Southgate happy despite losing start
Manager Gareth Southgate has praised England for adapting to his new system despite the loss to Germany.
England, who host Lithuania at Wembley in Sunday’s World Cup qualifier, adopted a 3-4-3 formation in Southgate’s first game in charge since being appointed full-time manager in November. Southgate believes the squad is comfortable switching formations to counter the opposition’s style.
“We have to reflect on a very good performance,” he said. “It was a good way to impose ourselves on them, to have attacking positions which could cause them problems and that’s how it panned out.
It was a good way to impose ourselves on them, to have attacking positions which could cause them problems and that’s how it panned out.
“We have exciting wide players if we want to play with wingers, and it’s very much horses for courses. We can see the strengths and weaknesses of the opposition.”
Liverpool midfielder Adam Lallana said the new system brought more balance to the team. “Ultimately, Sunday is the most important game and we will have a good game-plan to attack that game.
“There is a lot for me to improve on, I enjoyed the system. It allowed individuals to express themselves in areas of the pitch where they felt comfortable.”
With three wins out of four games in the World Cup 2018 qualifying campaign, England are two points clear at the top of the group F standings.
Sergio Aguero has been reinstated to the Argentina attack and Marcos Rojo will stand in for the suspended Ramiro Funes Mori in their critical 2018 World Cup qualifier against Chile at El Monumental on Thursday.
Manchester City’s Aguero gets his chance as Juventus forward Paulo Dybala is nursing a leg injury. Aguero will join Lionel Messi, Angel Di Maria and Gonzalo Higuain in a fourpronged attack in the team coach Edgardo Bauza named on Wednesday.
Rojo, Argentina’s left back at the 2014 World Cup, has been playing regularly as a central defender for Manchester United this year and will start at the heart of the Argentine defence for the match against the Copa America holders.
“Kun (Aguero) is in the best form... With Messi, Di Maria and Higuain they can tip the balance,” coach Edgardo Bauza told a news conference.
“Aguero will play behind the (number) nine (Higuain) but he’s a forward,” Bauza added.
“It’s not a new position for Rojo... At his club he’s played 80 percent of matches as a central defender.”
Aguero was on the bench for Argentina’s last two qualifiers, a 3-0 defeat away to Brazil and a 3-0 home win over Colombia in November, while Rojo had been dropped altogether.
Argentina are fifth in the South American group, a position that would put them in an intercontinental playoff for a place at the finals in Russia. If they beat fourth-placed Chile, they will leapfrog them into the top-four automatic qualification berths.
Brazil are top with 27 points, Uruguay second with 23, followed by Ecuador and Chile on 20 and Argentina with 19.
“We’re going to play against a direct rival, well aware of the difficulties we could have (but) I’ve always been an optimist and I have a lot of confidence in Argentina’s players. I think we’ll qualify,” Bauza said.
Sevilla’s Gabriel Mercado replaces the injured Pablo Zabaleta at right back.
striker Roberto Firmino will replace Gabriel Jesus in the Brazil team to play Uruguay in Thursday’s crunch World Cup qualifier, coach Tite said on Wednesday.
Firmino will replace the injured Manchester City striker to win his 13th cap in Montevideo, where the Brazilians will be looking for an eighth straight win under Tite to all but book a spot in next year’s finals in Russia. “Firmino has come in well, including scoring goals, and he has justified his selection,” the coach told reporters.
Brazil go into the match top of the South American qualifying table with 27 points from 12 games and are confident that if they can avoid defeat in Uruguay, and in Paraguay five days later, they will secure their place in Russia.