“WE keep repeating ourselves, the big tests are yet to come for Liverpool. Clearly they keep beating these so-called lesser teams, the same in the Premier League, but they’ve beaten nobody yet.”
The words of failed manager, turned failing coach, turned punditry bellend Roy Keane there.
That follows up his old drunk in the corner of the pub-like ramblings in the aftermath of Liverpool’s 3-0 home win over Maribor, in which he said: “It’s hard to get excited about them, they’re going nowhere fast. Come the end of the season when the prizes are being given out, Liverpool will be nowhere near them. If Liverpool were playing out in my back garden I wouldn’t watch them.”
His latest barbed comments came after The Reds’ second 7-0 win of the Champions League group stage, in which they scored an English club record of 23 goals, as they secured top spot to advance to the knockout stage for the first time in nine years.
Keane may have a point about Jürgen Klopp’s side’s form against the top six this season. In five games they have won just one versus Arsenal, drawn two against Manchester United and Chelsea, and lost two to Manchester City and Tottenham Hotspur. The fact that Liverpool were a few sliding doors moments away from getting improved results in those games is forgotten with hindsight, so we’ll leave that for another time.
But Roy’s key point was that Liverpool wouldn’t get the time and space to unleash their brand of attacking football against the so-called big teams.
The same — if not much-improved — Liverpool side that were unbeaten in games against the top six last season. With five wins and five draws. With a goal difference of seven; scoring 16 and conceding nine.
A Liverpool side that two years ago reached a European final with a group of players signed by another manager, and were a second-half collapse away from lifting silverware, just seven months after Klopp had arrived at the club. And were a penalty shootout away from lifting the League Cup at Wembley three months before that.
But nah, this new and improved Liverpool side who are tearing sides new arseholes on a fairly regular basis are nowhere near silverware and can’t play against the big teams. Turn it in Roy, and look at the facts. The goal records of Mo Salah, Roberto Firmino, Philippe Coutinho and Sadio Mane say it all.
Keane’s latest criticism also does a disservice to the sides he would class as “lesser”. Man United, for example, only scored more than three goals on one occasion in a group of a relatively similar level. They also lost to Huddersfield Town not so long ago. The much-hyped Man City will tell you that no side in the Premier League will just lie down or give you the space to get in behind them. Every game is a battle, so how can a 7-0 win be passed off so easily?
It seems that Keane is hell bent on flipping from one extreme to the next in his attempts to play up to his grumpy persona on telly and create headlines. It wasn’t long ago that he was criticising his old club Man United for every misplaced pass they made, though lately he seems to have changed his mind — suggesting they could still challenge for the Champions League crown after their loss to FC Basel.
Instead he’s turned his attentions to their closest rivals, and Liverpool seem to be the ones taking the majority of the criticism. It’s ironic that Keane is so full of praise for a team and a manager that have parked the bus against Liverpool on several occasions in the last few seasons. A side so frightened to open themselves up against such a potent attacking force that they were happy to show zero attacking ambition of their own in order to secure a point.
Some will say that’s the mark of a good team, the ability to grind out results, and that may be the case. But Jose Mourinho’s record against the top six as manager of Man United speaks for itself. Since he took the reins at Old Trafford, his side have won four, drawn five and lost five. In that time, The Reds have six wins, seven draws and two losses. I know which of those records I’d rather have.
Mourinho’s side have shown they can flat-track bully teams in the Premier League but if they aren’t getting the points against bigger sides they’ll never catch Man City and their record will hardly have Europe’s elite crying it in at the prospect of being drawn against them.
That’s not to say Liverpool will either, but Klopp’s side have definitely improved against so-called lesser sides, which was the main criticism of them last season, and they will always be full of confidence going to any of the top six sides given their record since the German took over.
The loss against Spurs obviously taught this Liverpool side and the coaching staff a few hard lessons and there has been a greater defensive surety since then, particularly at Anfield. That, coupled with a ridiculously ruthless attacking quartet, should have sides all over Europe and in the Premier League worried about the prospect of coming up against this red steamroller.
It would seem that Keane had long since closed his curtains on The Reds given how wide of the mark his comments were.
Anything can happen this season still, positive or negative, but this Liverpool side have improved markedly and made everybody sit up and take notice.
It’s about time that sour-faced, headline-chasing biff got his head out his own arse and acknowledged that.
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The state of Keane and Dixon last night. I rarely watch ITV but just had to see the 7 goals again. Those two, unshaven, sat in their jeans, could not have looked less arsed to be there – stealing a living for their so called expert analysis.
Neil Atkinson uses a great word- BRIO – we have it, whilst Keane is bereft of it. I felt sorry for the presenter.
Probably not worth wasting time thinking about the sour old plum
Agree – let it go Josh.
I imagine it’s a very lonely place in Roy’s head.He seems to have a hard faced disdain for almost everything.
I get the feeling he doesn’t even particularly enjoy watching football.
It was funny comparing the eulogising of the BT panel against the scowling condescension of Roy and his petrified sidekick Dixon ( ” Not the face Roy,please! “). Lampard,Owen and Ferdinand were blown away by Liverpool’s quality on BT- “None of the big teams will want to play Liverpool”. Then up comes laughing Roy on ITV-” Liverpool? THEY’RE FECKIN’ SHITE”
That’s why he is a miserably failed and sour coach while Klopp (and his gang) can walk into any club to manage, any club including MU, Munich, Real and Barca and Germany national team!
Which is why the owners need to keep backing him and keep him happy here. I’m getting a real sense of trajectory now with this Liverpool squad. Klopp has settled into our league now and I fancy us to go on a good extended run as the confidence snowballs.
And then there is Keita and hopefully van Dijk and others to come in the next nine months.The sky’s the limit, enjoy the ride.
Precisely.
And another very little mentioned fact is Klopp truly loves Liverpool, the club, culture, the brand. And he chose this as his “baby” long term project.
Keane was just reeling off the list of cliches because he had nothing of any worth to say. He couldn’t really praise us because he needs to be contrarian so he decided to adopt the straw man approach of answering a question he hadn’t been asked and repudiating a point which hadn’t been made.
It’s tiresome to watch him desperately try to show everyone that nothing impresses him and hoping people suggest that it’s because he has such ‘high standards’.
A bit of honest analysis wouldn’t do his carefully cultivated reputation any harm.
He’s shit scared of us. We’re a threat. A massive threat.
Apparently, Mickey Mouse also said that the Reds are shite.
Keane says we haven’t beaten anybody yet. He’s right. We haven’t. He says the big tests are still to come. He’s partly right. We’ve already had two big tests, away to City and away to Spurs. We were embarrassed on both occasions.
Manchester United have scored 2 goals more than us in the league, yet it is us and our attacking “fab 4” that are getting all the headlines. Manchester United have also conceded 10 goal fewer. They can actually defend when under pressure, sort of important when trophies are on the line. United are 14/1 to win the Champions League, we are 20/1. United sit in 2nd place in the league, 6 points better than us in 4th, and they’ve already come to Anfield, we’ve still to go to Old Trafford.
(The “much-hyped City have scored 13 goals more than us by the way, nearly a goal a game more – but it seems there are many who think we’re the best attack in the league.)
Keane criticises Manchester United when he thinks they should be criticised and criticises other teams, including Liverpool, when he thinks they should be criticised. Criticising them and criticising us isn’t “jumping from one extreme to the other. Nor is criticising a poor Utd performance but still thinking they might win the champions League. That he doesn’t feel the need to kiss anyone’s backside, including that of former employers, is a credit to him, especially compared to other pundits paid to give opinions.
Keane, who knows a thing or two about winning things, says when the major trophies are handed out, we won’t be winning them. Only time will tell if he’s right or not. I certainly hope he isn’t. But getting annoyed because Roy Keane doesn’t share your opinion, and impugning his motives because he doesn’t agree with you (because he can’t just honestly hold a different opinion to you, eh? He must have some ulterior motive for not sharing your view of LFC) is infantile. As is mentioning the fact he’s a failed manager. (Strangely, no mention of the fact he won the fucking lot as a player. If him being a failed manager is relevant, why is the fact he was an incredibly successful player not?) If we go by that logic, he has a whole lot more success in football than 99% of people to have even been involved in the game, and he certainly knows a lot more about football than one Josh Sexton, so does that mean it isn’t possible he is wrong and you are right?
Alright there, Roy Keane’s official spokesperson. You have earned your salary .
Fuckin hell thats a wall
A wee bit harsh, I’d reckon. But if you read my comment above, I also don’t give a toss about Roy Keane.
“Well, I guess that’s just your opinion, man!”
Completely agree. We have had lots of praise in the press lately but it isn’t mandatory for everyone to be singing our praises, even after a 7-0 win and if they don’t and take a contrary view we shouldn’t be so thin-skinned that we have to dedicate a whole article villifying them and subjecting them to juvenile, below the belt name-calling. Just because he thinks we have things to prove still doesn’t mean he’s
Liverpool hater who’s got it in for us. I have read his autobiography and he is very complimentary of Liverpool the club and its supporters, almost gushing. And that was written at a time when he was still club captain and very much at the peak of his powers. I can’t think of too many other Man Utd players who would speak of Liverpool in those terms. And frankly anyone who has seen him over the years knows he is far more scathing of Utd in his assessments. It is just the way he is. We don’t have to get our collective knickers in a twist over it. So he thinks we still have things to prove. On some level so do all if not most fans. Shrug your shoulders and move on.
I actually don’t mind ol’ Grumpy bullocks. I find him quite entertaining. I think I’d be more worried if he started gushing about us to be honest. Fergie was only ever complimentary about Liverpool when we weren’t a threat, anytime we got close he’d swiftly change his tune. Long may the United lot give us no credit, shows’ we’re on the right track.
I haven’t read the whole article but I did read the start and it’s crazy he can ignore our form last year against the top sides when looking at our form this season. Honestly he’s utterly incapable of offering an unbiased view. If we win the league he would say we didn’t deserve it. Failed manager. Failed since he stopped playing football. Crack on mate. Crack on.