Harry’s good to play, says England boss Southgate
We’ve got huge respect for our opponents, we know a lot of them from our league and we know the quality and athleticism they have
GARETH Southgate said it would be a “brave decision” to leave Harry Kane out of his England starting line-up against the United States after confirming the striker had come through training with a clean bill of health.
Kane suffered a knock after a clumsy challenge by Morteza Pouraliganji in England’s 6-2 win against Iran on Monday - the national team’s biggest ever win at the start of a major tournament.
The Spurs striker, who has a history of ankle problems, did play on for 25 minutes but was seen limping after the game and went for a precautionary scan.
However, Kane has returned to training without issue and Southgate suggested his captain will feature from the start today.
“Harry’s good,” he said. “He came through training, no problems, so it would be a brave decision to leave him out of the starting team.”
Southgate warned he expects a different level of opposition from the Americans after England enjoyed a relatively easy opener against Iran.
“I think tomorrow’s game will be very different to the first match,” added Southgate.
“They are a team that press the ball really well and who have, with respect, probably a level of player that has more experience of playing in top-level European leagues.
“In terms of tomorrow’s game, it’s not going to be the pattern of the previous one.”
Southgate insisted he would not be getting carried away following Monday’s convincing victory.
“We’re good at talking highly of ourselves as a nation and on the basis of very little evidence,” he added. “What we’ve got to do is perform on the field.
“We know we’ll be playing a highly motivated team, but we’ve got huge respect for our opponents, we know a lot of them from our league and we know the quality and athleticism they have.
“The risk for us is that we think because we played well the other day we can just go through to the next game.
“We’ve got to find that reset button to have the same psychology and determination. So I don’t think we will be underestimating the USA team at all.”
Meanwhile, United States boss
Gregg Berhalter called England a “formidable opponent” and praised Southgate to the hilt.
The States head into today’s encounter looking to build on their 1-1 draw with Wales but Berhalter is wary of the threat posed by England, who he called a “scary” prospect in the build-up.
The US boss has praised Southgate for making the England shirt “a cape rather than a straitjacket” since taking over at a low ebb in 2016, before leading them to the World Cup semi-finals and last year’s Euros final.
“I think when he first took over it was very similar to the position that I first took over,” said Berhalter, who was appointed in late 2018 as the US rebuilt after failing to reach that year’s World Cup.
“Trying to reshape the identity of the team, refocus, working with a younger group of players, so in that case very similar.
“Just following some of the things over the last months, the pressure in the English media, or in England in general, is tremendous and I think that’s different.
“These guys (in the US media) give me a hard time every once in a while, but I don’t think it’s of the magnitude that Gareth gets it. But we all know this is a result-orientated business and we’re all held accountable for results on the field.
“I think he’s done a great job. I’ve been saying for the last year-and-ahalf that his record at major tournaments has been outstanding and there’s no denying that - fourth place finish in 2018, second place finish at the Euros. He’s done a great job with his team. They got off to a great start and they’re a formidable opponent.”