Keane wary of threat posed by Italian way he studied as a child
ROY KEANE doesn’t do regrets, but a part of him will forever question where his career might have taken him had he laced up his boots in Italy.
The Ireland assistant boss has always had a passion for Italian football, the players, the clubs, and the Azzurri, whom the Republic of Ireland confront in Lille on Wednesday in their final Euro 2016 Group E game.
As a young man, Keane was glued to Channel’s 4 Saturday morning weekly magazine, ‘Gazzetta Football Italia.’
‘I used to watch Channel 4 when Gazza (Paul Gascoigne) was there, and (Diego) Maradona at Napoli even before that.
‘I’ve always been a fan of Italian football,’ he said.
Juventus were desperate to sign Keane but he stayed put at Manchester United, content to play against Italian clubs at an interclub level.
‘I always enjoyed playing against their teams. At United, we had some tough games against Milan and Juventus.
‘For all the accusations against them, I always thought they were tough boys and have fond memories,’ he said.
Keane’s famous selfless contribution to the 1999 Champions League semi-final comeback against Juventus in Turin remains a club career highlight.
For Ireland, there was his memorable input on the World Cup stage, 22 years ago yesterday, in a bulging Giants Stadium.
Keane was part of a five-man midfield which suffocated Dino Baggio, Demitrio Albertini and Roberto Donadoni on one of Irish football’s most famous days.
‘We won, didn’t we?’ he recalled with a hint of sarcasm yesterday, before adding a typical Keane rider, ‘the reality was we were home a few weeks later and they got to the final.’
That 1-0 win in the New Jersey heat wasn’t all bells and whistles for Keane.
He was delayed afterwards at dope control and by the time he was cleared, the Irish dressing room was already empty and the celebrations had kicked off elsewhere without him.
Should Ireland manage a repeat of that Giants Stadium scoreline in Lille, Keane will have achieved a notable double over the Azzurri, as player and coach, and Ireland will be through to the last 16.
He has a fair idea what to expect, having marvelled at the way Italy shut out their opponents in two games so far. ‘I really enjoy watching Italy. I’d pay to go and watch them,’ he said.
The French sports daily, ‘L’Equipe’ shares Keane’s admiration for the trinity of Juventus central defenders — it hailed Andrea Barzagli as ‘The Brain’, Leonardo Bonucci as ‘The Elegant’ and Giorgo Chiellini as ‘The Warrior.’
‘We were talking about them with the staff,’ said Keane.
‘They really look like they are enjoying defending, it’s not a chore to them, getting blocks when you think “they’re in trouble here.”’
The battle-hardened Juve veterans play in front of their club ‘keeper, the talismanic Gianluigi Buffon, and have a staggering 362 Azzurri appearances between them.
‘The system they play seems to suit them. They have a swagger about them.
‘They bring plenty to the party. I’m looking forward to that game,’ smiled Keane.