Roy Keane takes dig at Liverpool star who has received praise recently

Manchester United legend Roy Keane takes another swipe at Liverpool vice-captain Trent Alexander-Arnold amid recent praise about his defensive improvements. Keane has always criticized Alexander-Arnold’s defending and ignored the defensive qualities that the Reds’ vice-captain has displayed during this season.

The 26-year-old has played a crucial role in Liverpool’s early success, winning 11 out of 12 games in all competitions. Liverpool have only conceded five goals in those 12 games, displaying a formidable defence under the head coach Arne Slot.

However, there is a lot of room for improvement despite the incredible start and the game against Chelsea showed that. While Liverpool defeated their bitter London rival, the game involved some phases where the Reds should dominate the possession more.

Chelsea have enjoyed a good run of form before their defeat at Anfield and they possess numerous players with qualities. While Liverpool should work on their improvement, the victory is a sheer reflection of the progress they have already made.

Speaking on Overlap’s Stick to Football (via YouTube), Keane mocked the praise Alexander-Arnold has received while pointing out his Liverpool substitution. He said:

“Trent, everyone thought Trent was that brilliant defensively, the manager took him off with 10 minutes to go. Brilliant isn’t it? Anyway, that’s another point. You know defensively 10 minutes to go and you’re 2-1 up and you take him off, that’s a great message [gesturing thumbs up] that yeah. Yeah, we really trust you defensively.”

Keane’s statement is a clear sign of bias and lack of information before putting his opinion about the 26-year-old forward. Liverpool’s second-choice right-back Conor Bradley is struggling with an injury and the fixture congestion demands rotation to maintain the fitness.

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Bradley’s absence made Trent’s selection against RB Leipzig necessary while Joe Gomez acts as a backup for the position. Leipzig are a strong side, currently second in the Bundesliga and the narrow 0-1 victory proves why Trent needed substitution.

Furthermore, Gomez is far more reliable defensively irrespective of the improvement that Trent has made in defending under Slot. If Keane cannot see those improvements, then it speaks volumes about his short tenure as a football manager.