Young guns to the fore

> Tactically-improving England to blood more youngsters against Brazil

ENCOURAGED by his youthful side’s display in their 0-0 draw against Germany, England manager Gareth Southgate is set to call up more under-21 players for tomorrow’s friendly against Brazil at Wembley.

Ruben Loftus-Cheek (left), a midfielder on loan at Crystal Palace from Chelsea, was among several inexperienced players who impressed in the draw with Germany some seven months ahead of the World Cup.

And Southgate said more players from the under-21s would get a chance against Brazil.

“It would be a good experience for a couple of the under-21s to have a few days with the seniors and to be involved against Brazil would be a brilliant experience,” Southgate said.

Angus Gunn, a Manchester City goalkeeper on loan at Norwich, will join Joe Hart and Jordan Pickford in the squad for tomorrow’s match.

The 21-year-old Gunn replaces Jack Butland, who broke his finger in training with England on Thursday.

Loftus-Cheek said he and other young players were benefiting from Southgate’s experience as under-21 manager before he was promoted to the senior job.

“Gareth said to do my best like I normally do,” Loftus-Cheek said. “I was with him for nearly three years in the under-21s, so it wasn’t too much of a new thing coming here. It was a good night.”

Though Germany were also not at full strength, with Manuel Neuer, Thomas Muller and Toni Kroos among those absent, Southgate was particularly pleased with how composed England were on the ball.

Loftus-Cheek ran the midfield, John Stones was strong in defence and Jamie Vardy was a threat in attack and Southgate said tactically, the team is improving.

“In the qualification games tactically you’ve got very few questions to answer and you’ve got the same problem to solve,” he told The Standard.

“I haven’t liked us in a 4-2-3-1; our positional discipline with the ball has not been good.

“(Against Germany) we had to be tactically right with and without the ball, that’s the nature of top games and I think the players are tackling those concepts on really well.”

Harry Kane, Dele Alli and Jordan Henderson were among those to miss out through injury but Southgate is delighted with the way everyone is progressing.

The manager stressed that he is asking players to think about what they’re doing at all times, enabling them to keep discipline and shape even when under pressure.

“They’ve got to be a team that’s switched on, because against the very best if you get the pressing wrong then they’ll carve you apart – it happened a couple of times tonight,” he said.

“I think that’s one of the most pleasing things of working with this group over (this) period of time.

“They’re responding to that, I think they experience some of that with their clubs as well and today a very young team – I think in the end there were five debutants tonight – really took those things on board well.” – dpa