1 hour ago
1
Roy Keane has questioned Arsenal's ability to kill a game, with Liverpool and Manchester City both more dangerous in the final third than Mikel Arteta's side.
Arsenal signed a big-money number nine in Viktor Gyokeres this summer, but the Swedish striker was unable to make much of an impact against Manchester United. Center-back Riccardo Calafiori scored the only goal of the game from a set-piece when Altay Bayindir reacted meekly to an inswinging cross.
"You never felt Manchester United had two or three goals in them. And even Arsenal, getting the one goal, that's a worry," Keane said on Sky Sports after the Gunners won 1-0 at Old Trafford.
"You wonder why Arsenal keep coming up short. They're still happy enough to sit in at 1-0. Is that why they drew so many games last year?
"Compare them to a Man City or a Liverpool, they're always thinking 'Let's go and get the second'. Even on a bad day with Liverpool, you think they will score two or three goals. That's the challenge for Arsenal.
"For the first day of the season, their sharpness will improve. Saka, Odegaard, Rice — I think there is a lot more to come from them. But you take the win on the first game of the season, and obviously a clean sheet."
Last season, Arsenal conceded seven fewer goals than Liverpool across the 38-game campaign. But Arne Slot's men found the back of the net 17 times more often, which made the difference in the title race.
Since then, Liverpool has sold Luis Diaz and Darwin Nunez, with Hugo Ekitike coming in. The Reds could yet sign Alexander Isak from Newcastle United before the September 1 transfer deadline.
While Slot was delighted that his players scored four times against Bournemouth, he will want to see an improvement on the two conceded, in particular the manner of the wide-open counter-attacks.
"Normally, you can complain about our players not sprinting back hard enough, but they did," he said during his post-match press conference. "The only thing you need to do better — but it's in an ideal world — is where do you lose the ball?
This article contains affiliate links, we will receive a commission on any sales we generate from it. Learn more
"The first ball, there is something I can say about that, losing the ball with a trick if you're 2-0 up is not necessary, maybe if you're 1-0 down or you really need a goal and you want to force something.
"But in that moment, I think it's not the way to lose the ball like Dominik [Szoboszlai] did.
"The second goal, we are a team that likes to attack. We are a team that wants to score goals. Rest defence was in order the moment we lost the ball, we were two-v-one against their number nine, but instead of what Mo usually does, which is getting a cross in or getting a shot in, he squared it just behind.
"Then give credit to the other team, with how many bodies they sprinted to our 18-yard box. It's fine margins, and the best way is to not lose the ball, and if you do lose it, then lose it with a shot, or it ends up in a corner kick or in a goal kick.
"But do not lose it at your own 18-yard line or where Dominik lost it."
Liverpool.com says: The Reds will have a better attack than Arsenal, but Slot needs to ensure he has enough depth. There is an argument for signing another player in addition to Isak, even if that deal goes through. And that is before a potential exit for Federico Chiesa.
English (US) ·