Why Roy Keane called Arsenal a ‘small club with a small mentality’

Football analyst Roy Keane has criticised Arsenal’s tactics against Manchester City in the 2-2 draw at the Etihad Stadium.

The Gunners attempted to defend their lead in the second half of the match after Leandro Trossard was sent off for controversially delaying the restart of the match.

Mikel Arteta decided to implement an ultra-defensive system and continued to defend throughout the second half.

Unfortunately for him and his team, they conceded a goal in the closing stages against Man City, with substitute John Stones finding the net in the dying minutes of the game.

Keane criticised Arsenal for their mentality and the way they defended when reduced to ten men.

“They just did it, as a small team with a small mentality,” Keane told this to the podcast Stick to Football.

‘Go back three or four weeks, Arsenal did the same thing against Brighton with 10 or 15 minutes to go – the keeper went down at home against Brighton.

‘The idea that they went to the great Manchester City, their mentality against Brighton at home was exactly the same – that’s my argument.

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“I say if you have it, you still have to take good care of it. If you have it, try to fit four or five times in a row.

‘They were wasting time at home against Brighton so forget it, it was Man City.’

The Gunners faced a similar situation against Brighton at the Emirates Stadium a few weeks ago.

Declan Rice was sent off for Arsenal in that match and the team had to wait patiently to defend their lead in that match as well.

However, Brighton scored through Joao Pedro to secure a point against the Gunners at the Emirates Stadium.

Roy Keane is too hard on Arsenal

The former Man United midfielder may be a little harsh on Arsenal as they played to their strongest point, defending, and were punished with a red card.

They have the best defensive record in the league and their defenders have shown time and time again that they can do the job for the team when needed.

Arteta adapted his team’s playing style to the situation and almost achieved a memorable result at the Etihad Stadium.