SOUTHGATE: HART STILL MY NUMBER ONE
Southgate needs his World Cup hopefuls to pass French test
France v England — Pages 78-79
Aclash with France will once again have a distinctly friendly feel to it here in Paris this evening. The French, the federations on both sides of the channel confirmed yesterday, will pay their respects to the victims of terror in Manchester and london, just as the English united in support of their visitors after the Paris attacks in November 2015.
There will be a rendition of the Oasis track Don’t Look Back in
Anger, the words of the English national anthem will appear on the giant screens at the stade de France, and the two teams will stand together for a group photograph.
‘It’s nice that history doesn’t come between us at these moments,’ said England manager Gareth southgate here yesterday.
Outside the stadium tonight there will be heightened security. In an unprecedented move every supporter using the trains will be searched when they alight at the saint-Denis station.
But southgate echoed the mantra of Manchester, london and Paris when he expressed a determination to see life continue as normal in every other respect.
‘The whole world is now alert to possible terror attacks,’ he said before insisting he had every faith in the authorities to keep people safe tonight.
southgate will focus instead on his job, which is to make best use of a fixture that even he would probably admit would have been more use to him had it come before last saturday’s World cup qualifier in scotland.
as it is, he has to convince his players that an end- of- season match held less than 24 hours before the new Premier league fixtures are announced merits their full attention.
It helps, of course, that it is against France and southgate made an important point when explaining why England are playing teams of the quality of spain, Germany and the French so frequently. Why play lesser teams when his job, ultimately, is to deliver the strongest possible side to the next major tournament?
France will provide a test, for sure, and southgate will pay particular attention to the performance of his goalkeepers however loyal he might have appeared towards Joe hart yesterday.
southgate’s support for hart, his insistence that he remains ‘ England’s No 1’, sounded unequivocal but his response to a question from television reporters perhaps told a different story.
asked if he thought hart was at fault for scotland’s goals at hampden Park now that he has had the opportunity to watch the match video, southgate said that such conversations between a coach and his players should remain private.
he also emphasised, as he did on saturday night, that leigh Griffiths had beaten hart with ‘two great free-kicks’, adding that they were the first goals he had conceded in this qualifying campaign.
But the fact that he did not defend hart against widespread criticism provided enough of an insight into what he really thinks.
Tom heaton will start in goal tonight, and deservedly so after a fine season with Burnley.
But southgate made it clear that he sees stoke’s Jack Butland as someone who could pose a more serious threat to hart, and he plans to give a 24-year- old only just back from serious injury the second half against the French.
‘I look forward to seeing both of them play,’ said southgate. ‘I worked with Jack at Under 21 level and I went to an Under 20 World cup with him and a Euro Under 21s. I know his mentality and the strength he has.
‘I know Jack is a goalkeeper of high potential and I have huge belief that Tom wants that position as well. let’s see what they do next season with their clubs and the way they perform each week.
‘They’ve both been along the pathway at different age groups, and dJ Jack’sk’ experiencei i is as good d as any other young English goalkeeper. Joe has been excellent and so there’s good competition for places.’
a year out from the World cup and there is no doubt southgate still has an open mind when it comes to both his best team and th th ebb esttf formation.ti Y ester dayYtdh he revealed he had even entertained the idea of experimenting with Manchester city’s John stones as a holding midfielder, having looked at him in training.
he has concluded, however, that now is not the time to try it however versatile the young centre half might be. against France it seems far more likely he will be deployed as a defender, with southgate rightly identifying the need for England to have ‘defenders who can bring the ball out and show composure’.
Only when it comes to his captain does southgate’s mind appear to be made up. he is not yet prepared to say so, but the fact that harry Kane retains the armband for this game points to the Tottenham forward keeping it in the long term.
he saw the measure of Kane in Glasgow on saturday night. The manner in which he responded to two late scotland goals was exactly the kind of leadership England’s manager wants.
he found his captain that night but when it comes to discovering others he can rely on, the search continues here in Paris.