Richard Keys, the former Sky Sports presenter who fell from grace, has labeled Liverpool as merely an “average” side and suggested they’re on course to clinch what he views as the poorest Premier League title ever. Despite being 12 points ahead of Arsenal in second place with nine matches left, aiming for its 20th championship, Liverpool’s aspirations for a trophy-laden season under Arne Slot have been shattered recently.
A heartbreaking Champions League knockout by Paris Saint-Germain was swiftly followed by a dismal League Cup final defeat at the hands of Newcastle United.
Keys, who departed Sky 14 years ago and now works for beIN SPORTS in Qatar, has consistently expressed skepticism towards Liverpool. Earlier in the campaign, he predicted that Slot would end up being a “mini-me” of Erik ten Hag, who was dismissed by Manchester United in the autumn.
Following Liverpool’s loss to Newcastle, Keys remarked: “I’ve had no idea all season how good this Liverpool team were. This week told us a lot. They’re average.”
“They’re top for two reasons – they had a great start and because every other challenger went backwards. Slot has discovered English football isn’t so easy after all.
Despite the recent downturn, PSG’s head coach Luis Enrique and Brentford’s Thomas Frank are among several managers who have previously hailed Liverpool as Europe’s finest this term.
Learn more
Writing on his blog, Keys shared his candid thoughts: “There’s something very odd about the Premier League this season – the worst I can remember since the league was formed back in 1992.
“There hasn’t been a genuine challenger to Arne Slot’s team all season. Look. They’re top and deserve to be so. They’ve won it because they’ve been better than the rest. But there hasn’t really been a ‘rest’. There hasn’t been a test.”
Despite Liverpool and Manchester City bowing out of the Champions League early, the Premier League still boasts a strong representation in European competitions, with Arsenal, Aston Villa, Manchester United, Tottenham Hotspur and Chelsea all remaining in contention in their respective tournaments.
* An AI tool was used to add an extra layer to the editing process for this story. You can read the original story in the Liverpool ECHO by clicking here.
