Van Dijk versus Keane turns ugly: Lineker caught in middle of bitter ‘attack’ as Liverpool clash escalates

The Virgil van Dijk vs Roy Keane war rages on with Gary Lineker dragged in, while Mikel Arteta is ‘one of the biggest threats to Arsenal’s title challenge’.

Keane as mustard
The tempestuous, bitter rivalry between Virgil van Dijk and Roy Keane continues unabated on Tuesday, which is hardly surprising given the former’s malicious jib that: “I like Roy Keane, if he said that then it’s fine.”

That, of course, came after Keane did the whole “one title in 33 years” spiel while entirely retaining his calmness and composure. The resentment is palpable.

But things have inexplicably escalated, as highlighted by the website of a newspaper which is boycotted on Merseyside and thus tends to report what it wants on matters relating to Liverpool, consequences be damned.

‘Virgil van Dijk breaks silence on Roy Keane attack with surprise response to Man Utd icon’s ‘arrogance’ claim,’ report The Sun website, as this has now become an ‘attack’, which is definitely one way of describing comments in which Keane peacefully said “we can disagree on that” after Daniel Sturridge countered his point.

The man sounds absolutely unhinged alright.

And as for the notion that Van Dijk was breaking any sort of silence, he was presumably asked quite soon after Keane’s rampaging outburst because the Liverpool captain’s response was widely circulated the following morning; he did well to keep his counsel for so long.

Side-splitting
It is nevertheless one of the bigger stories to emerge from the weekend’s games and thus there is a need to rinse that sort of talking point for all it’s worth with any updates.

That makes this Daily Mirror website headline ever so enticing:

‘Gary Lineker takes sides in Virgil van Dijk vs Roy Keane “arrogant” row with pointed dig’

Now this is more like it. The Van Dijk vs Keane thing is obviously nonsense but if prominent voices are weighing in on the debate then that is undoubtedly newsworthy. And few voices are quite as prominent and clickable as that woke leftie snowflake Lineker, plus pundits interacting is always fun. So what’s he said exactly?

“That was a damp squib, wasn’t it? There was hardly a proper chance in the game. The only bit I enjoyed about the match was watching Trent’s passing.

“I got a text from a Manchester United-supporting friend of mine, he said, ‘it’s come to this, the highlight of the game is watching Jonny Evans punt the ball down the touchline in the hope, the dream that Antony could maybe get on the end of it and win a throw in’.

“We’re talking about Manchester United like they’re a League Two team going to Anfield and hanging on for a draw.”

No mention of Van Dijk. No mention of Keane. But Lineker says Manchester United were a bit rubbish and so he has ‘sided’ with the former in this interminable dispute. Eurgh.

Broken news
But that is somehow not the biggest story in all of football – at least according to one outlet – because top of the Daily Mirror website at peak traffic time is:

‘RE-GROW FERDINAND! Man Utd legend undergoes hair and beard transplants in Turkey as new video reveals all’

Oh for fu…

Anger management
The Daily Mirror are asking the important questions, namely ‘is Arteta’s temper in danger of costing Arsenal in title race?’.

It feels like the short answer is probably ‘no’, considering the Spaniard’s four yellow cards thus far this season have not prevented Arsenal from leading the Premier League table. But this is the BIG DEBATE so let’s have it.

And immediately after clicking into the online story, this becomes a thing of utter beauty within the first few words:

‘Mikel Arteta anger verdict reached after Arsenal boss booked for FOURTH time this season’

He was booked for waving at the referee, this coming after his most recent yellow card for ‘excessive celebrating’. Not sure an ‘anger verdict’ is wholly necessary.

‘Mikel Arteta’s temper is genuinely one of the biggest threats to Arsenal’s title challenge,’ writes John Cross with not a hint of sarcasm. Mediawatch would probably put four rival teams, injuries and a packed schedule ahead of the manager’s ‘temper’ in terms of things that might eventually derail them but there you go.

It is not made particularly clear quite what makes Arteta’s deranged fury ‘one of the biggest threats’ to an Arsenal title challenge he has played the biggest part in creating. But Cross does say that ‘he needs to resonate more calm on the touchline. Not anger and fury… in the heat of the battle and title tension, cool heads are needed.’

Oh for a return of ‘cool heads’ such as Sir Alex Ferguson and Jose Mourinho, two serial title winners whose entire managerial ethos could be neatly summed up by the phrase ‘not anger and fury’. And everyone loves Pep Guardiola and Jurgen Klopp for their ‘calm on the touchline’. Be more like them, Mikel.

Oh, you are.

Fraser Watson similarly warns against the sort of ‘frequent meltdowns’ which ‘only serve to unnerve players and fans’, all while Arsenal sit top and in the Champions League knockout stages.

And Mark Jones adds that Arteta ‘is going to have to chill out a bit if he wants to guide his exciting Arsenal team over the line in a title race that they should go close in’. Again, it is not explained why the Premier League-leading manager needs to change part of his approach.

As the old adage goes, if you are on the same side of the argument as Richard Keys, you are on the wrong side of the argument.

READ MORE: Klopp, Arteta slammed for ‘inciting pile-ons’ by Peter Walton in wake of Turkish referee punch

Get this party started
‘Howe cancels Christmas party on the Toon’ is an evocative headline on the Daily Mail‘s back page, parroted elsewhere with some variation on the point that Newcastle’s manager has indeed ‘cancelled’ some form of Christmas party on the Toon.

Let the man himself explain, when asked whether Newcastle players would be holding a Christmas party on the Toon:

“I certainly hope not! If they are, it is unbeknown to me. We have too many games and too busy a schedule for a party like that, I hope!”

Can you ‘cancel’ a party that hasn’t been planned?

Deck the Hall
Besides, Howe is obviously too busy plotting a way past Chelsea in the Carabao. And the Daily Mirror website has positive news on that front:

‘Newcastle to exploit little-known Carabao Cup loophole to give them advantage vs Chelsea’

The ‘advantage’ being that loanee Lewis Hall – who has been substituted at half-time in three of his four starts for Newcastle, playing 240 minutes all season – is available to face his parent club.

Might as well just give them a bye.