ROY KEANE is urging his Republic of Ireland squad to get stuck into Italy in their bid to get progress to the knockout stages of Euro 2016.
The Irish assistant boss, 44, is demanding his players to ‘take out’ the Italian stars and do ‘whatever it takes’ to get their hands on all three points.
Keane said: “My advice would be to take them out. We saw Italy do it against Belgium where a player got a yellow card when they were breaking on the halfway line.
“He then kicked the ball out. You have to be streetwise in this game. We are not here to make friends – the fans are doing that.
“If you can hold the ball up then fantastic. If you smell danger then you do whatever you can to get the right result.
“When you’re chasing the ball, the concentration levels can be down and that’s when you make mistakes so it’s important to keep hold of the ball.
“That’s what frustrated the manager with all the mistakes. We gave the ball away far too cheaply. You have to take care of the ball.
“There’s no problem giving it away 30 yards from goal, but when you’re sloppy in the middle of the park that puts you under massive pressure, and when you’re playing a big team you are in big trouble.
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"We had a big game three days earlier, but we have to get to the levels where players can play three big games in ten days.
"Some players won't be used to that and that's where experience counts.
Keane added that while most of Antonio Conte's squad play on the biggest stage every week, he reckons his players can hit those heady heights, claiming that's part of the fun of sport: Rising to the challenge.
The ex-Aston Villa assistant boss said: "Many of the Italians play big Champions League games and they're used to it. We want to get our lads to that level.
"But I enjoy that in sport. When you're not at your best you get punished. That's the name of the game and we did that against Belgium.
"If we are sloppy in possession against Italy there's a good chance it'll be the same result. We are up against quality players and quality players will punish you.
"We need the lads to be able to put their foot on the ball, show courage, composure and show for the ball. You want to see the whites of their eyes - do you want the ball?
"That's where courage comes into it. Courage is a big part of being a footballer. That doesn't mean booting someone.
"It's wanting the ball when sometimes you don't want the ball. We need to be brave and we need to see that in the next few days."
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