When it comes to a pundit who isn’t afraid to speak his mind, look no further than Roy Keane. The Manchester United legend has had his say on Arsenal.
The Irishman had his fair share of battles with the Gunners during his time at Old Trafford, but he was asked to look back and assess their performance against Bayern Munich on Wednesday night.
Arsenal suffered a damaging 5-1 defeat in Bavaria which leaves their Champions League hopes in tatters at the round-of-16 stage yet again, and coupled with their failure in the Premier League, it has led to widespread criticism from the media and their own supporters.
Keane has pulled no punches in his assessment of the club, and insisted that he is shocked why people are surprised as to the mess that the Gunners find themselves in against Carlo Ancelotti’s side.
“I don’t know what you were expecting,” he said on ITV Sport.
“There was a lack of leadership, character, hunger, desire. I have to say at this level and this stage they’re not good enough.
“There’s no point being too critical because they’re just not up to it. They have two decent players and the rest are average.
“When I see Gibbs with the captain’s armband at the end of the game, you’re in big trouble. If he’s your captain or your leader, if he’s the guy who’s going to bring everyone together, you’re in huge trouble.”
That lack of leadership has been a constant criticism for a decade at Arsenal, and a combination of Arsene Wenger’s stubbornness and players letting him down has again resulted in embarrassment for the club.
Whether he leaves at the end of the season remains to be seen, but Keane is clearly unimpressed with the personnel in the squad and believes that it simply isn’t good enough to compete with the top clubs in England and Europe.
Keane on lack of leaders at Arsenal "When I see Gibbs with the armband on at the end of the game, you're in trouble" https://t.co/rtHLMtAFpP
— ITV Football (@itvfootball) February 15, 2017