UJKANI WANTS TO SEE MORE KOSOVO THRILLS
KOSOVO will roll out the red card carpet for England tonight – and then try to rip it from under them.
The message to Gareth Southgate’s men comes from Kosovo skipper Samir Ujkani (above) ahead of their clash in Pristina.
Thetorino keeper, expected to make an emotional return for the visit of Harry Kane and Co, insists the entire nation is ready to welcome England with open arms.
Kosovo’s love for all things English stems from the parttony Blair’s Labour Government played in them gaining independence from Serbia in 2008 after years of war in the Balkans.
It means Southgate’s Group A winners and their huge army of travelling fans are guaranteedvip treatment this weekend.
And what a pleasant change that makes after the vile racist hatred experienced in both Bulgaria and Montenegro earlier in the Euro 2020 qualifying race.
Ujkani, 31, declared: “It will be a very nice game, especially with
GARETH SOUTHGATE has revealed he had a heart-toheart talk with Raheem Sterling in the hours before England’s 7-0 thrashing of Montenegro that clinched qualification for the Euro 2020 tournament next summer. The England manager had controversially axed Sterling from the game as punishment for a canteen flare-up with Joe Gomez, a decision that dominated the international week.
It was a decision taken without joy by Southgate, who felt he had to take a stand for the sake of team unity – and he must have known there was a risk in such a strong sanction on England’s best player right now.
Today brings an instant recall for Sterling in the final qualifier away to Kosovo, and stirring words of praise from the manager.
“Raheem is 100 per cent essential for our side,” said Southgate. “He’s one of the best players in Europe.
“I’m delighted for him because he now knows he’s going to get a chance to play in a European Championship where he can be one of the star players.
“I had a long chat with Raheem, and he’s looking forward to the Kosovo game. The mood was good.
“You’re going to have moments as a manager with players – where they’ll be enamoured with you and when they’ll be less enamoured with you.
“But we know we’ve been through enough already that the bonds are tight with the whole team.”
“We make sure the team stays tight, play tonight, but Southgate admitted that it was a good moment for the 22-year-old to go home.
The England manager, who also lost Jordan Henderson (right) with a virus, said: “You couldn’t make Joe’s week up if you tried. He took a the team keep improving, and we develop everybody as strongly as we can.this will just strengthen the bond of the players.
“It’s not something (the punishment for Sterling) I take any enjoyment from at all because you want everybody to be happy. But the reality of being a leader is that keeping everybody happy is impossible.”
Southgate’s message is clear enough – that Sterling remains perhaps the most crucial player in the England side alongside captain Harry Kane.
England have a dazzling attacking force, with Marcus Rashford, Jadon Sancho and Callum Hudson-odoi as other options.
It makes them one of the favourites for Euro 2020, where the three group matches will be played at Wembley, as well as the semi-final and final if England can make it that far.
“Yeah, it is special to have these kinds of players,” said Southgate. “But I would imagine that Sven Goran-eriksson thought the same of Beckham, Scholes, Carrick, Gerrard and Lampard.
“If you’re the England manager you’re normally in a reasonably privileged position.we have given young players their opportunity ahead of time, which has given us greater depth.
“We’ve got competition now because those guys believe they have a chance – and there’s nothing better than seeing the clash of knees – him and Kieran trying to defend a ball. He will be fine in couple of days. He was not able to train so now is a good moment for him to go home and clear his head.
“The team rallied around him after Thursday. He was in a much better place quickly. It’s