GARETH SHOWS RUTHLESS SIDE
Alli axed for Barkley as manager refuses to let standards slip
THE image of Gareth Southgate warning his players against the danger of picking up a burning flare, and stressing to Jordan Pickford that even in his goalkeeping gloves he should make no attempt to remove one from the pitch this evening, will register with anyone who grew up mildly terrified of sparklers on Bonfire Night.
But Montenegro’s fans do have form for such behaviour here in Podgorica and Pickford, by his own admission, is not the brightest of sparks.
That, however, is where the safety lecture ended ahead of tonight’s European Championship encounter, with Southgate keen to focus more on his plans for yet another bold statement with this rapidly evolving England side.
No matter that the atmosphere inside Podgorica’s 15,000- seat stadium is likely to be every bit as hostile as it was when Wayne Rooney got himself sent off in 2011 and missiles — loo rolls among them — were launched at England players two years later.
Southgate considers it an essential part of his team’s education, the kind of test they need to come through if they want to join the international elite.
Of more concern to Southgate is the need to see the right kind of flair on the field — another performance that demonstrates the progress being made under his guidance.
A measure of that progress would be confirmation that one slightly under-par performance for Dele Alli against the Czech Republic on Friday has cost him his place, with Ross Barkley expected to usurp him in a midfield that is also expected to contain Declan Rice and Jordan Henderson.
Such selection decisions stir the imagination as much as they shake an England dressing room that is being left in no doubt that the manager will not tolerate any kind of drop in standards when there is so much talent available to him.
What will England’s midfield be come Euro 2020 when, as well as the players here, Southgate needs to consider individuals of the quality of Eric Dier, Jesse Lingard and Harry Winks? ‘I think it’s becoming like that in every position on the pitch,’ said Southgate. ‘The full backs are the same, as are the wide players.
‘It’s what you want. What we need. In the past, we’ve had spells where there are one or two key injuries and everyone’s been panicking about a player being out.
‘There are some players you wouldn’t want to be without, but you have to adjust. In the qualifiers it’s very rare to have a full team to pick from, so others have to come in and carry the torch.
‘And the profile of those players is slightly different. Barkley is very different from Dele.
‘James Ward-Prowse has different qualities. Then we have Henderson and Rice. And that’s without going to Lingard, Winks and those who aren’t here.
‘If we have everyone fit and available, there’ll be some really difficult decisions to make.’
One sensed a slight tone of frustration with regard to Lingard, who, having essentially ruled himself out of contention for England because of injury, played for Manchester United in the last game before the international break.
There were echoes of an incident that occurred with Paul Scholes when Sven Goran Eriksson was manager and Southgate might take a dim view of that.
For this game against Montenegro, Alli also seems like he might be out of favour, even if Southgate did stress last night that the Tottenham midfielder is still struggling with the hamstring problem that until recently had kept him on the sidelines.
Southgate (right) has dropped Alli in the past, albeit for clowning around on the bench in Amsterdam 12 months ago rather than a display that did not reach his usual high standards. But losing out to Barkley, who so impressed when coming on as a replacement for Dier against the Czechs, would feel more significant, and something that would send a message not just to Alli but the entire squad. Barkley certainly deserves a return to the lineup, having also played his part in that fine defeat of Spain in Seville and the victory against Croatia that secured England’s passage to the Nations League finals this summer.
What Southgate is essentially doing is reminding his players that with expectation comes responsibility and a need for greater consistency.
He is focusing on Raheem Sterling now for a reason, talking about him as potential captaincy material and promoting him to the squad’s leadership group.
The Manchester City winger has become an example he wants others to follow, and youngsters like Jadon Sancho and Callum Hudson-Odoi to aspire to.
‘He’s in flow, and for any sportsman that’s a great place to be,’ said Southgate. It is a place that Southgate hopes other players will strive to occupy. He wants to see Rice respond to the challenge he is being set, and use this evening’s opportunity to apply some pressure to Henderson and Dier.
As Southgate said, there is genuine cause for excitement. And for England tonight what promises to be another real test of their qualities, possibly under a flare-lit sky streaked with flying toilet paper.