Martin Keown has defended the way Arsenal played against Liverpool, amid criticism from several former players about Mikel Arteta’s approach in the media.
Arsenal lost 1-0 at Anfield last week, courtesy of a stunning late free-kick from Dominik Szoboszlai.
It was a cagey affair that had little action in either box, yet the Gunners seemed to face the brunt of the criticism for how the match played out, with many feeling Arteta was too pragmatic with his team selection and tactics.
Gary Neville was outspoken in his frustration with the North Londoners’ game plan, although the former Manchester United full-back wasn’t the only one to lay into the away side.
Martin Keown responds to Peter Schmeichel’s Arsenal comments
Until the 49th minute at Anfield, Liverpool hadn’t had a touch in Arsenal’s box.
The Gunners had controlled the game well, outshooting their opponents and dominating the territory, as the Merseysiders struggled to gain a foothold.
Inevitably, Arne Slot’s team grew into the match in the second period, and the game ultimately should and would have ended as a draw, had Szoboszlai not had other ideas.
Despite this, Arsenal have been painted as the villains by many, blamed for the encounter not entertaining the neutral and living up to its box office tag.
Peter Schmeichel vented his anger about Arsenal’s approach, describing the Gunners’ football as ‘ugly’.
Martin Keown has now responded to these comments from the former United goalkeeper, describing this outlook on the match as ‘deranged’.
“I don’t know if it’s been calm in the media,” Keown said on talkSPORT.
“I’m listening to some people, these ex-players. Peter Schmeichel has said that Arsenal bring something ugly to the Premier League. I think that’s deranged in what he’s talking about.
“Look, was it ugly when they changed the back pass rule in 92′, because it was him who was one of the advocates for that? That was ugly as well. But, look, Arsenal are a long way down the line to being successful.
“We’re going to compare clubs and maybe I’m rising to the bait, but I think Arsenal look good right now. It’s not lucky Arsenal anymore, by the way, with all these injuries. But that will clear up, they’ve now got the squad to go the distance.”
Martin Keown is right about Arsenal’s approach
Keown is right; Arsenal have been wrongly labelled with this negativity tag, purely because opposition fans want to be frustrated with a team for not making the game an exciting spectacle.
The Gunners aren’t obliged to go to Anfield and play expansive football, and nor should they.
For many years under Arsene Wenger, Arsenal would go to the big grounds in the Premier League and would be lambasted for playing naively.
Now, they’re sensible and are subsequently lamented for being ‘ugly’. Arteta certainly took precautions to ensure his side weren’t threatened in transition, but this is a perfectly reasonable approach to take away at Anfield, and Liverpool were equally unambitious in possession.
The criticism has certainly gone too far, and Keown was right to call Schmeichel out for his bizarre attack on Arteta’s football.
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