September 1st 2024.
Roy Keane couldn't hide his disappointment with Manchester United's performance against Liverpool. Despite his criticism, he still believes that the team has the potential to secure a top-four finish in the Premier League this season.
Under the guidance of new manager Arne Slot, Liverpool looked strong and composed, while United struggled to find their rhythm. The 3-0 loss to their arch-rivals was yet another blow to Erik ten Hag's tenure as the boss at Old Trafford.
Unfortunately, United's downfall was largely due to their own mistakes in midfield. Casemiro's two costly errors in the first half gave Liverpool the opportunity to score two goals, and Mohamed Salah capitalized on another mistake to seal the win.
Former United captain, Keane, didn't hold back in his assessment of the team's performance. He described it as "shocking" and pointed out that the on-field display doesn't match the positive PR that the new owners have been receiving.
"I was disappointed with United's performance today," Keane said on Sky Sports. "Liverpool were clearly the better team, they looked sharp and fit. United, on the other hand, were far from their best. Every time Liverpool went forward, they looked like they were going to score. That's not good enough."
Despite his criticism, Keane still believes that United has what it takes to finish in the top-four this season. This may come as a surprise to many, given their lowly 14th position in the league table with only three points from three games.
Keane's fellow Sky Sports pundit, Liverpool legend Jamie Carragher, had a different viewpoint. He predicted that Ten Hag will be sacked before the end of the season, especially after another poor performance from United.
Last season, United finished in their lowest-ever position in the Premier League, and there were talks of sacking Ten Hag. However, the club decided to stick with him and spoke to other candidates before making a decision.
Carragher believes that the situation at United is similar to what happened at Liverpool before Jurgen Klopp came in. He recalled how Brendan Rodgers was almost sacked after one season, but the owners decided to keep him and he changed his staff. However, ultimately, Rodgers was fired in October.
"I don't think anything will change at United in terms of their style of play," Carragher said. "I've seen this happen before at Liverpool, where the owners were unsure about what to do with Brendan Rodgers, and he ended up getting sacked in October. Ten Hag also said in his interview that 'we'll see where we are at the end of the season'. I would be surprised if he's still here by then."
Despite the differences in their opinions, both Keane and Carragher agree that there needs to be a change at United, and it needs to happen soon. The team's fans are eagerly waiting for a turnaround in their fortunes, and the pressure is mounting on the players and the management. Only time will tell if United can meet their expectations and secure a top-four finish this season.
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