‘I believe’: Roy Keane suggests on key difference between Arne Slot and Mikel Arteta this season
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Liverpool have solidified their lead in the title race after Arsenal drew to Manchester City on Sunday.
When the Reds faced their local rivals Everton in the Merseyside Derby, the second-half performance of the Blues threatened to undo the home side’s hard work, but they left Anfield with a victory to continue their 100% winning record in all competitions so far this season.
The Premier League has been incredibly competitive over the years, and Mikel Arteta’s Gunners are set to be hot on the heels of this Liverpool side, but have taken an early blow.
Arteta’s side drew their game against Pep Guardiola’s side 1-1, which meant Arne Slot’s men find themselves five points clear with only two games to go before the international break.
Photo by Liverpool FC/Liverpool FC via Getty Images
Roy Keane has been very complimentary towards Slot and his side this season, with the former Manchester United captain holding the Dutch coach in very high esteem.
It is too early to tell in the season who will end up becoming league champions; however, the Merseyside giants have put themselves in a perfect position so far.
On the Sky Sports broadcast, the panel was discussing the title hopes of Arsenal as Jamie Carragher compared Arteta to two former Liverpool managers, claiming he has the ‘handbrake’ on his team at the moment.
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Keane was asked by Micah Richards if he could see any difference between the two title contenders’ head coaches, and the Irishman felt there was one clear difference that could be important going forward.
He said: “Well, I believe Slot is going on to win football matches and is not afraid of giving up chances and losing goals, because he will probably feel, and again it still might be nerve-racking for some of the supporters going we want to be tight at the back.
“But part of football is entertainment… It’s a different mindset.”
It was a huge positive of Slot’s first season and his season so far, that he would not give up on winning games or try to employ a more defensive style to win games.
While he may need to use some of his approaches from last season to see out games in a more comfortable manner, Keane is correct that their manager is providing entertainment to fans.
It has been an interesting set of fixtures to begin Liverpool’s title defence, though, with two big hitters in Arsenal and Newcastle United out of the way early.
But even their opening day win against Bournemouth was a positive result, given that the South Coast side look to be a real threat against the top teams.
An early game against a promoted team, Burnley, and the derby out of the way very early on, will be a relief because those can be games later in the season that are must-wins, and it will prove more difficult depending on the positions of the respective teams.
For Keane, he believes this side are hard to stop this season because of their mentality and manager at the helm.
“The way they have started this season, they look like they are up for it… They are digging deep, and they are a big goal threat.
It will be very hard to stop Liverpool.”
It is an incredibly positive start for Slot and his squad, with the bonus that at times they have not played their best, meaning there is more to come from a side who seem to just keep winning.