GARETH WON’T HOLD BACK
England looking for momentum against Maltese minnows
THE issues England appear to endure away from home even extended to a delayed flight on route to Malta last night.
But even before a troublesome journey from Birmingham, this young English side had not travelled terribly well under Gareth Southgate — failing to secure victory in Slovenia, very nearly blowing it completely against Scotland in Glasgow and losing friendlies away to Germany and France.
That defeat in Paris in June, their last game, was by their own admission a lesson in what is required to succeed at the highest level and an alarming indication of the gulf between England and the best a year out from the World Cup.
A resounding victory on an island smaller than the Isle of Wight this evening would not exactly ease the concern — not when Scotland beat Malta 5-1 here at the Ta’ Qali National Stadium last year, albeit against 10 men.
But Southgate needs to see signs of progress this evening and the emergence of a team, now Wayne Rooney has taken the sensible decision to retire. He also needs to see some momentum building, and not just going into Monday night’s game against Slovakia when England could, should other results go their way, secure their passage to Russia next summer.
It perhaps explains why Southgate is looking to unleash his strongest side tonight despite the searing temperature and the fact that a more challenging contest comes three days later.
‘We are at a stage where we’re still developing how we play together,’ said Southgate last night. ‘The more opportunities we get to play and get our basic principles sound, the better.
‘Inevitably you have to make changes each month with injuries and availability, but the message of selection is also important for these games.
‘The summer was a good opportunity to reflect on the games we’d had, our strengths and weaknesses as a squad and a team. We have to win the short-term games but also build for the summer as well.
‘It’s a twin track for us, both in terms of the principles of how we play, but also building resilience as a group of men. We have 60-odd training days before we go to a World Cup, so we have to make the most of every day.’
Some issues Southgate appears clear on but on other matters it is obvious he is still trying to find the answers. In Glasgow he said he intended to name a permanent captain before the World Cup but last night he once again played down the importance of the role, saying it is not an urgent issue.
‘I want to continue sharing that responsibility,’ he said. ‘It’s been healthy for us. We’re seeing good leaders emerging from the group.
‘ People have talked about that not being the case in the past, but in my view there are good leaders in the group — not just senior players but younger players as well.
‘The more we give them responsibility and allow them to take a lead, that’s healthy for the team. You want people stepping forward making good decisions on the pitch, being brave on the ball, and leading my example.’
But before the World Cup? ‘I don’t know,’ he said. ‘I’m not in a rush to do that. I’ll have to give it some thought, really. It’s not high on my list of priorities.
‘Developing more people who can step up and influence, getting the bond of the team really strong, so we stand together, is far more important.’
In truth it sounded like Southgate was buying time, giving him the opportunity to continue assessing the merits of leading candidates like Harry Kane, Jordan Henderson and Gary Cahill.
All three are expected to feature in his starting line-up this evening, and having given strong consideration to Jack Butland the England manager will stick with Joe Hart as his goalkeeper.
Clearly Hart has impressed him this week, and Southgate will back the most- capped player in his squad, however deserving Stoke’s Butland might be.
But Hart is fortunate to remain the man in possession given the mistakes he made against Scotland and the difficulties he has endured this past year in his club football.
Southgate has given him the benefit of the doubt, citing the fact that the goals Hart conceded in Glasgow remain the only occasions England have been breached in this qualification campaign.
Making a point of telling Hart ‘a couple of days ago’ perhaps illustrates the potential vulnerability of the position for England, and the mental fragility of a goalkeeper who obviously needed to know his international manager is standing by him.
In the longer term, though, a change might well be demanded, if only to give Butland more experience prior to Russia.
Elsewhere the team might be taking shape. Henderson’s return to central midfield is important now Southgate has realised it is not a role suited to Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain. Also, the deployment of Kane at the pinnacle of the England attack ahead of Dele Alli gives him a foundation on which to then examine the respective strengths of players like Raheem Sterling and Marcus Rashford.
‘ We’d like to create more clear-cut chances,’ said Southgate. ‘We had more possession than France, slightly more than Germany, so that’s a good thing. But you’ve got to create chances and score goals.’
Even against a team that once beat Iceland in a competitive match, that really should not be a problem.