Keane Fury: Tuchel England Comment Before Win - Hesgoal

Football Pundit Roy Keane Criticizes Thomas Tuchel’s Southgate Assessment Ahead of England Victory

During ITV Sport’s live coverage of England’s recent 2-0 World Cup qualifier win against Albania at Wembley Stadium, former Manchester United captain and renowned pundit Roy Keane voiced his disagreement with comments made by German football manager Thomas Tuchel. Keane, aged 53, was analyzing the match alongside former England international Ian Wright.

Keane’s critique stemmed from Tuchel’s pre-match interview remarks regarding England manager Gareth Southgate. Tuchel, aged 51, had shared his views with ITV in the days leading up to his own team’s first game, offering an assessment of Southgate’s leadership of the Three Lions. Tuchel suggested that during the previous European Championship, the English national team exhibited more fear of failure than a genuine desire to win.

Tuchel’s interview with ITV included the statement: “They were more afraid to drop out of the tournament in my observation than having the excitement and hunger to win it.” When questioned about what he perceived as lacking in Southgate’s squad, Tuchel elaborated, pointing to a lack of “identity, the clarity, the rhythm, the freedom of players, the hunger.” It’s important to note that England did reach the Euro 2020 final, ultimately losing to Spain.

Despite being known for his forthright opinions on footballing matters, Roy Keane considered Tuchel’s evaluation of Southgate’s tenure as excessively critical.
“It seems a bit hard,” Keane commented, highlighting England’s successful run of victories under Southgate, “because obviously they won a few football matches over there, and there were a lot of teams that had a good identity, (but) they came back before England,” indicating other strong teams also fell short of victory. Keane added a cautionary note regarding Tuchel’s critique: “It’s well and good talking a good game, they’ve got to perform.”

Keane further elaborated on his perspective, stating: “But yeah, it seems a bit harsh on Gareth (Southgate), but I know where he’s coming from, a certain style of play, they were heavily criticised despite winning football matches, but I still think we shouldn’t get away from Gareth doing a good job with England.” He acknowledged the criticism surrounding England’s playing style under Southgate but ultimately defended the manager’s overall positive contributions.

Interestingly, Southgate’s managerial debut for England also resulted in a 2-0 victory against Malta in 2016, mirroring Tuchel’s debut result against Albania. As Tuchel embarks on his new role, he harbors ambitions of achieving World Cup success in 2026, a feat that has eluded Southgate and every other England manager throughout history, with the exception of Sir Alf Ramsey.

The England national team is set to continue their campaign, facing Latvia at Wembley Stadium on Monday.

Key Talking Points:

• Roy Keane and Ian Wright on ITV Sport: Analyzing England vs. Albania World Cup qualifier.
• Tuchel’s Criticism of Southgate: Suggested England played with fear at Euro 2020, lacking key qualities.
• Keane’s Rebuttal: Deemed Tuchel’s comments “harsh” given England’s wins and Southgate’s positive impact.
• Similar Debuts: Tuchel and Southgate both started their England tenures with 2-0 victories.
• World Cup 2026 Ambitions: Tuchel aims to win the World Cup, a historic challenge for England managers.

Summary of Tuchel’s Comments:

Keane’s Counter-Arguments:

1. England Won Matches: Southgate’s team achieved significant victories.
2. Other Teams Struggled: Other nations with strong identities also failed to win major tournaments.
3. Southgate’s Positive Contribution: Keane believes Southgate has done a commendable job overall.
4. Context is Important: Criticism of playing style exists, but Southgate’s achievements should not be overlooked.

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