Jesse: We’re spot on for penalty test
JESSE Lingard insists no-one in the England squad would shy away from taking a penalty should the team have to cope with yet another dreaded shoot-out.
With the competition now at its knockout stage, extra time and penalties – so often England’s nemesis at previous World Cups and European tournaments – could become a factor.
Asked if the squad had a plan of who would take penalties in a shoot-out, Lingard said: “Not at this moment. Of course, we are practising them at training and what not. There is not really a set five (takers) yet, but everyone is confident enough to take one.
“We don’t need to change too much. No matter what ENGLAND have the chance to end a 12-year wait for a knockout-phase victory and reach the World Cup quarterfinals at Colombia’s expense tomorrow. Ahead of the eagerly-anticipated last-16 encounter, we analyse some of the key areas for the crunch clash in Moscow.
Gareth Southgate has made plenty of bold calls during his reign, from edging out alltime top scorer Wayne Rooney to omitting long-serving goalkeeper Joe Hart from his World Cup squad.
The England manager favoured promise over experience throughout this team and his choice of goalkeeper is no different, having plumped for Jordan Pickford as his No.1.
Superior footwork edged him ahead of Jack Butland, but the Everton goalkeeper has yet to definitively answer questions that only increased with shaky moments against Belgium.
Tomorrow will also be a big test for Colombia’s undisputed No.1 David Ospina. The 29-year-old has been guilty of making the odd mistake over the years but produced some key saves in the crunch Group H win against Senegal.
England have flourished in Russia. Both of Harry Kane’s goals against Tunisia came from corners, leading Panama to panic from dead-ball situations in Nizhny Novgorod.
So concerned were the World Cup debutants that John Stones was allowed to run free and head home an opener as team-mates wrestled bigger threats.
A smart set-piece routine – the brainchild of strikers coach Allan Russell – allowed Stones to grab his second against Panama, before grappling at another corner led to a spot-kick smashed home by Kane.
Belgium dealt much better with set-pieces, although the changes in personnel blunted England’s threat.
Colombia will also pose a threat themselves from deadball situations. Southgate may well be unnerved by giant defender Yerry Mina, who nodded his side ahead in the crucial win against Poland before heading the winner from another corner against Senegal.
In Mina and Tottenham’s Davinson Sanchez, the South Americans arguably boast the best young centre-back pairing in the world.
The giant defenders boast no little talent and have been solid at the heart of a fourman backline, flanked by Santiago Arias and Johan Mojica. Colombia have yet to concede with 11 players on the pitch, having suffered a 2-1 opening-day loss to Japan after former Villa midfielder Carlos Sanchez’s early red card.
England will again deploy a three-man backline complemented by marauding fullbacks – a formation Southgate has been honing since last October. Kyle Walker was brought into it after a successful experiment there against Holland in March, while Manchester City team-mate John Stones is at the heart of it.
Harry Maguire looks to have secured himself as the third member of the backline thanks to his confidence on the ball and ability in the air. But the Leicester defender has looked uncomfortable at times and Walker’s positioning was criticised after giving away a soft penalty against Tunisia. The defence was guilty of allowing Panama to