returning from injury and probably borderline fit. Timber, likewise. I t was a blessing that both made it to the starting lineup at all.

      Of course it was a huge loss with Gabriel going off as his presence was vital after the loss of Saliba. Liverpool committed plenty of cynical fouls – not all of which were punished

      I didn’t get the sense at all that Arsenal were sitting back on their lead. Nobody around where I was sitting was berating the team for that. You listed the players out or taken off and they held key positions. It would have helped if Martinelli had been more productive at the business end of the pitch so there were chances being made – so hardly sitting back.

      It was a pretty good performance under the circumstances, not to mention that Liverpool were buoyed by a good start to the season. Neither am I surprised that the ref and his cohorts were roundly booed off at the end.

  2. I think he’s got a point. At the end of the day, it’s results that count. Arsenal had players out – before and during the game – and their overall performance was better than in the last two games (thank goodness). They had chances to win it but wasted them.

    It’s not the end of Arsenal’s title challenge in 2024-25 but the fact is that nine games in they are now five points behind City. In 2022-23, Arsenal was one point clear of City after nine games and last season they were only two points adrift. We all know what happened by the end of those seasons. Arteta and Arsenal can’t afford any more slips.

  3. I think Arteta needs to sign some machine players not just technical, in the mold of Havertz, Xhaka and Rice because we can keep having high amounts of injured players,
    I’m beginning to think Arteta must sign a tall and ruthless CF, we can’t keep complaining about referees ,we must out shine our opponents regardless of the officiating.
    We did well yesterday, but Martineli and Trossard seem to be below there best, IMO, Jesus should be trying the AM role, he’s really good at holdup play and is highly technical but lacks discipline.
    So onto Preston and Newcastle.

  4. Sad to see people attacking Roy for what is so obvious. Arteta has trained the fans to expect this now. More points will be dropped because of this approach to games. Liverpool were rattled the entire 90 minutes honestly and only Konate actually looked up for it out of their back 4.

    1. Are you suggesting that anybody above has been attacking Roy Keane or is under some sort of Arteta spell? I can assume that you didn’t see Martinelli bomb forward and make a hash of the several chances he made or Havertz’s disallowed goal which was harsh to say the least? Why not re read what Ken1945 reported and consider the considerable obstacles the team faced in terms of personnel? Considering the injury crisis and the clear lack of match fitness of both Saka and TImber plus the injury to Gabriel, I thought Arsenal acquitted themselves pretty well.

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