FRIENDLIES BLASTED BUT NOTHING CAN CAP INTERNATIONAL FOOTBALL
THANKFULLY, probably all club managers will agree, the next few internationals will be the last for a while.
After the games over the next few days, the players can get back to the meaningful stuff.
Mid-table Premier League games with both sides scrambling towards a points total that will keep them where they are. That sort of stuff.
Players coasting after signing contracts that pay the annual living wage in an hour. That sort of stuff.
All very meaningful.
Unlike, say, England against the Republic of Ireland in a friendly on a mid-November evening.
Who cares about that? The use of the word ‘ friendly’ bugs Gareth Southgate.
Rightly so. In other sports, they call them Test matches.
But we are stuck with ‘ friendly’. And in truth, while today’s matches across
Europe – including England’s in Belgium – are competitive fixtures in UEFA’s Nations League, most people will still see them as friendlies.
A lot of people, and a lot of managers no doubt, see international breaks as an unnecessary evil.
But try telling that to 17-yearold Jude Bellingham (below).
After becoming the third youngest England player in history when he came on against the Irish, he wrote simply: Dream Come True.
Try telling that to Harry Maguire who, on Thursday, captained his country for the first time.
“A real proud moment,” said the Manchester United defender.
Jack Grealish made his full England debut in a friendly against Wales and could not have been prouder.
The Nations League has been derided in some quarters but, certainly prior to the pandemic, it has been a success.
Anything that adds an extra compe t i t iv e edge to international matches has to be lauded. Conor Coady made his debut in the Nations League and his elevation to international football has to be one of the feelgood stories of this troubled season.
It is impossible to exaggerate Coady’s pride on that evening in Copenhagen. It was a dismal goalless draw in a competition that so many do not appear to care about, but it was the moment of a lifetime for Coady. That is what representing your country does for you.
It beats celebrating the retention of Premier League status.
And if we all want our nations to do well at major tournaments – when everyone takes an interest – then we need the type of game England had against the Irish.
It gave Southgate the chance to experiment.
Yes, the opposition was limited but the England manager knows he now has decent options for a central midfield pairing in Mason Mount and Harry Winks.
Yes, injuries can happen during international breaks as poor Joe Gomez knows only too well. But that was the type of incident that can occur at any time on any training ground or pitch.
Southgate was right when he said the football calendar has not been thought out correctly, that the various governing bodies have not liaised properly.
He is also right in believing international football should not be the area which suffers.
It has become fashionable to knock it, to believe the Premier League and the Champions League are the be-all and endall.
But international football – whether it is a so-called friendly against the neighbours or a World Cup Final – remains the players’ pinnacle.
Rightly so.
I LIKE this classic American recipe – it’s very simple and really makes the most of the delicious affinity between nuts and toffee. The rich, dark, sticky filling is perfectly set off by a spoonful of lightly whipped cream.
FOR THE SHORTCRUST PASTRY
200g plain flour
2 tbsp icing sugar
100g cold unsalted butter, cut into approximately 1cm dice
1 medium egg, lightly beaten
1 tsp lemon juice
2 tbsp very cold water
FOR THE FILLING
100g unsalted butter
150g golden syrup
125g dark muscovado sugar 200g pecan halves 3 medium eggs, beaten
EQUIPMENT
23cm loose-based tart tin, 3.5cm deep
1
To make the pastry, mix the flour and icing sugar together in a bowl. Add the diced butter and rub it in with your fingertips until the mixture looks like fine breadcrumbs. Alternatively, do this in a food processor or a mixer and then transfer to a bowl.
2
Mix the egg with the lemon juice and water. Make a well in the centre of the flour mixture and pour in the egg mix.
Using one hand, work the liquid into the flour to bring the pastry together. If it seems too dry, add a splash more water. When the dough begins to stick together, gently knead it into a ball. Wrap in cling film and rest in the fridge for at least 15 minutes. 3
Heat your oven to 180C/Gas 4 and put in a baking tray to heat up. Have ready a 23cm loose-based tart tin, 3.5cm deep.
4
Roll out the pastry on a lightly floured surface and use it to line the tin. Prick the base with a fork. Put it in the fridge while you make,the filling.
5
Put the butter, syrup and sugar in a saucepan and melt gently over a low heat. Once the butter has melted, remove from the heat and leave to cool for 10 minutes. Arrange the pecans over the base of the pastry case. Mix the beaten eggs into the cooled syrup mixture and pour over the filling is almost set but still a bit wobbly. It will firm up as it cools. Leave to cool completely in the tin before serving, with whipped cream.