Roy Keane urges Manchester United to gamble more in games, uses Liverpool as prime example

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Roy Keane thinks Manchester United should take note of how Premier League rivals Liverpool play aggressively in the final third.

Everybody knows Ruben Amorim has a huge job on his hands at Manchester United.

With every defeat or draw, it seems to get even more difficult for United’s head coach, but the Old Trafford faithful has done its utmost to rally behind him despite the bumpy start.

On Friday night, United made hard work of their FA Cup fourth-round tie and offered little in attack until the second half. The Reds forced a comeback to beat Leicester City 2-1 after trailing by a single goal at half-time.

Alejandro Garnacho came off the bench to inject energy into United’s attack. The Argentine ran at Leicester defenders down the left flank and created Joshua Zirkzee’s equalising goal before winning the free kick for Harry Maguire’s match-winner in stoppage time.

But without Garnacho – Amad Diallo is worthy of a mention too – United were extremely blunt in the final third.

Amorim needs to address that and find a way to keep more clean sheets.

Roy Keane uses Liverpool as example for Manchester United

It says a lot when someone like Keane thinks United should take a page from Liverpool’s book.

Sadly, Liverpool are doing everything right at the moment. They’re sat at the top of the Premier League after qualifying for the Champions League knockouts. On top of that, Arne Slot’s side will face Newcastle United in the Carabao Cup final.

Position	Team	Played MP	Won W	Drawn D	Lost L	For GF	Against GA	Diff GD	Points Pts
1	LiverpoolLiverpool	23	17	5	1	56	21	35	56
2	ArsenalArsenal	24	14	8	2	49	22	27	50
3	Nottm ForestNottingham Forest	24	14	5	5	40	27	13	47
4	ChelseaChelsea	24	12	7	5	47	31	16	43
5	Man CityManchester City	24	12	5	7	48	35	13	41
6	NewcastleNewcastle	24	12	5	7	42	29	13	41
7	B’mouthBournemouth	24	11	7	6	41	28	13	40
8	Aston VillaAston Villa	24	10	7	7	34	37	-3	37
9	FulhamFulham	24	9	9	6	36	32	4	36
10	BrightonBrighton	24	8	10	6	35	38	-3	34
11	BrentfordBrentford	24	9	4	11	42	42	0	31
12	Crystal PalaceCrystal Palace	24	7	9	8	28	30	-2	30
13	Man UtdManchester United	24	8	5	11	28	34	-6	29

Keane was reflecting on United’s poor performance against Leicester when he referred to how Liverpool attack teams for 90 minutes. He had watched United offer nothing in the first half before launching a flurry of attacks towards the end of the match.

“You have to get bodies in the box – you see Liverpool at the moment, Liverpool are getting four, five, six bodies in the box. We’ve seen United a couple of times, balls going in and one or two, the fans are frustrated,” Keane said during ITV’s FA Cup coverage.

The Irishman added: “Whereas towards the end, we’ve seen them in a panic then they started getting bodies in the box, taking gambles. To play at Man United you’ve gotta gamble. You’ve gotta try and win football matches.”

Zirkzee was another player who made an impact after coming off the bench. The Netherlands international was jeered at Old Trafford a few weeks ago, but now the crowd sing his name loud and clear.

Meanwhile, Liverpool travel to Plymouth Argyle for a pretty straightforward tie in the FA Cup.

Manchester United stats vs Leicester City

Playing against relegation strugglers, United made hard work of their FA Cup fourth-round tie.

The Reds managed 13 attempts on goal, with only four of those on target.

Elsewhere, statistically, it would be difficult for any Leicester City fans to claim they deserved more from the game.

It would be fair to say the Reds had a near escape, thanks to a rare goal from Harry Maguire.