Does Keane deserve a regular spot in the England setup?
Gareth Southgate’s England may have impressed in fits and starts in Dortmund on Wednesday night, but ultimately crashed to defeat in Germany. Lukas Podolski was the man of the hour in more ways than one, with the former Arsenal star capping off his 130th and final international appearance with a stunning second half strike. While it remains to be seen how England would have fared with a full strength XI – Southgate was without Harry Kane, Danny Rose and Raheem Sterling, to name three, after all – those on the pitch gave a good account of themselves in the Westfalenstadion.
Jake Livermore made just his second England appearance of his career to follow up from his debut cap earned in 2012 and made more tackles (4) than any other player for Southgate's team, while Southampton pair James Ward-Prowse and Nathan Redmond both made their first senior appearance for the Three Lions, coming off the bench after the interval. One of the surprise calls, though, came in Southgate’s decision to hand Michael Keane a first international start. While Germany were far from full strength in midweek, it was a baptism of fire for the 24-year-old, of that there is no doubt.
That’s not to say Keane doesn’t deserve international recognition, of course. The centre-back has been in fine form for Burnley this season, earning a respectable WhoScored rating of 7.13. While his performance in midweek earned a 6.88 – a far cry from his average this term – Keane perhaps showed why he warrants a spot in the national team in the long term on Wednesday night.
He made more clearances (7) and blocked more shots (3) than any other England player on the night, with the latter reinforcing a statistically calculated WhoScored strength of ‘blocking the ball’. As the game becomes increasingly more cultured, it must be somewhat gratifying that a defender willing to put his body on the line churned out a solid debut performance for England. What’s more is that the number of clearances made notes Keane’s ever-improving ability to be in the right place at the right time to alleviate pressure on the goal.
Considering Germany mustered just three shots on target over the 90 minutes, it was an approach that worked. That isn’t to say Keane shirked his responsibilities to play the ball out from the back either having played more passes (66) than any other England player, while an 89.4% success rate was the fourth highest of the starters for Southgate’s XI. It’s not wonder, then, that a host of the Premier League’s top teams are keeping tabs on Keane in their bid to strengthen at the back.
Burnley fought tooth and nail to keep him at Turf Moor over the summer and while Keane is expected to leave at the end of the season, his England debut will have only increased the Clarets’ asking price for their prized asset. It remains to be seen now whether Southgate continues with Keane at the heart of the England defence with the welcome of Lithuania around the corner, nor whether he will utilise the three-man defence deployed in midweek.
That being said, Keane did enough against Germany to suggest he deserves a place in the England setup in the long term. With John Stones faltering, Chris Smalling regressing and Phil Jagielka’s career winding down, there is undoubtedly a place in the squad for Keane, who continues to go from strength to strength at club level and has shown signs he can regularly transfer this good form for Burnley to the international stage.
