Has Southgate found his secret?
Mohamed Salah has the perfect chance to start Egypt’s World Cup party and put Russia’s on hold when he returns for a crucial match tomorrow.
Egypt need his mercurial talent and scoring touch, for defeat will end Egypt’s World Cup outright if Uruguay beat Saudi Arabia on Wednesday in the other Group A game.
Salah’s recovery from injury has become an ongoing mini-drama for Egypt fans, although their devotion is understandable considering he netted 44 goals in 51 games for Liverpool in his first season and has 33 in 57 for Egypt.
Salah, too, cut a disconsolate and frustrated figure on the bench as his team lost 1-0 to a late goal from Uruguay. Hardly a fitting way to celebrate his 26th birthday.
Egypt did not want to risk Salah aggravating his left shoulder against the physical Uruguayans. It may yet prove a smart decision considering he would have been playing against defender Diego Godin, one of the most uncompromising and hardest markers in the game.
Now Egypt can unleash Salah on Russia’s lesser-regarded defence in REPINO: The Premier League has long been a scapegoat for England’s belowpar performances at major tournaments but manager Gareth Southgate says he has benefited from close study of the tactics used by its foreign coaches.
England start their World Cup campaign against Tunisia today with a formation Southgate believes will play to their strengths of pace and attacking flair.
“We’ve got some of the best coaches in the world working in our league so there are some fascinating ideas,” Southgate said.
“The more you watch a team, the more you start to see familiar patterns of play and how they build up. The season has been a great contrast of styles and philosophies,” he added.
Much has been made of the impact of Manchester City’s Spanish coach Pep Guardiola on players like Kyle Walker, John Stones and Raheem Sterling but Southgate’s system owes more to the approach of Antonio Conte at Chelsea.
The London club won the Premier League in 2017 playing with three central defenders and two advanced wing-backs – a central striker and a floating winger/support forward in Eden Hazard.
That is essentially the formula Southgate is expected to use in the World Cup with Kieran Trippier and Ashley Young likely to occupy the wing-back positions which Conte used to such good effect with Victor Moses and Marcos Alonso.
While Guardiola and Liverpool’s Juergen Klopp also make use of attacking fullbacks, they do so as part of more traditional back fours whereas Southgate is adopting Conte’s preference for three central defenders.
That requires a different kind of centre-half, capable of covering the wider areas during a counter-attack – hence the use of Walker on the right and probably Harry Maguire on the left.
It is no carbon copy of Conte’s St. Petersburg, and it could be an eye-opener for some people.
Russia’s skeptical fans will be seeking confirmation: was last week’s 5-0 rout of Saudi Arabia in the tournament opener a promise of things to come, or just a one-off ?
Such is the dependency on Salah to perform, and given what’s at stake, the Liverpool marksman may feel like he’s playing in another final.
He’ll want to make the most of it, too, considering how his bid to win the Champions League last month was stopped following a dubious first-half challenge from Real Madrid defender Sergio Ramos that forced him from the field with an injury.
Salah’s enforced absence, however, comes with at least some form of compensation.
He hasn’t played since May 26, so he has fresh legs after a gruelling season with Liverpool.
If Egypt can get a result against Russia, the Pharaohs will be confident of knocking over Saudi Arabia next Monday — especially with Salah fit and firing up front.
Denis Cheryshev probably never thought the whole of Russia would be watching him so closely.
BARMY ARMY? FORGET ABOUT IT
approach though – whereas the Italian often used two holding midfielders in N’Golo Kante and Nemanja Matic, Southgate is expected to go with one in the form of Jordan Henderson.
Sterling is likely to be given the “Hazard role” in support of striker Harry Kane with Jesse Lingard and Dele Alli providing attacking support from midfield.
Southgate has tried different systems but says the common factor is a desire to get the most quality on the pitch.
“Predominantly, when I started with the U21s, it was 4-2-3-1 for a spell. Then in order to get our best players on the pitch, we played with a diamond for an 18-month period when we won the Toulon tournament. Now we’ve moved to three at the back with the seniors.
“Essentially, you’re trying to get your best players on the field in a formation
Since his two expertly-taken goals against Saudi Arabia, the left winger has been doing the rounds on television shows and is becoming a familiar face.
Those were his first international goals — which is twice as many as his father, striker Dmitri Cheryshev, managed in a brief international career spanning 10 games.
Now fans will be expecting more from Cheryshev Jr., and he may want to embrace it.
For perhaps the time has come, at the age of 27, for the skilful Cheryshev to fulfil the potential Real Madrid once saw — signing him in 2009 when he was only 18 years old.
Madrid moved in for him after his impressive performances for Russia’s youth teams, where he scored regularly with 16 goals in 27 games up to Under-18 level.
After more than 100 games for Madrid’s reserves, he finally broke into the first team — but made only two appearances and never got another chance.
The same fate has befallen many other talents at Madrid, and the inevitable loan spells followed before Cheryshev joined fellow La Liga side Villarreal on a permanent basis in 2016.
More spectacular goals in Russia could help Cheryshev’s stop-start career take off. that allows them to play at their very best and allows you to win matches – because sooner or later you have to win games,” he said.
It is a system that makes England well suited to counter-attacking and playing in high-tempo matches. But perhaps it makes Southgate’s side better suited to facing stronger sides than less ambitious opponents who will look to defend in numbers.
Southgate has a young and dynamic group of players but English footballers have rarely looked comfortable in slow, possession based games. The first two opponents in Group G, Tunisia and Panama, will likely try to limit the opportunities for breaks, reduce space and slow the tempo.
The first major test for Southgate’s philosophy will be whether his team can impose their desire for an open,