Roy Keane doesn’t offer praise to Tottenham Hotspur very often, so it came as somewhat of a surprise when the pundit decided to back Spurs to close the gap on Man City and Liverpool in the race for the Premier League title this season.
Keane has been known to criticise Spurs in his television appearances in the past. After a 0-0 draw with Bournemouth in 2020, Keane said “That’s in Tottenham’s DNA, they will constantly disappoint you,” during the coverage on Sky Sports.
One of the more famous anecdotes from the former Manchester United midfielder’s career (The Guardian) relates to a three-word team talk before a fixture against Spurs, where Sir Alex Ferguson simply said: “Lads, it’s Tottenham.”
Funnily enough, the Irishman revealed in the past he has a “soft spot” for the North London club (The Overlap), although he doesn’t show it often. He even went as far as to say “Spurs was my team as a kid. Bizarrely.”
That soft spot more than likely shrank over the years, during his tenure at Old Trafford, where he enjoyed many a heated affair with Tottenham Hotspur. Keane is not one to mince his words, so any positive comment should not be taken lightly.
While covering the Community Shield match for ITV (30/07/2022 – 4:55pm), the pundit had a surprising answer when he was asked who can challenge the top two teams in England in the forthcoming campaign.
“I am going to say Spurs, believe it or not. Spurs could try and get near these two.”
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As surprising as it is to hear these words come from Roy Keane, you’d like to think that Spurs can indeed close the gap on Manchester City and Liverpool this season. While it may be premature to hope for a genuine title challenge, to get closer to the top two certainly has to be the aim for Antonio Conte’s men over the course of the new campaign.
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