A strike force to be reckoned with
GARETH SOUTHGATE is blessed with the most exciting array of attacking talent in an England squad since Alan Shearer and Teddy Sheringham ensured that the likes of Les Ferdinand, Ian Wright, Robbie Fowler and Andy Cole were reduced to minor roles with the national team.
Tammy Abraham is second on the Premier League goal-scoring charts with 10 behind another Englishman, Jamie Vardy, on 11, though the Leicester centre-forward has declared himself unavailable for international duty.
Harry Kane has nine goals in his last five games for England, while Raheem Sterling has 10 in 10. With wide players Marcus Rashford, who has three in his last six England games, and Jadon Sancho and Callum Hudson-Odoi to supplement those players, Southgate has one of the most feared attacks in Europe. It must make managing England a delight.
‘Yeah,’ agreed Southgate. ‘But I would imagine that Sven Goran-Eriksson thought the same of David Beckham, Paul Scholes, Michael Carrick, Steven Gerrard, Frank Lampard.
‘If you’re the England manager, you’re normally in a reasonably privileged position. I think we have given young players their opportunity ahead of their time, which has given us a greater depth. So, we’ve got competition now.
‘There’s nothing better than seeing the smile on Tammy’s face when he gets his first goal for England.’
Southgate’s mission is to impress on his young players that there will not necessarily be lots of opportunities to get it right.
‘When we lost at Euro ‘96, the most heart-breaking thing for me was that people like Stuart Pearce retired on the bus home. He then came back twice more but he actually did retire on the bus on the way home and that really sunk in. It was a moment like, “Oh my god, that’s his last chance”.
‘It was my first tournament and, when it’s your first tournament, you think there will be loads.’
‘Most of the players that played tonight are going to peak in two or four years’ time. So, there’s a reality of where we might be as a team, but we have to find a way to get the maximum out of them.’