To the victors go the spoils
BREAKTHROUGH: Oxlade-Chamberlain fires England ahead at Hampden Park JOE HART did everything right for both of Scotland’s goals.
Eric Dier, his wall marker, was in a direct line between the ball and the post.
Somebody tall, Chris Smalling, was next to him and for the first free-kick Hart even put Harry Kane as an extra on the other side of him.
Two players the other side of Dier are absolutely standard.
The goalkeeper positioned himself in line with where the next man would be in the wall so he had a clear sight of the ball. That is crucial.
If you do not see the ball kicked, by the time it has appeared above the wall it is too late to react.
And you cannot go before – the biggest mistake you can make is to go too early and allow them to score on the side you are supposed to be covering.
Scotland players were trying to block his view, as all teams do, but Hart reacted quickly enough. So how did Leigh Griffiths manage to score so easily?
From first glance, something about the first goal seemed too easy. Looking again, the wall seemed miles away – at least a yard inside the penalty area.
When Griffiths took the second free-kick from the same spot, England’s players were allowed to stand right on the edge of the box. In these days of the vanishing spray, if you moan about it you can all end up getting booked. It’s up to the referee to measure it correctly.
The problem for the first goal was compounded because England’s players had clearly been told not to jump.
A 6ft obstacle can become an 8ft one with a good leap but perhaps somebody had seen Griffiths fire a shot under a wall once. It was a fatal decision, because by having a wall too far back and too low, Griffiths could whip the ball over the obstacle rather than chip it over. That extra pace beat Hart.
So for the second free-kick, either Hart or somebody on the sidelines had clearly got the message to the players to jump. As a result, the wall should have done its job. But replays showed the ball flew past Smalling’s ear.
There is always a risk of a deflection wrong-footing the goalkeeper, but players are always told to get something – your face, your ear, your nose – in the way of the ball if you can.
Again, a lower-than-usual, faster ball was allowed through on goal and the pace was simply too much for Hart.
Nigel Martyn, pictured, was speaking to Matthew Dunn EUROPA League champions Manchester United will complete the formalities of signing defender Victor Lindelof this week – paving the way for Michael Keane to join Everton. The Burnley centre-half had been expected to return to Old Trafford, where he started his career, as Jose Mourinho’s answer to his search for new defensive talent.
Mourinho has opted instead for the 22-yearold Swede and agreed a £30.7million fee for him with Benfica.
United may have to pay an additional £8.8m in bonus clauses. Certainly the investment has seen them drop their interest in Keane.
Now Everton manager Ronald Koeman is prepared to offer Keane the move he wants to further his career and help him become an England regular.
Everton had put Las Palmas centre-half Mauricio Lemos at the top of their defensive wanted list this summer, believing Keane was destined for Old Trafford.
Keane’s availability has seen Koeman shelve his interest in the Uruguayan.
Lindelof still has to complete a medical and agree personal terms but, after trying in vain to sign him in January, Mourinho finally has his man.
Benfica had been demanding more than £50m for their star asset but their more realistic valuation had seen Mourinho move quickly to clinch his first buy of the summer.
Lindelof’s arrival will inevitably raise question marks over the futures of Chris Smalling and Phil Jones.
It will also see him join a centre-half crew at Old Trafford that now features the England pair, Eric Bailly, Marcos Rojo, Daley Blind, plus promising youngsters Axel Tuanzebe and Timothy Fosu-Mensah.