Roy Keane left 'really disappointed' as Man Utd icon accuses England players

Daily Mirror

11 hours ago

England beat Andorra 1-0 in a World Cup qualifier in Barcelona, but their dismal performance prompted criticism from Roy Keane, who accused them of getting bored
Roy Keane accused England of showing a bad attitude and of getting bored in their limp 1-0 win over Andorra. The Three Lions made it three wins out of three for Thomas Tuchel in their World Cup qualifier in Barcelona on Saturday evening, but their performance left a lot to be desired.
After a dreary first half, which saw England booed off, Harry Kane opened the scoring by tapping in Noni Madueke's cross. That ended up as the only goal, and moment of minor excitement, in the entire 93 minutes as Tuchel's players went through the motions against the minnows.
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It was an uninspiring performance from England, who didn't get going, and former Manchester United captain Keane was typically scathing in his post-match assessment.
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"We try to make excuses for England a little bit. Obviously it is the end of the season and it's been tough on the players," he said on ITV. "I thought, first half, was OK. But I felt when they scored the goal, they felt it was job done.
READ MORE: England fans let Thomas Tuchel know their feelings as Harry Kane averts total humiliation
"I was really disappointed with England's attitude after the goal went in. The manager can't be happy with that effort in the last half an hour. I know it's job done, but you still expect more from England.
"Good goal from Kane - you can always rely on him - a really good ball from [Curtis] Jones - that bit of quality - but overall, and particularly in the second half, the attitude of the players, I didn't think was great."
He added: "I worry when I see players getting bored. I felt some of the players got bored in the last half an hour and I don't like to see that. It's when the goal went in, it was job done. It's Andorra - go and get some more goals!
"These players have to impress this manager, he's still new to the job. You show that with your attitude. Go and get some more goals! You're attacking players, you can't keep looking at Kane. Kane's been your main man for years, but the other attacking players have to say 'I have to have an impact here'."
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Tuchel agreed with Keane's take, giving an honest assessment of the performance to ITV. "I was most worried in the last 20 minutes because I did not like the attitude that we ended the game with," he said. "I didn't like the lack of urgency and it did not match the occasion. It is still a World Cup qualifier. We will let them know tomorrow what we want from them."
Former England international Karen Carney said: "It started slow, and how you start the game, usually it's hard to bring up those levels and gears. And it did feel a bit like holiday mode. I said at the start make sure the tempo is high and it's not walking football.
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"I know it's hot, but the ball can still move fast. We didn't really see that today. I think Madueke was the only one who changed gear and saw a little bit of pace and energy."
Former England goalkeeper Rob Green said on BBC Radio 5 Live: "It was sufficient. It had the feeling of a pre-season friendly. Everything lent itself to an England team sleepwalking through the game."
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