Richard Keys involved in on air argument with former Liverpool man over Premier League title
Disgraced former Sky Sports presenter Richard Keys has claimed Liverpool won’t win anything next season as he became embroiled in a stormy on-air argument with former Reds midfielder Jason McAteer.
Keys dismissed this year’s Premier League as “not a vintage season” and appeared unimpressed with Arne Slot’s Liverpool, who can clinch the title this week should Arsenal lose at home to Crystal Palace on Wednesday or the Reds triumph against Tottenham at Anfield on Sunday.
Liverpool have built up a 13-point lead over Champions League semi-finalists Arsenal, who knocked holders Real Madrid out of the competition, and that has led to questions about the quality of the Premier League from some quarters.
But Keys dismissed the idea that English success in Europe is evidence of the strength of the domestic league, with Aston Villa having reached the quarter-finals of the Champions League and both Tottenham and Manchester United in the Europa League semi-finals.
“It’s not a vintage season, not by any stretch of the imagination and Villa winning in midweek does not prove what a good Premier League we have, it proves what a good Champions League it’s been. There’s been no challengers to Liverpool all season long,” he said.
“Not from anywhere has there been a challenge. Of course they deserve it, (but) it’s not a vintage season.”
Stepping in, McAteer, who played 139 times for Liverpool, asked: “What makes it vintage?”
Keys replied: “When you get a proper title race, as was the case with Klopp’s team, and City vs Liverpool, toe to toe, three were competing for it (the title) and four were certainly competitive. The top teams this year all of them have gone backwards.”
As Keys continued to talk over him, McAteer answered: "If you want to frame it like that. First of all, the history books will just say Liverpool won the title this year. They won’t say how they’ve done it.
"What I would say is, in the light of how Liverpool have performed in the years have gone by in terms of the Dalglish teams, the Paisley teams, the Fagan teams, you can argue this is not in the same bracket. It’s not as easy on the eye. It’s not been a great watch at times.
“But they have beaten the Spanish champions, the French champions, the German champions, they have also beaten twice Manchester City. We’ve got an English team in the Champions League semi-final, we’ve got two English teams in the Europa semis, and one in the semi-final of the conference league.”
Keys responded: “We’ve had three teams relegated since January, no title challenge since November, the whole league has been settled apart from three Champions League places.”
“What you’re saying,” McAteer cut in, “is that the Premier League is not that strong, yet we’ve got five teams in European competitions. What are you saying?”
Keys then claimed that Liverpool would win nothing next season as he continued to criticism the level of performance this campaign.
He added: “I’m saying it’s not a vintage season, and I’ll go further. Liverpool won’t win anything next season.”
“Is that Liverpool’s problem?” McAteer asked. "They do not care. So why do we have to demean Liverpool’s achievements by saying it’s not been a great year. Liverpool have only been beaten twice. They can only beat what’s in front of them and they have done that week in, week out.
“Where I agree with you is that it’s not been a great watch. It’s not been a Dalglish team, it’s not even our team and we didn’t win a title.”
Keys added: “I’m not passing judgement on Liverpool’s title. I’m just saying it hasn’t been a vintage season. There’s been no challenge.”