"I thought they were awful" - Roy Keane blasts England's performance against Ireland
Manchester United legend Roy Keane has slammed England's second-half performance in their 2-0 win against the Republic of Ireland, accusing the players of only playing for themselves. Despite this, the Three Lions picked up their first win in the 2024 UEFA Nations League at the Aviva Stadium on Saturday (September 7).
England got off to an excellent start under interim manager Lee Carsley with Declan Rice (11') and Jack Grealish (26') scoring one goal apiece. Keane was impressed by their first-half outing but was furious by their performance after the break.
The Three Lions had an xG of 1.99 in the first half, landing nine shots in total with five being on target. However, they were more reserved in the second half, mustering seven shots (four on target) with a much-reduced xG of 0.75.
Keane told ITV (via METRO):
"The frustrating thing for England today was that Ireland were there for the taking. England dominated in the first half, we praised them and their decision-making, their quality, their movement. But that was the opposite in the second half. I thought they were awful in the second half, players playing for themselves, taking too many touches, trying to play Roy of the Rovers passes."
He added:
"Keep doing the basics and suck Ireland out. But Ireland played with a lot of pride in the second half. But as good as England were in the first half, I thought they were just as bad in the second half. Players playing for themselves."
"Even the substitutions… players strolling off, showing a bit of arrogance. If there’s a team there for the taking, especially the attacking players… if you’re on that pitch you’re thinking, 'I’ve got chances there to go and score a goal,'" Roy Keane concluded.
The Three Lions next face Finland on Tuesday, September 10.
"We’ve shown that we have some real talent" - England boss Lee Carsley gives verdict on their 2-0 win against Ireland
Lee Carsley reckons his players deserve all the credit after keeping a clean sheet and outshining Ireland during the 2-0 win in their Nations League clash. His side are currently second in Group B2 with three points, behind Greece on goal difference.
Following the game, Carsley said (via METRO):
"I thought it was good in parts. I think you’ve seen some of the things that we’ve tried to do. The lads have got to take a lot of credit, well all of the credit. I think we’ve shown that we have some real talent. We can be really pleased with the clean sheet as well."
The Three Lions dominated possession with 76 percent of the ball. They also completed 634 passes with an accuracy of 89 percent. In contrast, Ireland were limited to just 24 percent possession, completing 139 passes with an accuracy of 68 percent.
England also looked much more threatening in attack, landing 16 shots with nine on target. However, they were guilty of squandering six big chances. Meanwhile, Ireland had six shots in total with just one being on target.