Sunderland boss Roy Keane has never been one to mince words; so when it came time to give his assessment of Arsenal’s title chances this season, Gooners won’t be happy with his response!
‘Of course they can challenge,’ said Keane. ‘If Arsenal can’t challenge what hope have we got? There are four teams we know which will finish in the top four. But will Arsenal finish first? I don’t think so. I think Chelsea and United are stronger – that’s my opinion. ‘Every team has its different characters and different dynamics,’ he added. ‘Arsenal are still a good team but different to the one I played against. There were different characters back then. ‘These days there is no [Martin] Keown, [Tony] Adams or [Patrick] Vieira. You need certain characters in your team.’
It’s a known fact that Arsenal and Keane have never been the fondest of friends. With that in mind, could Keane be correct in his assessment? So far this season, the London club have looked far from spectacular. With a loss and a draw in their last two matches, Arsenal now find themselves four points off the pace set by Liverpool and Chelsea.
What do Arsenal supporters think of Keane’s comments? Are Arsenal already out of the title race; or is this just a comment from a former Manchester United player trying to stoke the fire?