ENGLAND v BRAZIL
No guarantees for keeper Joe
WEMBLEY tomorrow is less about the Boys from Brazil and more about the Boys against Brazil.
And England boss Gareth Southgate is buzzing. He’s not alone, either.
Turning to youth on Friday against Germany may have been largely enforced due to injuries, but the upbeat performance rekindled some of the public’s waning interest in the national team.
Energy
Now it’s Brazil’s turn and Southgate said: “I think it’s exciting.
“We’ve got a freshness about us, an energy about us, that people have enjoyed. We’re a young team.”
The hard-earned goalless draw with the world champions saw superb debuts from midfielder Ruben Loftus-Cheek, 21, and 23-year-old goalkeeper Jordan Pickford.
Rookie Tammy Abraham, 20, also started and although he didn’t shine, the ® Swansea striker never looked fazed. Neither did Liverpool defender Joe Gomez, 20, when he came off the bench.
“We left Wembley and people were excited by what they saw,” said Southgate.
“They enjoyed the game. That’s my desire as the manager, to produce a team which sends people home feeling that way.”
The need for the kids was sparked by mass withdrawals of key players, with Phil Jones making it eight after picking up a thigh injury against the Germans.
With numbers low, Southgate has turned to Bournemouth midfielder Lewis Cook and Liverpool striker Dominic Solanke – both 20,with Norwich goalkeeper Angus Gunn also promoted from the Under-21s.
It means Southgate’s squad for the visit of the Samba stars now boasts five 20-yearolds and two aged 21.
The good news is that none of them are scarred by the horrific exit to Iceland at Euro 2016 under former boss Roy Hodgson.
“We want competition for places all of the time, so, whether that’s young players or more senior players, everybody is going to work hard for their place in the squad and starting XI,” said Southgate.
“That drives improved performance when you’ve got that depth to pick from.
“All of our players will be noting the performance from the other night and wanting to show what they can do.
Reward
“We’ve got competition for places right throughout the team and over the next few months it’s going to be really interesting to see players’ form for their clubs and how they develop.”
Explaining his latest call-ups, Southgate said: “It’s been pleasing to see Angus now playing regular firstteam football.
“We didn’t want to call in a more senior keeper this time, given that we’re only a few days, and we thought it’s a good opportunity for Angus to get the experience.
“With Dom and Lewis, we’re talking about a reward really for one captaining the Under-20 World Cup winners and the other one being the Golden Boot winner for the Under-20s World Cup winners.
“Both have won at European Under-17 level and the World Cup at Under-20, so their pedigree is good and we’re looking forward to integrating them into the seniors.”
Southgate did give himself a get out for returning to the same old faces when the serious stuff begins, though.
“It’s not ideal for what you’d want for a major tournament in terms of how far you might progress and the lack of big-game experience,” he said.
“We’ve got players we believe in. It’s good to invest the time in them and the only way for them to get experience is to play.
“And if they are going to play, then we might as well play top opposition.”