“He’s never going to learn about the game if he doesn’t know that at 28 years of age.”
On Saturday afternoon, England and Belgium took part in the match no footballer wants to play in – the World Cup’s third-place playoff.
The two beaten semi-finalists went head to head in St Petersburg for a bronze medal and Belgium went into the break leading 1-0 thanks to Thomas Meunier’s early goal.
Belgium 1-0 England – Belgium go close to doubling their lead when Toby Alderweireld hooks a volley just over the crossbar #rtesoccer #worldcup #BEL #ENG pic.twitter.com/tTIQrwErTL
— RTÉ Soccer (@RTEsoccer) July 14, 2018
Roberto Martinez’s side dominated the first-half and were full value for their lead. England, perhaps unsurprisingly after their exertions against Croatia on Wednesday night, looked off the pace and struggled to create many chances.
On ITV at half-time, Roy Keane was at least on form. The former Manchester United captain criticised England’s defending for the goal, calling it “lazy”, and said they were a level below their opponents.
He then singled out Danny Rose for criticism, saying the Tottenham full-back was partly at fault for Belgium’s goal.
“He’s never going to learn about the game if he doesn’t know that at 28 years of age, he’s in trouble.”
You can watch Keane here:
Unsurprisingly, Keane’s comments once again caused consternation among some England fans watching at home. Keane was called, amongst other things, “depressing”, “negative” and “bitter” by some on Twitter.
Keane’s latest comments on England weren’t particularly controversial.
He merely stated that they were a level below their opponents and one would expect more from their defenders. This is what the Ireland assistant manager is in the studio for. He doesn’t provide tactical insight and he won’t tell you how the game was won or lost. But he’ll deliver some home truths and a lot of the time his comments are made tongue-in-cheek.
Yet, Keane continues to wind up some watching at home.
