Roy Keane has hit the nail on the head after accusing Liverpool players of becoming complacent with their Premier League title win last season.
The former Manchester United captain has few fans on Merseyside after a legendary career with the Reds’ biggest rivals.
However, after watching in the Sky Sports studio as Liverpool threw away a win against Tottenham on Sunday, Keane accused Arne Slot’s team of ‘partying too much’ last season and launched an attack on their work-rate, mentality and desire. It was all justified.
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Keane takes aim at Liverpool mentality
During Jurgen Klopp’s storied time with Liverpool, the Reds well earned their nickname of ‘mentality monsters’. They would fight, press and run the legs off opponents on a weekly basis.
Under Slot, Liverpool have become unrecognisable from that machine, coasting through matches and giving up late goals for fun.
Keane clearly sees it, and rightly claimed that the rot set in last season after Liverpool won the Premier League with four matches left to play. The Reds – and their head coach – headed off for a mid-season holiday, prompting some criticism from supporters which now looks extremely prescient.
“Considering they were league champions, I’ve said it a number of times, they’ve been bad champions,” the Irishman lamented. “They were bad champions a few years ago, they’re now 21 points behind Arsenal. What a drop-off that is. That is so bad.”
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“I think there’s bigger issues going on in the background. I think there’s stuff going on, I don’t think they’re all on the same page, there’s not that chemistry with the players.
“Last year I was critical of Liverpool towards the end, I thought they were almost partying too much. They were partying with four, five, six weeks to go, the fans were celebrating after every home game. You’re Liverpool Football Club, are you not expected to win titles? Enjoy it, don’t get me wrong, but let’s back it up next year, that’s why you’re playing for a big club.
“I look at this group of players and their mentality, their work-rate, their desire, what they’re doing on the training pitch, and I don’t like what I see. I just don’t like it.”
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No place to hide for Liverpool
While Liverpool were absolutely right to enjoy their unexpected title win last season, there is a feeling that they have allowed a real complacency to seep in this year.
Slot has faced suspicion for the sheer amount of time off he has been giving the Liverpool squad all season long, with regular holidays spliced in between poor performances.
There is an argument that this worked for the Reds last season, but as soon as it swung the other way, Slot simply had to change approach. He did not, and so any criticism from the likes of Keane is absolutely justified.
The former United captain won plenty of titles during his playing career, and if Liverpool had a character like him within the team, it is hard to believe certain players would have been able to get away with their performances this term.
It is usually jarring to hear former players so deeply associated with rivals taking aim at Liverpool, but in this case, there is no place to hide for Slot or his players. Keane is absolutely right, and the weak, sloppy mentality within the group must be addressed while there is still time to salvage something from the campaign.
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