Roy Keane's criticism of Jurgen Klopp for conceding the Premier League title in 2021 has echoed into the present, as Chelsea manager Enzo Maresca has already admitted Liverpool are too strong to catch this season.
Despite just five games played, Maresca declared that Liverpool, five points clear at the top, are impossible to reel in. Chelsea sit in sixth, seven points adrift after a 2-1 defeat at Manchester United. The Italian said: 'If they continue in this way, I think it is impossible to catch them, not just for us, but for all the clubs.'
Maresca's comments draw a direct parallel to Klopp's remarks in February 2021, when the German conceded Manchester City's 13-point lead was insurmountable. Klopp said: 'I don't think we can close the gap. We are not worrying about the title, we are not silly.'
Keane, then a pundit on Sky Sports, slammed Klopp's defeatism, calling Liverpool 'bad champions' and accusing them of making excuses. 'You can lose a game of football but I can’t figure this group out. There’s a way to be beaten but I don’t see that in them,' Keane said.
While Chelsea are not defending champions, Maresca's early-season concession is unlikely to sit well with Keane, given his history of criticising such attitudes. The Blues spent heavily in the summer and finished fourth last season, raising expectations of a title challenge under new boss Arne Slot.
Maresca is not the first Chelsea manager to concede the title early; Jose Mourinho did so in March 2014, though that came much later in the season after a defeat at Crystal Palace. For now, Maresca's words echo Klopp's and risk attracting similar ire from Keane.
