England were rubbish but Rooney isn’t ready to be written off
ROY KEANE has told England’s players they underperformed at the World Cup and should have at least got out of the group. The new Aston Villa assistant manager predicted Roy Hodgson’s squad would struggle in Brazil before the tournament began but even he admits: ‘I didn’t think they’d struggle that much, to be fair.’
Yet Keane defended Wayne Rooney and dismissed claims by Paul Scholes, his former midfield partner at Manchester United, that the 28-yearold striker might be past his peak.
‘If you think Wayne Rooney’s gone, then you are sadly mistaken,’ Keane said.
Rooney drew criticism from some quarters for his performance in the less familiar left-wing position against Italy, despite setting up Daniel Sturridge’s goal.
Keane is still supportive of Rooney, who then scored an equaliser against Uruguay, but he still believes the striker could have made a bigger impression
‘I thought he did OK,’ said Keane. ‘There was a lot rolled into his position. England scored two and he got one of them. I’m sure Wayne, like lots of the players, will feel he could have done better. Top players are always quick to look at themselves, they are quite self-critical.’
It was Keane’s analysis of England as a whole that drew deeper criticism. In his final appearance as an ITV pundit at the Champions League Final, the 42-year-old prompted nervous laughter from England captain Steven Gerrard alongside him by stating: ‘I do think they’ll struggle.’
Speaking now, he says: ‘That’s not football knowledge. That’s just common sense.’
But watching Hodgson’s team finish bottom of Group D, with defeats to Italy and Uruguay and a 0-0 draw with Costa Rica, was a shock.
Keane has first-hand experience of Costa Rica in his role as Republic of Ireland assistant under Martin O’Neill because the sides drew 1-1 in a Philadelphia friendly last month.
‘If you said they were going to top that group I’d have said you were mad,’ said Keane. ‘ But they’ve obviously done well. They’ve adapted to the conditions. Whatever has happened with England, the players didn’t perform.
‘In most championships in recent years, they’ve just not peaked at the right time. You can argue all day about winter breaks and the rest of it, but they should’ve done better. They should’ve got out of the group.’
Expectations were low after a mediocre Euro 2012 and FA chairman Greg Dyke symbolised the feeling with a cut-throat gesture when the World Cup draw was made.
Keane feels the squad was short of experienced winners. Of the starting line-up against Italy, Phil Jagielka, Raheem Sterling, and Leighton Baines are yet to win major silverware, with subs Adam Lallana and Ross Barkley in the same position.
‘I still look at their group and maybe a lot of them lack that vital experience, whether it be Champions League or big-game experience,’ said Keane.
‘People are ranting and raving about some of their bigger players but they still have a lot to do. It’s not their fault, but some of the younger players are yet to win a trophy.
‘Yet people expect them to go to the World Cup and get to the quarters or semis.’
Keane aired his views while being unveiled as Paul Lambert’s assistant at Villa and the outspoken Irishman used the occasion to reveal that he thinks it would have been impossible to continue giving TV criticism while working in football. His views offer perspective on Gary Neville’s decision to work as an analyst for Sky Sports while coaching with England.
‘I really enjoyed ITV. It kept me busy, got to some good matches,’ said Keane. ‘I just felt the time had come. I’m not saying I wouldn’t get back into it. Getting back with the Irish team, I felt a bit awkward sometimes doing one or two matches where there were Irish players. There was maybe a little bit of conflict.
‘It could have been awkward for one or two other players I was maybe working with or commentating on, and I didn’t want that issue. I didn’t want any compromise regarding my role in football with punditry. The half-measure wasn’t working for me.’