Keane as mustard: but Ireland's national boss has warned Robbie doesn't can't end Rangers' title hopes alone. Pic: ©STV
Republic of Ireland manager Giovanni Trapattoni has warned Celtic fans that Robbie Keane alone is not capable of overcoming Rangers’ 10 point lead at the top of the Scottish Premier League. The 70-year-old Italian coach, who took over from Steve Staunton in 2008, talked up the credentials of his national skipper but said he believed the Ibrox club already have the title in the bag.
Keane, who is Ireland’s all-time top goalscorer, arrived on loan at Celtic Park from Tottenham Hotspur on transfer deadline day and grabbed his first goal from the penalty spot in Sunday’s 4-2 win at Dunfermline Athletic in the Scottish Cup.
His goal contributions are expected to play a huge part in Tony Mowbray’s quest to wrestle back the league crown from the blue side of Glasgow but Trapattoni says that it will take a monumental effort from every Celtic player to get the goals needed.
“Robbie will improve the Celtic side because he's a fantastic player but it's a lot for him to do on his own,” said Trapattoni. "What is the gap now on Rangers? It's up to 10 points. Well, for me, that's already too much.
"Rangers have a very strong and tough team and I fear that 10 points is too much for Celtic to get back.
"Can he change a league? The striker? No. Because a striker alone cannot score a goal. The striker needs the team. The team prepares the goal, as with Ireland."
Keane, 29, had been criticised in some quarters for not fighting for his place in the higher quality English Premier League, having sat frustrated on the Spurs bench as Jermaine Defoe and Peter Crouch formed a partnership up front.
Trapattoni doesn’t think the temporary switch north of the border will affect his international chances however and believes that getting regular games and winning his confidence back will benefit Keane’s career in the long term – as well as the international chances of his new Celtic teammate Aiden McGeady.
"I think for me, at the moment, English football is strong and for him important," said Trapattoni. "But I know his philosophy and at the moment it is better for him to play. It is important for us that he plays.
“It’s not a surprise to me that he has gone to Celtic - but I do ask myself just why players we have for Ireland cannot get in their club side? For me, the move to Celtic is good for him - as a footballer he needs a psychological lift.
"Football is football -- in Scotland on London or Tottenham. The manager knows how to play Robbie. The system is important. I know Robbie very well and he just loves playing football and when he doesn’t play he suffers badly. At this moment he can be a big help to Celtic, but equally they are a big help for him.
“For sure, he’s under big pressure in Scotland - but whether or not it’s Glasgow or London, it’s always the same.
“Perhaps there will now be the opportunity for me to come to Glasgow to see Robbie and Aiden McGeady both play for Celtic.”
Trapattoni has worked with some of the game’s greats in his 36-year managerial career, having managed Juventus, Inter Milan, Bayern Munich and the Italian national team, to name but a few.
Having seen first hand the talents of the likes of Alessandro del Piero, Jurgen Klinsmann and Gabriel Batistuta, the manager sees similarities in Keane to one of Italian football’s greatest sons.
“Robbie is not only the skipper for the Republic of Ireland, he’s an inspiration for the team,” he explained. “He goes everywhere he can during a game, trying to lift players and help the team.
‘For me, he’s like Francesco Totti is to Roma. They are both different styles of players, but they can have the same impact. They are playmakers - they make their sides tick.
“Robbie is a great man to have in the side - he can play central striker, wide or even drop back to midfield. I think he can score a lot of goals - why not? The last time I saw him in London he scored and he will never lose that.
“But one man - especially a striker - cannot win a game on his own. Of course he can score a goal, but if the rest of the team doesn’t supply him with chances, then it’s difficult, no matter how good the player is.”
