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

Comment 45 - 64 of 104

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  1. Keane needs to go get himself a place in Spain, get himself a spanish passport, and Benitez will love him.....and he'll play every game.

    He still wont find the goal tho'.!

    He may be good, but in another team. All this motivation talks does my head in.... he's a professonal footballer.!, a striker.!, earning how much? kids playing sunday league dont come out with that, im struggling for a bit of motivation. Your cr@p mate, face it.

    We'll struggle to finish 4th this year, if things dont improve very quickly, and i'm a LFC fan.

    From frankrogers_uk, on Wed 28 Jan 11:49AM

  2. I found a hot place, you guys should try it ___Wealthy beauty co m_____a great place for rich people to meet their soul mates....

    From zjmdj001, on Wed 28 Jan 11:43AM

  3. Benitez should give Robbie a change to prove himself,that he is really the right striker for liverpool.....but if he decide`s to keep him on the bench too long then robbie can`t prove himself, simple is that.

    From kristjanalas555, on Wed 28 Jan 11:39AM

  4. its not keane who is the problem at anfield, its Benitez, do you remember last season when he wouldnt play torres simply because the press were on his case telling him to do so, and when he did eventually play torres week in and week out he scored over 30 goals, benitez is the problem because he thinks he knows evevything!! liverpool will win nothing this term, and I will give anyone ten to one on that prediction, man u will clean up again, villa to be second followed by chelsea, chelsea will do liverpool this week end for sure!!!!!! A LIVERPOOL FAN SINCE 1964

    From james, on Wed 28 Jan 11:38AM

  5. KUYT SHOULD BE THE 1 ON THE BENCH UNTILL HE CAN GET AGOAL A GAME WE ALL KNOW THAT KEANE CAN DO IT BUT HE HAS GOT TO BE PLAYING RAFA . RAFA SHOULD BE THE 1 TO GO. AND BRING IN KEENGAN

    From kevin c, on Wed 28 Jan 11:36AM

  6. RAFA YOU GOT TO KEEP PLAYING KEANE HE WILL GET U THE GOLS .KEANE YOU WILL BECOME ANOTHER IAN RUSH.

    From kevin c, on Wed 28 Jan 11:26AM

  7. Wait for it trebe, We'll have you yet.
    Rafa needs to play the man consistantly. We are drawing far too many games that we really should win. Stick on a goal scorer NOT NGOG!!!!!!!.
    Something needs to be done NOW or chelsea and Utd will beat us to the post !
    Dont worry robbie, We fans have faith in you!

    From DJ Viper, on Wed 28 Jan 11:26AM

  8. Also N'Gog, Luis Garcia and wasn't Nunéz a winger come forward like Garcia? Makes me think it aint the players, its the system. Get a goal and sit on it. Its good being a Manchester United fan, especially when other managers have a pop at Fergie or United and get egg on their face. Keegan would've just loved to have not said his little rant, just as Benitez will when Liverpool come 3rd or 4th.

    From trebe, on Wed 28 Jan 11:18AM

  9. invalid comment....invalid comment.....i'm going elsewhere with my excellent opinions...

    From purple_hatstand, on Wed 28 Jan 11:15AM

  10. Keane will come good for you scousers, he was pants for us in his first two seasons but ended up banging them in for the next four seasons! He is the last peice of the puzzle for Rafa!

    From andrewjonharrison, on Wed 28 Jan 11:09AM

  11. And when Keane was in the side, Liverpool was actually winning some games. Now they can only draw, 3 wins, 6 draws from the last 9. So Raf use your brain and play the guy who scored 5 goals in his last 6 premier league games. End of story.

    From eric, on Wed 28 Jan 10:57AM

  12. I still believe that Robbie will bring the trophy back home.

    From yassine, on Wed 28 Jan 10:55AM

  13. Sell one get one free !!! 20 mill will be good sell keen and give Kuyt for free they are both bloody useless in front of goal

    From EleanaV, on Wed 28 Jan 10:54AM

  14. Part of the problem is that Keane has never been at a team before Liverpool where they were expected to do anything, top half was the expectation, so no real pressure; Then he moves to Liverpool and for the first time in many, many years Liverpool looked as if they could win the leauge.
    Keane went to a club that expected to qualify for the champions league, no one at the club expected them to be seriously challenging for the Leauge, well they havn't for the last ten years and it has been a point in the past, that Rafa concentrates on the euro cup, while fans want the Prem league.
    If Rafa stays Keane will be happier next season, the pressure will be off, back to focussing on the euro cup.

    From clive V, on Wed 28 Jan 10:54AM

  15. Correct Benitez is the problem even Fergie has got to him when he is in front he dosent understand how to win the premiership.

    From jenky50, on Wed 28 Jan 10:50AM

  16. What is it with the Liverpool players and the so called manager Benitez. This manager persuades players they are part of his plans and they profess to want to stay and fight for their place whilst he refuses to pick them week in week out.Jermaine Pennant , Robbie Keane both making these statements recently whilst this manager makes vague vomments about Keane being back in the squad whilst smirking at the sky tv cameras.Peter Crouch was strung on for 12 months before he got the message and left, this year of inactivity costing him his form and his England place. Robbie Keane is an exeptional player who will go the way of Crouch unless he has the guts to join Harry back at Tottennham.Dirk Kuyt must be the luckiest striker in the premier league given his goal returns an automatic choice who runs around like a headless chicken .Gerrard singlehandly keeping them competative they will finish with nothing until they change their manager.He is the weak link.

    From Peter, on Wed 28 Jan 10:35AM

  17. What is it with the Liverpool players and the so called manager Benitez. This manager persuades players they are part of his plans and they profess to want to stay and fight for their place whilst he refuses to pick them week in week out.Jermaine Pennant , Robbie Keane both making these statements recently whilst this manager makes vague vomments about Keane being back in the squad whilst smirking at the sky tv cameras.Peter Crouch was strung on for 12 months before he got the message and left, this year of inactivity costing him his form and his England place. Robbie Keane is an exeptional player who will go the way of Crouch unless he has the guts to join Harry back at Tottennham.Dirk Kuyt must be the luckiest striker in the premier league given his goal returns an automatic choice who runs around like a headless chicken .Gerrard singlehandly keeping them competative they will finish with nothing until they change their manager.He is the weak link.

    From Peter, on Wed 28 Jan 10:35AM

  18. jonnythehippo............Liverpool were never championship material anyway once Man U picked up form. Man U do it every year, start slow and dominate the second half of the season. Lets hope for Liverpools sake Chelsea don't improve soon.

    From OMG WTF, on Wed 28 Jan 10:34AM

  19. Good article, and as a MAN Utd supporter I say well done Benitez, for keeping a quality forward out of the equation and thereby assisting my team on their run in to yet another premiership.

    From Greg, on Wed 28 Jan 10:25AM

  20. number 32.. he has been burgled hahahahahaha blody bindippen scousers. berbatov ya daisy!!!

    From Fran L, on Wed 28 Jan 10:23AM
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