Premier League - Jim White: Keane's Mersey blues

Eurosport - Wed, 28 Jan 12:58:00 2009

If you are looking for the most miserable man in English football right now there can only be one candidate.

2008-2009 Liverpool Robbie Keane - 0

Just six months ago, Robbie Keane landed his dream job. A Liverpool fan from childhood in Ireland, he was thrilled when the club paid Spurs £20 million for him and handed him the number seven shirt. As he posed in the very number that had been graced by Kevin Keegan, Kenny Dalglish and Peter Beardsley, he looked like the cat who had discovered a secret route to the cream store.

The fans too were thrilled: in the era of the mercenary, when the likes of Pascal 'It's all about the money' Chimbonda change clubs with the frequency of a serial philanderer, here was someone who shared their love of the institution, someone who knew the value of the shirt. He was immediately installed as a legend in the making. But instead of the chants ringing down from the Kop, a mere 20-odd weeks later he finds himself so far off the Liverpool map he doesn't even have a post code. Spurned by Rafael Benitez, uncertain even of a place on the bench, he is in footballing purdah. It is enough to make the strongest man weep.

Being Liverpool, a club so mired in boardroom politics Machiavelli would have difficulty navigating his way through Anfield, the conspiracy theories are already spinning. Benitez's decision not to pick Keane even as a substitute for Sunday's FA Cup tie against Everton is being reported in several quarters as being part of a wider battle between manager and board. Benitez, anxious to have complete control of transfer strategy is demonstrating his power by demoting the club's costliest recent acquisition.

Personally, I don't buy that. How would such a manoeuvre strengthen his position? Why would it make the board think, 'OK, so we spent £20m on a player, the manager doesn't want him so the best thing to do is to give him total control of spending another £20m on another forward he might not like the look of'? In fact it is likely to provoke the opposite reaction, with the American owners insisting that a watch is kept over the cheque book to prevent a further £20m being squandered in this way.

It is rather more logical to see this as it is: entirely a footballing issue. Keane is not doing the business as envisaged by Benitez. His performance in the Premier League Merseyside derby was woeful, the product of a man low on confidence and form. In all objective analysis he deserved to be dropped. Some have said that the best thing to do with Keane would be to love him, to give him an extended run in the team and let him play his way back to his best.

But Benitez is no schmoozer. He is a systems analyst, not a psychiatrist. His approach to management is tactical, not inspirational. He believes in a style of play and assumes that footballers, being adults and being paid large sums of money, are capable of motivating themselves sufficiently to fit into the system. Keane isn't doing so, so is dropped. End of story.

This is by no means the first time this has happened. Since Benitez has been at Liverpool, only four players - Reina, Carragher, Gerrard and Torres - have been untouchable. Everyone else rotates around them. And he expects players to slot quickly into their place in the machine; issues of confidence and morale do not overly concern him.

It means there has been a ferociously high through-put of forwards, who tend as a breed to be more prone to dips in confidence: Crouch, Bellamy, Fowler, Morientes, Voronin, Torres, Kuyt, Babel and Keane have been signed by Benitez in his time. Only one of that list has been an unequivocal success (though in addition to Torres, Kuyt has provided good service in a modified position). Keane is but the latest to find that patience is not Benitez's greatest virtue.

That does not necessarily mean the player is on his way. When asked, Harry Redknapp may well have said he would be interested in taking him back to Spurs. But then Harry says he's interested in anything with a pulse.

Keane will be desperate to stay at Liverpool, to prove himself worthy of the shirt. But what he will have learned over the course of the last week is that Benitez will not bend the system to accommodate him. He must work out how to play himself back into the team, how to find a way to dovetail with Torres and Gerrard. It won't be easy. But the incentive is there to find a solution.

Jim White / Eurosport

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  1. Im a liverpool supporter and fan. Its sad for robbie keane to end up this way. Even dogs have emotions. The way he's being treated is so shameful and disgrace. Unfair for him and fans s benitez to used him as a pawn to get what he wants. I dont get it. When he was playing well and scoring goals, he's being subbed the next game. He never played a full 90 and always subbed at 70. I hope im proved wrong. Benitez says he will play keane in the Champions League. But with that kind of confidence and woeful performance i dun think he will make it. Its time to ship the spaniard back to where he belongs and bring in king kenny.

    From AsianFootie, on Mon 2 Feb 10:33AM

  2. i honestly believe keane needs a "tall forward" to play alongside him. if you look at keano's records for both the republic and spurs, keane scored his goals from knock downs from niall quinn with ireland, and berba for spurs. unfortunately at the moment pool dont have that sort of player, so keane has to change his style. it will take time to adjust for him (which everyone keeps sayin, i know). maybe a couple of goals is all that he needs and he will start playing well. i dont even like liverpool but would like nothing more than to see keane playin consistently for a good team....

    From Podolski, on Sun 1 Feb 3:56PM

  3. Keane is a much more important part of the gang at Liverpool than poot Cazy Beni will ever be. If he gets himself involved in a power struggle with Gillette and Hicks the only thing he'll win is - the sack!

    From Paperboy, on Sun 1 Feb 3:45PM

  4. Benitez has stated that he did not buy Robbie Keane -- the board did. That sounds like someone with a point to prove, so Keane will be used to prove that point. By demoralising him, Benitez wins his case and the team wins nothing. Robbie is just a pawn in the power struggle that Benitez is waging to gain control of transfers. That is gross. Liverpool will win nothing with a manager who such has a power complex that he sacrifices the team's goal-scoring potential to win an argument. Robbie Keane is a natural goal-scorer, Liverpool are short of goals; a good manager would get him involved. Benitez makes bizarre substitutions, as at Wigan the other night, that make it more difficult for Keane to be effective. Why ?

    From glorliam, on Sun 1 Feb 12:59PM

  5. to stevejones10001977:

    Your ignorance is not wanted please exit teh internets immediatley

    From lilmacy2k, on Sat 31 Jan 4:18PM

  6. Keane needs to gel with the team more,play more games (90mins)not sub, he also needs passing that goes close to him to do his stuff,he works hard but he cant get out of torres's shadow.He is a great player and we need to back him all the way...Lfc fan...

    From jo, on Fri 30 Jan 8:20AM

  7. Totally agree with what "Kareem G" said....but I believe that Keane is for sure a fantastic player, no question. I also believe that Rafa is a fantastic manager, again no question. The problem is that Keane was the wrong signing in the off season. We didn't need a new striker. Keane got the chance to join his childhood club and play champions league football and jumped at the chance...I don't blame him. We have Torres, Kuyt, N'Gog, Babel, and a few more so why did we need to sign another striker to throw into that mix to make it even more hard to choose for the next match...?....What we should have done in the off season was to sign a really good right winger along with the excellent signing of riera....as for Keane, I love him and sure hope he gains in form to shut the credicks but if things don't start working out for him and if Rafa will not give him chance then I say he should request a tranfer...for his sake.
    Liverpool for life.

    From DannyS, on Fri 30 Jan 6:41AM

  8. I'm no pool fan, but I have to say when Liverpool signed Keane i thought the EPL title was already won and the combination of Keane and Torres would yield at least 40 goals just in the EPL. So what has gone wrong? Injuries to Torres and Gerrard, at a time when Keane needed time to gel. Keane was expected to pick up the slack and score goals while Torres was out. But how do you score goals when you have the likes of Kuyt a greedy pig at best. Yes Kuyt scores goals but Liverpool could have scored more if he were not so piggish. What's more, I do also believe that there is an underlying jealously within the pool's dressing room especially with the forwards like Benayoun, Babel, Kuyt, Keane, Riera and Torres. If Rafa is supposed to be a GOOD manager he should recognize that Keane although has not scored the goals that he was expected to, but has played well enough to keep Pool at the top end of the EPL and with time Keane will start scoring goals as expected. If you look at Manure (with the recent signinging of Berbatov) SAF has done a great job. As Pool hater Keep Rafa, sell Keane back to Spurs, I hate to see Pool win anything.

    From starman_123, on Fri 30 Jan 12:49AM

  9. Its a pity that Robbie appears to have just too much of an ego and a show boat attitude for the Liverpool team psyche. But I do believe that if the Liverpool slump continues, Benitez will loose his job and the Keane saga may yet prove to be his undoing. I think its time for the manager to do some straight talking as he is primarily responsible for this sad fiasco

    From henry John, on Fri 30 Jan 12:08AM

  10. I could go on and on about this, but this situation is so hard for me. Right after I heard he was signed, I went and bought my new LFC Keane shirt. I am Irish, and to see an Irishman of such skill go to my team was a thrill...

    I know he had a slow start...this is a different system. But give the man some time to find his form. Kuyt is a great player, but he is not a solid enough striker for that role, yet he was constantly being put up there in place of Robbie. Even after Keane's brace...Benitez benches him the next match.

    I just don't get it, and I am foreseeing my favourite signing in the past many years being off loaded into obscurity.

    From Joel, on Thu 29 Jan 10:03PM

  11. I could go on and on about this, but this situation is so hard for me. Right after I heard he was signed, I went and bought my new LFC Keane shirt. I am Irish, and to see an Irishman of such skill go to my team was a thrill...

    I know he had a slow start...this is a different system. But give the man some time to find his form. Kuyt is a great player, but he is not a solid enough striker for that role, yet he was constantly being put up there in place of Robbie. Even after Keane's brace...Benitez benches him the next match.

    I just don't get it, and I am foreseeing my favourite signing in the past many years being off loaded into obscurity.

    From Joel, on Thu 29 Jan 10:02PM

  12. A 20million pound player should not be on the bench, Robbie is a natural goal scorer. Any other club in will will in the starting lineup, gerrard as been pushed far too farward, he better in the hole behind the front TWO, in my opionion should be Torres and Keane.
    syd

    From tinasoulsby, on Thu 29 Jan 8:48PM

  13. everyone say that he has been bought for 20 million . . .but did he even get 20 starts? NO . . ..rafa is to be blamed . . .he has ruined keane's career . . . rafa his off his mind , commenting on other's managerial skills and going against the likes of the grt SIR Alex Ferguson . . . rafa is to be sacked if liverpool wants to win . . . .rafa is supposed to get out and not keane . . . .rafa is cranky and he himself is a big mouth goin on & on like a broken taperecorder . . . i feel sorry for keane . . . he has scored for liverpool when they needed him to . . .eg: arsenal match (the draw ). . .he can play well only if he's played by rafa . . .he was stupid to remove torres and gerrard during the everton match . . . reaaly he's mentally sick and needs medical treatment . . . RAFA we al are waitin for ur resignation letter . . .

    From MUTD_LEGENDS, on Thu 29 Jan 4:38PM

  14. liverpool is killing keane's carreer... rafa is the 1 who should be fully responsible for this mess...

    From Bali Tenno, on Thu 29 Jan 3:30PM

  15. Come back to Spurs Robbie.

    From Stephen, on Thu 29 Jan 2:35PM

  16. as happens with all players there confidence goes when they're not gettin games! benitez drops keane for so many games gives him 1 game and cause he's struggling drops him again!! when rooney struggled for form fergie stood by him and look what happened he banged the goals in?? Benitez has always had a problem with british players, look at how many of them he got rid of..

    From martincarr84, on Thu 29 Jan 1:21PM

  17. absoloutely, keep keane, get rid of benitez and lets get kenny dalglish back at the helm. liverpool aint gonna win the title with benitez - fact. he's destroying a great players confidence, just like he did with crouch.

    From Lee 1973, on Thu 29 Jan 12:51PM

  18. JIM! GREAT TO SEE YOU BACK AROUND HERE MATE!

    From chetan, on Thu 29 Jan 3:00AM

  19. great read Jim

    From Corey, on Wed 28 Jan 9:01PM

  20. Let Keane go where he might be used properly. Liverpool is doing him no good.

    From Richard K, on Wed 28 Jan 6:26PM
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