Southgate promises England will keep their foot on the gas
GARETH SOUTHGATE will put England on a collision course with world superpowers Germany and Brazil by ordering his team to finish top of Group G.
With qualification for the last 16 already secure, England face Belgium on Thursday night in a game that will determine who finishes top of the group.
As it stands, England top the table thanks to their superior fair play record, having accumulated an identical points tally and goal difference to the Belgians in their opening two games.
However, in theory, finishing second would appear to provide an easier route to the final, whereas the prospect of a quarter-final with either Germany or Brazil is a distinct possibility for whoever finishes top of the pile.
Additionally, the runners-up will play their last-16 game in Moscow, rather than a longer plane journey to Rostov.
Indeed, Belgium are based in Moscow and are, it is understood, keen to remain in the Russian capital to ensure as little upheaval as possible ahead of their first knockout game.
Belgium boss Roberto Martinez is expected to make a host of changes for the clash against England in Kaliningrad.
His English counterpart, Southgate, is also set to make a number of alterations from the starting XI that destroyed Panama 6-1 on Sunday to ensure his key men are fresh for the knockout stage.
Nevertheless, Southgate has demanded his side maintain the momentum from their 100-per-cent start to the tournament by finishing at the summit of Group G.
‘For our country, trying to finish second would be a very difficult mindset to have,’ he said. ‘We want to win every game of football we go into. I don’t know how we would go into a game not wanting to win and not wanting to play well.
‘So I think that’s dangerous territory if we start trying to plot and predict where we might end up. I think we just have to keep playing as well as we can, keep preparing the team the right way, keep the momentum and I have to keep the squad involved. That’s the one thing I think is really important.’
Marcus Rashford, Eric Dier and Danny Rose are among the players under consideration for a start against Belgium. Kieran Trippier is set to be rested after picking up a minor thigh problem on Sunday, which could see Trent Alexander-Arnold handed his World Cup debut. Dele Alli is unlikely to be risked despite returning to training yesterday.
Captain Harry Kane is desperate to play in the match and will express his desire to Southgate.
But the England manager has warned his prolific striker that he will bench him on Thursday if he feels it benefits the team.
Kane is leading the race to be the World Cup’s top scorer after his hat-trick against Panama took his tally to five.
‘The Golden Boot will obviously be very important for Harry, so I always have to balance what’s right for the squad,’ said Southgate.
‘He’s sitting really proudly at the top, but he also knows the team is the most important thing and we have to make decisions that are right for the team.’
Kane, for his part, said: ‘Everybody wants to play — it’s the most important thing. The gaffer will make the decision. If I am playing, I’ll be ready to go. If not, I will be rooting the lads on from the bench.
‘We will see what happens. I am feeling sharp and training well, so we will see.’
Kane’s charge for the Golden Boot is also benefiting the striker off the pitch.
Sportsmail understands the frontman is in line for a substantial cash bonus for his goalscoring exploits in Russia courtesy of his boot deal with Nike.
Kane’s deal with the sportswear giants entitles the 24-year-old to substantial incentives in line with the number of goals he scores at the World Cup.
Southgate also revealed he allowed his players to enjoy a couple of beers on Sunday night to celebrate their emphatic win.
‘When we get back, I think it’s an important moment to get the music on and have a couple of beers,’ he said. ‘We should enjoy the win, enjoy the fact we’ve qualified and then tomorrow we can start the process of the next phase.
‘When I look back, we didn’t really enjoy qualifying (for the World Cup) as much as we should have done, so we want to get that right this time. I was sitting out there thinking you don’t often have moments like that as a manager at any level.’
Southgate, meanwhile, heaped praise on strikers coach Allan Russell for helping England prosper from dead-ball situations during a fine start to the World Cup.
Five out of their eight goals in Russia have come as a result of set-plays that have helped propel the side into the next round, with Southgate highlighting the work the former Airdrie striker has done with the team.
‘If anything, Allan is spending more time on those,’ said Southgate.
‘We’ve identified that as a key area in tournaments and it’s a key area we felt we could improve upon.
‘In the most simple terms, it helps if you have got outstanding delivery and people that want to go and head the thing. You know, at the moment we’ve got that.
‘We’re giving it the right sort of attention during training and it was clear the opposition were wary of it right from the start because there could have been a penalty conceded from the first one. ‘Then it led to a penalty in one of the latter ones, so it’s an important part of the game. ‘No matter how much you control the game and how much you control possession, in tournaments, set-plays at both ends — as we have seen again — are really important.’