Keane: 'Arsenal are out of breath in the championship race'

According to former midfielder Roy Keane, Arsenal were exhausted both physically and mentally, after losing 0-3 to Brighton in round 36 of the Premier League.

"Arsenal looked exhausted, physically and mentally," Keane told Sky Sports on May 14. "But we can't be too hard on Arsenal. It's been a great season, and they just ran out of steam at the end. This is top-level football, and you have to remember that it's very difficult to win consistently."

Arsenal once led the Premier League with eight points ahead of Man City after round 18. But there have been periods when they have not been consistent. Typically the current sprint phase, with four winless matches against Liverpool, West Ham, Southampton (draw) and Man City (lose), before being defeated 0-3 by Brighton right at the Emirates yesterday. In contrast, Man City have won all 11 of their recent matches and will officially be crowned champions if they beat Chelsea at the Etihad Stadium in the next round on May 21.

Saka regrets after a missed opportunity in Arsenal's 0-3 loss to Brighton at Emirates Stadium on May 14. Photo: AP

With 248 days, Arsenal are almost certain to become the club that has led the Premier League for the most days without winning the title. The previous record belonged to Kevin Keegan's Newcastle with 212 days in the 1995-1996 season, when they lost the title to Man Utd.

Keane believes the 2-2 draw with West Ham and Southampton had a big impact and dragged Arsenal down in the title race. The former Irish midfielder also sees experience and squad depth as the big difference between Arsenal and Man City. While Arsenal are without William Saliba, Tomiyasu Takehiro and most recently Oleksandr Zinchenko and Gabriel Martinelli in the final stages, Man City have almost a full squad, despite having to distribute their strength across three arenas.

Therefore, Keane believes that Mikel Arteta needs to recruit four or five more quality players in the summer of 2023, because Arsenal are declining when making changes. "The most important thing is to have the right players so that if there are injuries, they still have enough quality players to replace them," Keane commented. "Man City rotate and still have a quality squad on the field. When Arsenal make changes, the team will be weaker."

Also on Sky Sports , Patrick Vieira - who won three Premier League titles with Arsenal - said that Man City's 3-0 win at Everton in the early game "hurt" Arsenal and admitted that the title race is over. According to the former French midfielder, Arteta needs a stronger, more individualistic team if he wants to close the gap with Man City.

"Martin Odegaard is a technical leader on the pitch but what they are lacking is physical presence, mental leadership, someone who can motivate his teammates when Arsenal are not playing well. For me, Arsenal will have to build a team with more personality, more competition, more strength. Look at Man City, you will see tall and very strong players," Vieira added.

The 46-year-old also stressed that going through such a dramatic race will help Arsenal gain more experience to cope with the pressure and come back stronger next season. Vieira advised Arsenal to buy at least three more players, including a right-back, a centre-back and a tall, physical midfielder with the ability to score goals.

Hong Duy

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