ON ROONEY LIONS RECALL’
BATTLE BACK, SEAMUS
It really doesn’t matter because whoever plays, England should win. Must win, otherwise we may as well take our ball home and not bother coming out to play. I’ve picked my team for tonight’s game, but if I picked the other 11 in the squad, they should win too. And the next 11 players in the Premier League who are in line for a call-up by Gareth Southgate. It should be an academic exercise, but it isn’t because of the turmoil surrounding England in recent years. And nothing would surprise me at the moment. I’m not knocking Gareth Southgate, but the fact is we now have an England manager who didn’t really have the qualifications for the job and who nobody really wanted. Gareth got the job under crazy circumstances, and he’s not my first choice. I’m not sure he’d even be his own first choice. But he’s done all the right things since he came in, he has spoken really well with calmness and authority and he has been impressive – impressive enough for us all to get behind him now and give him the support of the nation. It would be crazy to be saying he shouldn’t be the manager. He is, and it is a ruthless, results-based business where we’ll find out soon enough boss. He is keen to usher in a new era where his stars learn to take on more personal responsibility.
And that has prompted him to ditch one of football’s oldest traditions so that he can be on first-name terms with the men who will make or break his England reign.
Southgate asked England @Robbie9fowler rugby union coach Eddie Jones (right) to address his players ahead of today’s World Cup qualifier against Lithuania – and the main message from the vastly-experienced Australian is that respect is earned.
“As long as they keep it clean, I don’t care what they call me,” said Southgate. “Some people might see the word ‘boss’ as a sign of respect, but you can call someone ‘boss’ with zero respect. And you can call someone by their name with plenty of respect.
“It’s an archaic thing we have in our game. In football, it’s ingrained. “But why do we do it? For me, it’s no issue at all.” Southgate has encouraged MY HEART goes out to Seamus Coleman after his shocking injury. They were sickening images on Friday night and to see a player suffer like that is a terrible thing. I hope he makes a swift and full recovery and, from what I know of Seamus, he certainly will – because he’s a real fighter.
way because it gave me extra support as a striker, someone to play off, instead of the lone target man that has been all the rage in recent years.
It frees up players in the attacking position.
The modern trend in football is towards full-backs pushing on, creating the width on the pitch, and that leaves the central defenders exposed, so there is an argument for the extra man to give cover.
It works, with Eric Dier and his players to stand up and be counted – on and off the pitch.
But he rejects the notion of player-power taking over.
He said: “I don’t think it’s about power. You have to be comfortable enough as a coach to be challenged. Our job is to help the players improve and see how they could do things differently, not kill them.”
Gary Cahill knowing the system well, and with the Spurs full-backs, obviously.
Even Manchester United have played it, so Smalling knows how to slot into the three too. Everton have done it too, for that matter.
Which brings me on to Ross Barkley. I think he could be the surprise pick for Southgate.
He’s done brilliantly in recent weeks as a free man across the front three. While there is a case to be made for Jermain Defoe to come in, I think Jamie Vardy will keep his place, and he’ll go with the pace of Raheem Sterling.
If Dele Alli plays in front of the midfield two, then that leaves the right side and Barkley has played there for the past few months.
For me, with the players he has, this is the best team Southgate can play.
But, seriously, it doesn’t matter which team he plays: England should win anyway. And if they don’t, then it tells us much.
He’s not my first choice...i’m not sure he’s even his own first choice