Liverpool - Rafa gets Keane for £20million but will he make any difference?
Waving the flag - Rafa Benitez introduces Robbie Keane to Anfield
Goals win titles, but whether Robbie Keane is the missing part in the Rafa Benitez jigsaw puzzle remains to be proven. On paper Keane might score 20 goals a season, albeit so might anyone else alongside Fernando Torres. But in fact the best he managed in six years at Spurs was 16 goals in a season. Keane is also a robust player not dissimilar to Dirk Kuyt who impressed for Holland in the the Uefa European Championships. If the on/off saga of Gareth Barry’s move from Aston Villa goes through, then the summer would have seen a significant change in the Benitez thinking, opting for proven pushy Premier League performers or little known younger players he can groom. Last week he also picked up the promising French talent David Ngog who may pop in a few goals too although he might be better employed as far as the Kop is concerned creating them.
Strangely goals were not Liverpool’s major issue last season. They had the same goal difference as Chelsea who finished 11 points clear. They only scored four less than Arsenal. Admittedly they were 19 goals short on Manchester United but that was because United were showboating while Liverpool were scrapping. They are still 7/1 this morning to win the premiership.
Liverpool open the season away to Sunderland where Roy Keane has also been shipping in some proven top flight experience in the shape of Bolton’s El-Hadji Douf, the Tottenham pair Teemu Tianio and Pascal Chimbonda with more to come. Liverpool are 3/4 to win at the Stadium of Light in the late kick off on August 16. It is games like these that Liverpool need to win to get into contention but historically in recent seasons they have been slow starters.
Get the best Liverpool Odds on BetClick, the easiest web site on Internet for Sports Betting.
Signup NOW!! and get £10 Free Bets
16 Premiership goals is actually a very good return. Last season only 3 players scored 20+ goals & the year before only Drogba scored 20.
In fact, there are very few strikers that score 20 league goals in a season. The history book shows there were many seasons where the leading Premiership goal scorer didn’t net 20 goals.
16 goals would be a great return for Liverpool for Keane. He’s getting up there in years, so we’ll see how much more he still has in the tank. I agree that expecting 20 goals out of him is way too much.