Silence is golden for Gareth
THE biggest compliment I could give Gareth Southgate’s England side is that they already edge the Golden Generation. On paper, you’d say: ‘Definitely not’. Players such as Rooney, below, Rio Ferdinand, Gerrard, Lampard, Terry and Ashley Cole were outstanding. Better players. Legends.
But as a team – with the emphasis on team – this England side have already gone further, to a major tournament final.
The Golden Generation were individual warriors but as a team their major tournament failures against top nations left them scarred.
Think Portugal in 2006, Germany in 2010, Italy knocking us out of Euro 2012 and even Iceland dumping us out of Euro 2016 in the last 16.
Southgate’s England boys have no fear. They have a better cohesion and a better fluidity.
We beat only Iran but I don’t think I’ve ever seen an England side pass the ball and play football that expansive and freeflowing before. Have you?
In the last World Cup we played Panama and hit them for six too but we didn’t play, move the ball or show as much focus as we did against the Iranians on Monday.
You only have to look at Argentina losing to Saudi Arabia and Germany being embarrassed by Japan to know that every team have to be respected in this competition.
Of course, optimism back home will be sky high after that. We are a country of extremes.
But I feel good about us facing the US. I’d perhaps just have Kyle Walker as the right-sided centre-back and drop Mason Mount to the bench, so we can deal with the speed of the US attack.
This will also be a match where our wing-backs will need discipline to stop their wingers who play high – Christian Pulisic and Tim Weah – from getting in behind. But we will cope.
I’d still play Harry Kane up front because even at 75-80 percent fit, he is still the best striker in the world.And if he has trained, then his ankle injury clearly isn’t as serious as it seemed. So we have every reason to feel confident without being complacent.
Even from club level, I know that it’s impossible not to get carried away.When I was at Crystal Palace we knew we were at our most vulnerable after a win.
I remember when we beat Manchester City, scoring three at the Etihad (I may have scored a half-decent goal that day!). Three days later on Boxing Day, Cardiff held us to a goalless draw at home.
And I’ve seen in certain places a similar over-confidence. We’ve gone from having the worst national team and questions about whether “negative” Gareth should go, to suggestions we are now the best team in the world!We never have a happy medium.
But Gareth knows how to find it. People might think: ‘We’ve just won 6-2 playing great football! Why change anything?’
But this is why the Golden Generation didn’t win anything. They put all the best players on the pitch without adapting to the team they were playing.
If we go out all guns blazing against the US we will be picked off. Gareth knows that and I suspect the players know that too.
I also know from experience that when you play for Gareth he and his team are terrific at blocking out the outside noise, negative and positive. They will focus and be ready to go.