Arsenal have built the best defence in Europe under Mikel Arteta.

They’ve kept 10 clean sheets in 16 games across all competitions, conceded the fewest goals in the Premier League, and ground out a string of narrow wins.

Much of that comes down to what they do without the ball, and Roy Keane has been hearing a few things about where that comes from.

Roy Keane says Arsenal and Man Utd are ‘chalk and cheese’

Speaking on the latest episode of Stick to Football, Keane picked out Arsenal as the standard for out-of-possession work.

“A brilliant example, obviously, is Arsenal,” he said. “Arsenal out of possession, they’re hunting in packs.”

But Keane claims he had heard things about how Arsenal prepared in pre-season and compared it with his old club. According to Keane, people comparing the two said it was “chalk and cheese the way Arsenal train compared to Man United”.

“And when you’ve got quality, better players on top of that…” he added.

Coming from a former Manchester United captain, that says it all about where the two clubs stand right now. After 10 games, Arsenal are 19 points ahead of United, who remarkably sit in the relegation zone with just one win all season.

The latest reports suggest Michael Carrick is set to be replaced by former Tottenham and Chelsea boss Mauricio Pochettino, a good friend of Arteta’s. Whoever is in charge, Keane’s comments suggest the gap between them goes far deeper than results on the pitch.

Mikel Arteta’s culture is behind Arsenal’s work rate

It’s definitely fair to say Arsenal’s out-of-possession work comes from how hard they train. And that all stems from Mikel Arteta.

When he arrived in December 2019, Arsenal were a laughing stock. He’s completely transformed the culture at the club since, setting non-negotiables that every player has to meet, however talented they are. It’s easier said than done. Plenty of managers talk about standards, but very few manage to make a whole club live by them.

You can see it in how demanding he is on the touchline. Arteta was seen stamping on a chair during the win over Hull after Eberechi Eze switched off late on, and he publicly called out Max Dowman’s red card at Fleetwood, insisting: “We are not in Disneyland.”

It doesn’t always make him popular, but it’s why Arsenal are champions. When the players at the top of the squad work this hard without the ball, everyone else has no choice but to follow. Do it or you’re out the door.