NOW STERLING MUST DELIVER
Raheem’s on thin ice after his late show
GARETH Southgate had just made a joke about World Cup bingo on his office wall. It was, he said, all the things he could expect to happen during the build-up to a major tournament, based principally on his experience as an England player.
But whatever boxes he thought he might have to tick, and tournament build-ups are often peppered with slightly hysterical stories about unfinished training grounds and noisy nightclubs next to team hotels, he probably did not expect the storm of controversy around a tattoo of a gun. Or a member of his squad reporting a day late for international duty.
As Southgate acknowledged yesterday, these things always get out and he had to answer questions about Raheem Sterling’s failure to turn up on time at St George’s Park last week.
Sensitive, no doubt, to the fact that the same player who chose to have a rifle inked on his right leg was now in bother for something rather more serious, Southgate was reluctant to reveal too much. ‘We have dealt with it internally,’ he said.
But he did confirm that Sterling was indeed late, that he’d made his feelings known to the player r on a stroll around the e grounds of St George’s s Park and that the e 23-year-old Manchester City forward had apologised to his international team-mates.
Southgate is not a soft touch. Wayne Rooney stepped out of line when he decided to have a boozy night with wedding guests in the same Watford hotel the national team have occupied this week and he was never seen in an England shirt again. So Sterling should perhaps consider himself a little fortunate that he remains on the plane to Russia when he has acted so unprofessionally.
The reason given for arriving on Wednesday morning rather than Tuesday night was a problem with a connecting flight in Miami on his return from Jamaica. And if you assume he missed his connection on the Monday night, he would indeed have been forced to wait until the following evening for a flight back to London that then landed on Wednesday morning.
But after being given an extension by Southgate that allowed him to report late on the Tuesday — when he should have been at the national football centre the previous day — why cut it so fine? Why, when this is a World Cup, take the risk? ris Adam Lallana is not even in the th squad but he reported three days da early for training — the Liverpool po players are not due to show up until today — in the hope of proving pr to Southgate that he is ready re to go Russia should a member be of his 23 man party sustain an injury. in When Sterling called to say sa he was stuck in the US some managers might have been tempted to replace him with Lallana L there and then. Of course, it helps Sterling’s case cas that he is among the most gifted players in the squad. ‘A super talent,’ Southgate called him yesterday. And Southgate is a pragmatist however bold he might have been with his squad selection and his changes in formation.
Even so, one imagines he was less than impressed. Not to mention mindful of the fact that the two problems he has had to deal with since naming his squad last month have both concerned Sterling.
If he was fairly dismissive about the tattoo, he recognised that Sterling’s late return demanded an explanation. ‘We haven’t hidden anything on that,’ he said, which is true. And he explained that he’d ‘ had a discussion with the player’ and that they had ‘come to an agreement’.
‘He wanted to apologise to the group, explained his commitment to the team, and it’s done,’ he said. ‘We move on.’
Southgate handled the situation well but it would help him this evening if Sterling delivers a committed, confident performance at Wembley, assuming he gets the nod against Nigeria in the first of two World Cup warm-up games. He needs to prove himself the perfect foil for Harry Kane, England’s captain, principal goalscorer and someone who made it back from the Bahamas without being late.
That Champions League final denies Southgate the opportunity to pick his strongest team. But it may well be close to the side he has in mind for Tunisia on June 18.
The selection of Jesse Lingard, which he confirmed yesterday after asking the Manchester United midfielder to join him at the press conference, is interesting and suggests he might well remain ahead of Dele Alli in the pecking order. But perhaps more intriguing is the likely inclusion of Ruben Loftus- Cheek in the absence of Jordan Henderson. After impressing in the autumn, in particular against Germany, the towering Chelsea player is pushing for a place in the starting XI.
Southgate was giving little away on his goalkeeper, with Jordan Pickford and Jack Butland both in the frame for the No 1 spot. The smart money says the Everton shot-stopper will get the nod, not least because of his distribution skills, but Southgate would only say it ‘will become apparent over the next five days’.
He added that both ‘ Pickford and Butland have the perfect path in terms of junior international experiences of tournaments and a lot of Premier League football under their belts’.
‘These are not trial matches in that a bad performance rules someone out,’ said Southgate. ‘But there are opportunities to stake a claim in areas where there is huge competition for places.’
Sterling certainly needs a good game.