Roy Keane has slammed England ’s “terrible" performance against the USA and questioned why Phil Foden wasn’t brought off the bench.
Gareth Southgate’s men struggled against the Americans and were lucky to go in level at half-time after Chelsea star Christian Pulisic rattled the bar in the first half. Chances were at a premium for both sides, but the States enjoyed the better of what few opportunities were created. After England blew Iran away 6-2 in their first group B game, this proved an anti-climax for an expectant fanbase hoping to see the Three Lions book their spot in the last 16 of the World Cup.
They’ll have to wait now, but know anything less than a 4-0 defeat to Wales on Tuesday night will see them progress. However, a big improvement will be needed should they make it to the knock-out stage. Creativity was at a premium with many fans calling for Southgate to inject some into the side by introducing Foden. But the Manchester City man didn’t see any action.
Keane was left perplexed at Foden’s absence. And the ITV pundit wasn't short on criticisms of where England went wrong.
He said: “We were surprised watching it. Gareth is the manager and knows the players better than anybody, but we’re all stood watching the game fully expecting Foden to come on.
“The subs that did come on didn't really have an impact. I know they did well the other day, but England looked leggy, they looked one-paced and short of ideas.
“Even at set pieces, you never felt they had a goal in their locker from that. Actually, a terrible performance.”
When asked if the 10pm kick-off played a part, Keane responded: "We could sit here all night coming up with excuses.
"That's what you have to do if you're a professional footballer. These players travel all over Europe, they;ve played different systems - they were playing darts last night - before the game they were a great bunch of players.
"They didn't show their quality, simple as that. But we're not here to crucify them. They'll move on to the next game and they'll be fine, but they need to be better because tonight wasn't good enough."
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