England caretaker manager Lee Carsley said his side were “good in parts” against the Republic of Ireland on Saturday, but Roy Keane criticized the “arrogance” shown in the second half of the 2-0 win in Dublin.
Declan Rice and Jack Grealish’s first goals, who were booed throughout by the home crowd after switching international allegiances, they sealed a comfortable victory for the Three Lions in their first Nations League game, their first since Carsley was installed as interim boss.
England’s first half was impressive – some quick pace, one-touch passing interspersed with some fantastic counter-attacking football – but it was less impressive in the second 45 minutes as Ireland clawed their way back into the game.
The loss of control appeared to be acknowledged by Carsley after the game, with the former Ireland international saying ITV: ” “I thought it was good in parts. You’ve seen some of the things we’ve tried to do.
“The boys have to take a lot of credit, all the credit. I think we showed we have some talent and we can also be very pleased with the clean sheet.”
Manchester United Legend Keane, however, was horrified by the drop in England’s performance, describing their second half as “awful”. The former defensive midfielder also criticized the attitude of the England players, suggesting they had shown complacency and “a bit of arrogance” when the game was under control.
“The most frustrating thing about today is that Ireland were there for the taking. England dominated in the first half, we praised them, their decision-making, their quality in their movement,” Keane said.
“That was the opposite of the second half, I thought they were awful, they were playing for themselves, taking too many touches, trying to play Roy of the Rovers passes. Keep doing the basics, suck Ireland, but Ireland played with much pride in the second half.
“But as good as England were in the first half, I thought they were just as bad in the second half, players playing for themselves, substitutions walking around, a bit of arrogance. This team is there for the taking, especially for the ‘attack. If you are in this field you are thinking: “I have a chance to score a goal”.
Carsley added of the display: “I think you have to give credit to Ireland as well, they are very resilient, they closed the gaps and maybe our space got a bit wider (in the second half).
“It was a little more difficult for us to overcome them, but a 2-0 we were quite comfortable.”
England return to action against Finland on Tuesday in what should be captain Harry Kane’s 100th international appearance.
