Martin Keown Hits Back At Peter Schmeichel’s Arsenal ‘Ugly Football’ Criticism

Arsenal legend Martin Keown has branded Peter Schmeichel “deranged” after the former Manchester United goalkeeper tore into Mikel Arteta’s ‘ugly football’ during the Gunners’ recent defeat to Liverpool.

Schmeichel Calls Arsenal’s Style ‘Ugly and Annoying’

Arsenal fell to a 1-0 defeat at Anfield before the international break, with Dominik Szoboszlai’s stunning free kick proving the difference in an otherwise cagey encounter.

Speaking after the game, Schmeichel gave a scathing assessment of Arsenal’s approach.

He claimed their game plan relied too heavily on set pieces, slowed down the tempo, and made the match frustrating to watch.

“I don’t want to insult Arsenal but their brand of football is so annoying to watch,” Schmeichel said on ViaPlay. “It’s designed to exploit mistakes and wait for set pieces.

“Arsenal bring an ugly brand of football to our game. Arteta, let your team play football!”

The Dane even admitted he had “never in his life” wanted a team to win more than Liverpool in that clash.

Keown Hits Back at Schmeichel: ‘That’s Deranged’

Keown, who won three Premier League titles under Arsène Wenger, was quick to defend Arsenal while acknowledging there is still room for improvement.

Speaking on talkSPORT, he said, “We want more. Arsenal now are at the stage where it’s a mentality change, they’ve got to go after it with the eye of the tiger.

“But some of the criticism has been ridiculous. Schmeichel calling Arsenal ugly? That’s deranged. What’s he talking about?”

Keown also couldn’t resist a cheeky jab at his old rival, saying, “Wasn’t it him that forced the back-pass rule to be changed in 1992 because everyone kept rolling it back to him? That was ugly football too.”

Keown Says Arsenal Still in the Title Race

The ex-defender stressed that Arsenal remain strong contenders this season despite the setback at Anfield.

He believes the Gunners’ deeper squad will help them compete with Liverpool and Manchester City across the campaign.

“Arsenal are a long way down the line to being successful. It’s not ‘lucky Arsenal’ anymore, even with all these injuries. Once they clear up, this squad can go the distance,” Keown added.

Arteta’s Tactics Under Scrutiny

Arteta’s tactics in big games have often been questioned by mainstream pundits, with Arsenal’s reliance on set pieces highlighted last season when they scored 17 fewer goals than Liverpool.

However, with summer signings Viktor Gyokeres, Noni Madueke and Eberechi Eze added to the attack, there is optimism the Gunners will become more expansive.

A 5-0 win over Leeds in their opening home game suggested attacking improvements are already taking shape.

Arsenal return to action against on Saturday Nottingham Forest, who have replaced Nuno Espirito Santo with Ange Postecoglou, before beginning their Champions League campaign with a trip to Athletic Bilbao.