Manchester City host Chelsea on Monday evening and it should be quite the occasion. Thomas Rooney from Footballtips.com previews the action at the Etihad.
Ask any football fan their opinion on the title race and the majority will say its between these two. Either Manuel Pellegrini or Jose Mourinho will lead their team to glory this season.
That seems a fair conclusion too. Arsenal are competing more than ever, but have they got what it takes to get over the line? Out at 11/2 to win the title, they are the third favourites.
So, taking Monday night as the battle between the two main contenders, it’s a massive evening for both teams. You send a serious message by getting three points in this one.
As the home side, it probably won’t surprise you to see Manchester City as the 20/23 favourites with Bet Victor. Quite simply, they are unstoppable at the Etihad.
Scoring goals for fun, they are a constant threat to the opposition defence. From the fluency and pace in midfield to the clinical finishing up front, there’s arguably no-one better right now.
This will be reduced slightly by the injury to Sergio Aguero, while Alvaro Negredo is a doubt too. This leaves the emphasis very much on Edin Dzeko – but he has a great record.
It’s a team effort from City too. Everyone is confident right now and they have goals all over the pitch. On this note, Yaya Toure looks a cracking anytime scorer bet at 11/4 with Betfred.
There’s no doubt City will hit Chelsea with attack after attack too. That’s the way they play and it’s the style that’s seen them hammer Arsenal, Tottenham and Man Utd among others.
As for the visitors – at 7/2 with Bet365 for the win – they have approached big games, particularly away from home. At Man Utd and at Arsenal, they’ve been happy with a point from the word go.
Mourinho criticised Sam Allardyce for his approach in the week, but in truth, Chelsea have gone into more than one game searching for a draw from the word go.
This won’t cut it at the Etihad Stadium though. Chelsea’s defence is good, but not that good. They cannot simply sit back and let the home side at them.
So maybe, just maybe – we will see the Blues give this one a real go. Neutrals watching the game will certainly hope so, making over 2.5 goals at 4/6 with Ladbrokes.
Chelsea edged the previous meeting between these two earlier this season and it could go the way of the home side again in an entertaining contest.
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From this point on, can anyone stop City?
Recommended bet:
Chelsea to win and BTTS @ 5/2 with Coral
Thomas Rooney is the Editor of FootballTips.com – the best place for this weekend’s Premier League tips
According to the Sunderland Echo, Sunderland have been offered the chance to re-sign Newcastle United midfielder Jack Colback.
What’s the story?
Colback came through the youth system at Sunderland before representing the first team between 2008 and 2014 – making close to 150 appearances for the Black Cats.
The midfielder was controversially sold to Newcastle at the end of the 2013-14 campaign, and he has made 94 appearances for the Magpies in all competitions.
The 28-year-old made 21 Championship appearances for Newcastle last season, but he has not made a single appearance under Rafael Benitez this term.
It seems certain that Colback will leave St James’ Park when the January transfer window opens for business, and the Sunderland Echo claim that a shock return to the Stadium of Light could be on the cards.
Are Sunderland the only club in the picture?
Newcastle might not want Colback, but it seems that there are plenty of Championship clubs that are interested in signing the experienced midfielder.
Wages could be a problem due to the fact that Colback collects in excess of £40,000 a week at Newcastle, but it is thought that a loan move could occur in January.
According to the Sunderland Echo, Leeds United, Derby County, Bristol City, Reading, Hull City and Wolverhampton Wanderers are all closely monitoring developments.
That said, it is thought that Colback, who is valued at £4.5m by transfermarkt.co.uk, fancies a return to Sunderland to play under Chris Coleman.
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There is no way back for the former England Under-20 international at Newcastle after Benitez closed the door last month, and a return to Sunderland might well suit all parties.
Manchester United target Ilkay Gundogan has denied claims he has agreed a deal with the Red Devils, and insists his future will be decided following Germany’s clash with Gibraltar, reports the Manchester Evening News.
The Borussia Dortmund star is expected to feature in Saturday’s Euro 2016 qualifier, and only then will contemplate his future having been linked with a move to both United and Barcelona.
The 24-year-old has just one year left on his current contract with the Bundesliga outfit, and the club have already confirmed he will leave this summer for a fee.
WANT MORE? >> Man United transfer news | Latest transfer news
However, the midfielder has quashed rumours that claim a deal is already in place with Manchester United and insisted he has yet to determine where he will spend next season.
“Normally I do not address media reports, especially not on Facebook. I want to this time to explain some things and give you a better insight,” said Gundogan on his Facebook page.
“In recent weeks, I, like you, read again and again that where I was signing was already agreed.
“Today I am in contract negotiations here, tomorrow I’m having a medical check there. At first I could still smile about it, but when there was talk of “contract poker” and “rip-off”, that painted me in a bad light.
“Yesterday an ominous number [regarding wage demands] appeared in the media and so I have now decided to say something about it.
“The 2014/15 season strictly speaking only ends on June 30 2015. Although so far there have hardly been any transfers completed in Europe, rumour to rumour I was supposed to have demanded more and more, putting off making a final decision.
“Forgotten was this: I have one more year on my contract with BVB. What is important to me is that I’m not gambling financially or using delaying tactics.
“What’s next for me personally, I will reveal as soon as possible. But only after the season and our important game for the European Championship qualifier with the national team will I decide.”
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Gundogan has spent four years at Dortmund and was a key part of the club’s double winning side of 2012 and also played a pivotal role in their path to the Champions League final in 2013 where he scored in a narrow 2-1 defeat to Bayern Munich.
He returned from a back injury earlier this season that had kept him out of action for a year, but was unable to help Dortmund reach the Champions League after a somewhat disappointing campaign for the Bundesliga outfit.
The best way to describe Arsenal’s last two performances is that they simply turned up, although that’s definitely up for debate. There was nothing of a side who are capable of tearing through a defence and looking well inside that circle of teams who play good football. It was typically un-Arsenal, yet it was something supporters have become more and more used to over the past six years.
A number of people, including me, talked up the decision to move Gervinho into the central role and offer the team a different option going into games. Arsenal’s problem was that they were too predictable, too easy to defend against and had little imagination when nothing seemed to be coming off. Why then wouldn’t the manager opt for something a little different to act as alternative to Olivier Giroud?
The problem is, the game against Southampton, where Gervinho scored two and looked to be moving forward, was a one off, a fluke, a mask for what he really is. The player is not suited to leading the line for a team like Arsenal, nor is he good enough to play in the starting XI each week. But it’s not something that really falls in line with Arsene Wenger failing to land on his ideal XI. With Arsenal, you can never bank on a set of players becoming regulars over the course of the season; the probability for injury is simply too high.
Jack Wilshere, Lukas Podolski, Bacary Sagna and Mikel Arteta are among those who should be in the XI when all available. Abou Diaby might be an option too, and Kieran Gibbs is certainly the better choice over Andre Santos. But Wenger has become so over reliant on players with terrible injury records that it’s impossible to compliment Podolski or Santi Cazorla with quality each week.
When there is one weak link in the side, even while the surrounding players are capable of producing good performances, that one player comes to the fore and it’s obvious to see that they are bringing the rest of the side down. It was an issue when Wenger had Cesc Fabregas and Robin van Persie in his side and his decision not to supplement their qualities with players who matched up to what they were capable of. Instead, the manager persisted and continues to persist with those who are not up to the task. Instead of players like Santos or Gervinho—and there are a number of others to add to the list—becoming passengers, they act as an anchor which weighs down and slows the rest of the team.
It’s a combination of factors which sees Wenger stand in an unwavering position of confidence towards certain individuals and also not having his best options available. I’m sure the manager is aware that he can’t bank on his best players to stay fit all season, but he doesn’t want to move on those who have clearly not impressed. There are opportunities to strengthen and create a stronger team, but his best XI is a high concentration of good players with hints of those who contribute very little. It’s the classic “I don’t want to kill Denilson by buying a player who is better.”
It’s also worth pointing to the manager’s lack of desire to make the best of the players he does have available. As mentioned, it’s always good to have different options when facing different styles of opposition, and plenty of Arsenal fans have bemoaned the lack of a plan B. But are all these players suited to the current formation the manager wants to play?
Yes, there are a good number of players in the squad who work best to a 4-3-3 formation or some variation of it. However, as mentioned, there is always likely to be one or two who weigh the whole team down by not really fitting into the system. Sometimes you’ve got to wonder if Wenger buys his players with his desired tactics in mind or if it’s just a case of “he’ll do because the price is right.”
There’s no doubt that Arsenal should see an increase in fortunes on the pitch when Jack Wilshere returns and is able to partner Arteta and Cazorla. There’s purpose with those three in the middle; they all know what their roles are, and are all undoubtedly players of excellent quality. But when one drops out, the midfield becomes incredibly weak and lacking in direction. Although, Diaby can be a very good option when available—which is rarely.
Many are still firmly on side with Aaron Ramsey, and the majority are still incredibly sympathetic following his injury at Stoke. But he’s yet to totally convince when playing in the centre in a midfield three. He has plenty of work rate and has a lot of fight about him. But the question should be whether he compliments the other attackers well enough?
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Gervinho, for example, is one of the prime reasons for Arsenal’s slow and sluggish attack. When Arsenal advocate this particular style of play, they need to use a quick and decisive attack to make it effective. But Gervinho doesn’t seem to know what to do at the best of times. He lacks vision to play in others, has awful ball control and doesn’t have any faith in his own ability to shoot. It’s still a shock that he’s currently the team’s top scorer.
Arsene Wenger does know his best XI, of that I’m very much convinced. The problem is his desire to mix quality with not very good. The injuries will always play a part, but he shows far too much faith in players who do little other than drag the rest of the team down. It shouldn’t be a great secret that once you dig past the good players in Arsenal’s best starting XI—Podolski, Arteta, Cazorla, Sagna, Szczesny etc—the rest of the squad doesn’t really raise much confidence.
Chelsea need to pick up three points in Saturday’s lunch-time kick-off against West Ham to keep in touch with the league’s pacesetters.
Rafa Benitez’s side travel to Upton Park on the back of two consecutive draws and now find themselves seven points behind league leaders Manchester United and six behind second-placed Manchester City.
Chelsea’s poor form of late – they haven’t won in the league since beating Tottenham 4 – 2 on October 20 – has coincided with a distinct lack of goals, with the Blues firing blanks in their two most recent fixtures against Manchester City and Fulham. It is somewhat disturbing that Fernando Torres remains Chelsea’s joint top-scorer in the league this season, given it seems the Spaniard has been lacking touch in front of goal ever since his arrival at Stamford Bridge in January 2011.
Benitez’s return to the Premier League as a manager was seen as a ploy to reinvigorate Torres, but we are yet to see any of the flair that made him such an explosive player under his current boss at Liverpool. Torres’ last league goal came way back on October 6 at home against Norwich, but don’t expect the underrated West Ham defence to hand the 28-year-old any gifts in this fierce London derby.
West Ham have been one of the surprise packets this season and enter this clash in 10th place on the table with five victories – Chelsea have only two more – and a total of 19 points. The Hammers went down 1-0 to Manchester United during the week, but can take some confidence from that effort on the road. Robin van Persie gave United the lead after just 33 seconds and West Ham were more than just resilient for the remainder of the encounter and could have easily come away with a point.
Only four teams – Chelsea being one of them – have conceded less goals than West Ham in the league this season, but scoring them has also been a problem for Sam Allardyce’s side. West Ham have found the back of the net just 16 times this campaign, with five of those coming from the evergreen Kevin Nolan and Mark Noble the next best with two.
While all the stats point to a tight and low-scoring encounter, it is worth noting Chelsea’s recent good record at the ground. Chelsea were 3-1 winners in their most recent visit to Upton Park in September 2011, while West Ham can’t boast a home league victory over their London rivals since the 2002-2003 season.
West Ham’s form under Allardyce has seen them lose just once at home this season and that was way back on October 6 when they were beaten 3-1 by Arsenal.
Chelsea will be determined to put in a good performance in East London, but a draw seems the most likely result.
Prediction: West Ham 1 – 1 Chelsea
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Arsenal will reportedly turn to Hamburg goalkeeper Rene Adler in the summer to help solve their ongoing problems between the sticks, according to the Mirror.
The Gunners have struggled to secure a dominant custodian since the departure of Jens Lehmann back in 2008, with Wojciech Szczesny and Lukasz Fabianski sharing the keeping duties this season.
Both players can be brilliant on their day but are inconsistent and prone to lapses in concentration that lead to errors.
Boss Arsene Wenger relied on David Seamen for years but has been unable to find another keeper to match the former England star, but reports in the English press claim he will now turn to the former Bayer Leverkusen shot-stopper to try and solve the problem.
Adler has won 11 Germany caps and reports claim he would cost in the region of £10million but, with another trophyless season at the Emirates Stadium, it might be money well spent.
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Arsenal’s 2015 has been terrific. The Gunners are now on the back of an eight-game winning streak, which has brought the possibility of the Premier League title very much into view… despite their stuttering start to the season.
Although 1-0 at Burnley may not appear to a breath-taking result, such a win against a relegation-threatened team battling for safety makes it a momentous performance, especially with the gap to Chelsea at the summit of the division having been closed to four points with it.
So aside from the title dream still flickering away, what else can we take from the victory? Well, here are THREE interesting points.
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Ramsey could be a great…
https://vine.co/v/euZmY9nrHuZ/embed/simple
150 games. Despite being just 24-year-old and having endured a horrific leg break, Aaron Ramsey ahs already notched 150 appearances for the Gunners. A fair few stars down the years have failed to reach such a tally, which shows just how good the Welshman is. And on the momentous occasion he netted the vital goal, showing great composure to smash in a finish Olivier Giroud would have been proud of.
Could he be a potential Gunners great? Maybe…
Ozil is back
He may not have been ‘headline grabbing’ in his performance, but Mesut Ozil quietly went about his job at Turf Moor, and looked impressive. The German has always been a technically adept player, but he finally looks to be physical enough for the English game, which is shown by a good performance away at a battling, relegation—threatened side.
Coquelin is getting better and better
When he went back to the Emirates’ Stadium from Charlton in December, few, if any, fans predicted the performances he’s produced since. The Frenchman has provided the anchor Arsenal have lacked for so long now, performing well in the often thankless anchor role. Today he was stunning again, mobbing up in front of his defenders, while keeping his distribution solid. Top job, Francis.
Whether it’s ‘the next Ronaldo’, ‘the African Neymar’, ‘Sol Campbell reincarnated’ or ‘a Lionel Messi/Luka Modric hybrid’, there’s nothing football fans enjoy more than rumours of the next big thing joining their club.
Indeed, the Premier League and yonder has become more obsessed with young players than ever before, and thus, so has the rumour mill that eternally surrounds it.
With that in mind, here’s a list of FIVE hotly-tipped youngsters, ‘world prodigies’ if you will, who the tabloids claim have muscled their way on to Arsenal’s transfer radar.
Could we see some of them move to the Emirates in the new year?
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ADRIEN RABIOT
Young midfielder Adrien Rabiot has made quite an impression at Paris Saint-Germain, making 34 appearances across all competitions last season, netting thrice, as the French big-spenders marched their way to a second consecutive Ligue 1 title.
The 19 year-old, who once spent an ill-fated season at Manchester City’s academy, is an industrious yet cultured midfielder, combining the physicality of his wiry 6 foot 2 frame with a consistent and varied passing game. Here’s his vitals from the last two seasons, based on per-90-min metrics:
Rabiot’s also represented Les Tricolores 35 times across the junior levels, further underlining his pedigree and highlighting how highly-rated he is within the France set-up.
The one-time Toulouse loanee refused to extend his contract during the summer, with his current deal set to expire at the end of the season, which has unsurprisingly caught the attention of a number of top European sides, including Arsenal:
Here’s another look at the French playmaker in action: //www.youtube.com/embed/G5B_WaR6Eb0?rel=0 The Gunners’ midfield could certainly do with some added physical menace of Rabiot’s variety, but it appears the youngster is favouring a move to Roma, having almost joined the Serie A side during the summer:
The rumoured fee is an incredibly reasonable €5million.
PACO ALCACER
Lacking in genuine quality and depth up top, the Gunners have been linked with La Liga trailblazer Paco Alcacer:
Indeed, the21 year-old Valencia starlet has been nothing short of potent over the last twelve months, as shown below:
That proficient form has seen the striker muscle his way into Vincente del Bosque’s Spain squad, and he’s now netted three times in four appearances for La Roja since his debut in August. Here’s a look at Alcacer in action: //www.youtube.com/embed/RCKK3deKD2w?rel=0 Fernando Torres-esque dare I say, demonstrating no particular defining attribute but an impressively varied all-round game. The Spaniard looks like a real talent and his current contract with Valencia includes a £15million release clause, leading one Spanish publication to recently dub him ‘the bargain of Europe’. But Alcacer reportedly has no plans to quit the Mestalla in January, whilst Los Che intend to bump up his buy-out fee to an eye-watering £40million:
AYMERIC LAPORTE
Another La Liga starlet known to be on the Arsenal radar is Athletic Bilbao stopper Aymeric Laporte. Speculation over the last week even claims the Gunners are prepared to pay his £34million release clause when the transfer window opens:
Big money indeed, especially considering Laporte is still just 20 years of age and yet to reach 100 league appearances in his senior career. But he’s regarded as one of the most exciting defensive prospects in world football, earning such status with a plethora of strong performances over the last two seasons, as shown below:
Indeed, no player has averaged more interceptions per match in La Liga this term:
And Laporte is now demonstrating a high level of performance at Champions League level too:
Throwing such an audacious sum – equally as much as the Gunners spent on Alexis Sanchez this summer – at such an inexperienced player is hardly the norm in regards to Arsene Wenger’s transfer policy. But the north Londoners are clearly light on bodies at the back and Laporte appears a wise long-term investment, regardless of his transfer fee. Here’s a look at the France U21 in action: //www.youtube.com/embed/vXqN7EieWVs?rel=0
JULIAN DRAXLER
It seems ill-fitting to describe one player as the future of German football, when Die Mannschaft keep churning out generation after generation of incredible talents. But if there’s one German youngster truly standing out against the grain, it’s unquestionably Schalke prodigy Julian Draxler. A creative forward with exceptional dribbling skills, a lethal eye for goal and an unusual 6 foot 2 frame, the 21 year-old is reminiscent of a young Zinedine Zidane. Here’s a look at his top five strikes in the Bundesliga: //www.youtube.com/embed/wnImymrd_60?rel=0
Draxler’s output of just two goals and six assists in the Bundesliga last season was rather slim compared to the year before, where he found the net 13 times across all competitions. But still impressing, he averaged 4.1 successful dribbles per match last term- the fourth best return in the entire division:
Arsenal’s interest in the 15-cap Germany international is no secret – they allegedly launched a bid for him in January 2014, which failed to meet Schalke’s asking price, and have been linked once again this week, with rumours that Draxler could come in for the misfiring Mesut Ozil:
Of course, there’s just the issue of his £37million release clause and the fact most top clubs in Europe will also be baying for his signature.
KEITA BALDE DIAO
Keita Balde Diao may only have made 23 league appearances thus far for current club Lazio, but he’s already emerged as a prime transfer target for the Europe’s elite sides, particularly Liverpool:
The powerful winger claimed five goals and five assists in Serie A last term, demonstrating a real dynamism and explosiveness from wide positions, as shown in the below video:
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//www.youtube.com/embed/_fIoFt6WyIM?rel=0
Originally a product of Barcelona’s famous La Masia youth system, Keita has attracted interest from Manchester United, Real Madrid and Juventus before and only left the Nou Camp after a bizarre prank involving ice cubes.
He’s currently disappointed with his amount of playing time at Stadio Olimpico, which has apparently caught Arsenal’s attention:
If Lazio are to sell in January however, they’ll expect a huge return on their original £300k investment.
Saturday’s win over struggling Sunderland was West Ham’s first Premier League win since January 18th, putting an end to a dismal run of form that was in stark contrast to the Hammers’ start to the season. More importantly though, it has put paid to their hopes of European football for next year.
The West Ham fans have never warmed to manager Sam Allardyce. His style of football doesn’t match the Hammers fans’ expectations of how their team should play. Maybe this is fair enough, though it’s possibly a picture of Allardyce that is coloured by his time at Bolton and his pragmatic approach to getting the teams he inherits to achieve their objectives.
Either way, the locals aren’t happy, and now even the club’s top brass are starting to pile pressure on the manager.
Karren Brady, who is West Ham’s vice-chairman, is reported in the Telegraph to have written that West Ham are ‘underachieving’ and that it is up to Sam Allardyce to ‘identify the reason and rectify it.’ Clearly she is not happy with West Ham’s current form, and she feels that the high league position that West Ham occupied until Christmas was not overly inflated for their current squad.
Sam Allardyce responded to these comments after the win on Saturday, telling Sky Sports that although his team haven’t been getting the results, their performances have been very good. He said: “We’re not under-performing, we’re under-results-getting so she’s wrong in what’s she’s saying.”
Big Sam’s comments seem to rest on either a misunderstanding or a misquotation of what Brady said. She didn’t say that the team were ‘underperforming’, but that they were ‘underachieving.’
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Allardyce is probably right to a certain extent – West Ham’s performances in defeat haven’t been terrible of late, though they haven’t been at the same level as they were before Christmas. But Brady did say underachieving – nothing to do with performance. If they are playing well enough to win and not managing to do so, that is almost a perfect definition of underachievement. If the team has been performing well, only one win since mid-January is definitely underachievement.
But there’s a bigger issue at stake here, and that’s Big Sam’s contract and his future at the club.
The mirror are reporting that Eddie Howe, the manager of (maybe overachieving?) Bournemouth, is being eyed up by the West Ham board as a replacement for Allardyce in the summer. Howe’s team have been wonderful this season in the Championship, playing attractive and attacking, passing football, retaining possession when they can and looking to release strikers with through balls. Surely that’s the kind of football Irons fans have in mind for their team, and the principle reason that Allardyce is unloved is because he doesn’t provide that. With Big Sam’s contract up in the summer, this move makes a lot of sense.
But in that Sky Sports interview, Allardyce seemed to drop a hint that he is eyeing new recruits in the summer. He suggests that the poor run of results recently is down to the size of the squad he has at his disposal, and that means they need to strengthen in the summer.
Maybe Allardyce is simply stating a truth here. Maybe he’s not looking to buy in the summer, and instead will just leave at the end of his contract and find somewhere new, though it is strange that he’d say something like that – it’s the kind of thing managers say when they’re looking for the owners to dig into their pockets and stump up some cash. But maybe he’s just defending his record and defending his players.
Either way, there is certainly much intrigue at the Boleyn.
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Sam’s position doesn’t seem to be a tough one, though. If the board and the fans are both against him and his contract is up in the summer, what does he stand to gain by staying?
A solid end to the season would keep his stock as a Premier League manager high, and ‘the most sophisticated manager in the league’ may well himself have some new suitors come May.
St Patrick’s Day is here, making it a time to celebrate all that comes from the Emerald Isle. While the Republic of Ireland have not truly been a dominant force in football, the nation have supplied the Premier League with a one-man entertainment show… Roy Keane!
The no-nonsense ex-Manchester United man is one of the true characters of the English game, and while his approach is not always orthodox, he has created some moments all footy fans will remember.
We’re sure he’ll be enjoying the festivities of this special day later, and here’s some advice we thing Keano would dish out…
Don’t take any s***
Keane takes no prisoners, it’s key part of his whole persona. If something’s wrong, he’ll let you know, just like he did with Republic of Ireland manager Mick McCarthy in 2002. According to team-mate Niall Quinn, Keano hit back at his boss with this outburst when criticised in a squad meeting…
“You’re a f****** w*****. I didn’t rate you as a player, I don’t rate you as a manager and I don’t rate you as a person. You’re f****** w***** and you can stick your World Cup up your arse. I’ve got no respect for you. The only reason I have any dealings with you is that somehow you are the manager of my country! You can stick it up your b*******.”
He also hit out at Alan Shearer!
Revenge is a dish best served angrily!
If someone wrongs you, let them know! Man City’s Alf Inge Haaland fell foul of Keane, literally, after the then Man City man had inflicted an injury on the Irishman years before…
“I’d waited long enough. I f****** hit him hard. The ball was there (I think). Take that you c***. And don’t ever stand over me sneering about fake injuries.
“Even in the dressing room afterwards, I had no remorse. My attitude was, f*** him. What goes around comes around. He got his just rewards. He f***** me over and my attitude is an eye for an eye.”
Say it how it is…
Don’t pull any punches… here are some examples of Keane doing just that!
“I don’t think some of the people who come to Old Trafford can spell football, never mind understand it.”
“Sometimes you wonder, do they understand the game of football? They have a few drinks and probably the prawn sandwiches, and they don’t realise what’s going on out on the pitch.”
Let any idiots know they’re idiots
Anyone says something stupid, let them know! As Roy did with Adrian Chiles when debating how much rain constitutes a downpour…
Have a laugh!
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At the end of the day, have a good time. Keane can be serious, but even the Irishman had a good laugh when chatting on air with Gareth Southgate about a ‘clash’ the pair had in their playing days