Roy Keane |
Dublin: Roy Keane has warned that the only way the Republic of Ireland will be able to stop Gareth Bale dictating the outcome of their pivotal World Cup qualifier against Wales is to “hit him ... fairly”.
The Ireland assistant manager is a huge admirer of Bale and claimed there was no point trying to come up with a specific tactical plan to nullify him on Friday, because he was so good he would find a way to ruin it.
Ireland take on Wales at the Aviva Stadium knowing a win would put them seven points clear of Chris Coleman’s side with five games remaining in their qualification campaign. As a result, Bale’s return from an ankle injury could not have come at a worse time for Ireland manager Martin O’Neill and Keane, who have lost several key players to injury and Robbie Brady to suspension.
Striker Daryl Murphy has joined fellow casualties Shane Duffy, Ciaran Clark, Harry Arter and Wes Hoolahan on the injured list with a calf problem, and midfielder James McCarthy could yet join them as he tries to overcome a hamstring strain.
“Bale is a world-class player,” said Keane. “What you find is that players and coaches have tried to come up with a plan [to stop him] before, but top players figure it out and affect the game anyway. Bale has done that for a number of years on the big occasions. “I can’t say we have any particular plan. We will respect all the Welsh players, because they have that foundation for him to go and express himself, that’s why he has a big impact on all their results, be it with goals or assists. “But your eyes don’t lie when you see good players, he’s a brilliant player. He’s been doing it right there at the highest level in the last few years. “The basic advice to any player if you’re up against a world-class player: somebody get to him, get to him as quick as you can, don’t let him get his head up like he does at Real Madrid. Don’t give him space in behind because the boy can run. Tackle him. Hit him ... fairly. Tackling is part of the game.” The former Manchester United captain did not like a follow-up question asking whether that is how he would have stopped Bale if he was still playing, tersely pointing out that “he might have been more worried about me. I could play a little bit too you know, I didn’t just kick people”. Nevertheless, Ireland will try to rough up Bale as much as they can while staying on the right side of the match officials and could certainly do with someone as imposing as Keane in their midfield.
On paper, two evenly matched squads are separated in class by the presence of Bale in the Wales squad, and Keane continued to praise the former Southampton and Tottenham Hotspur player.
“I’ve always liked him,” Keane added. “Even when I was manager of Sunderland, he came up with Southampton and was the best player on the park. He equalised in injury time and was excellent from left-back. He’s a talented boy who has fulfilled his potential and probably more. I like watching him play. Our lads should look forward to the challenge — you should want to play against and play with the best. We have that chance on Friday because Bale is up there with the best players in the world. “I wouldn’t say we are obsessed with him, but there is huge respect. If you want to go through the Welsh team, they have a lot of good players. I’m sure if Bale was sitting here he would say they give him that opportunity to express himself. “They have good players like [Aaron] Ramsey, some good defenders, some good lads in midfield. A lot of teams will have a so-called star man, and Bale is that. No doubt it’s a good media story, ‘How do you cope with Bale’, but we have to have an element of trust towards our own players.”
