The manager has publicly backed down on inclusivity and social issues: unsurprising in a sport that left him nowhere to goThere was something oddly gripping this week about re-entering the distinct and self-contained narrative world of the Gareth Southgate England press conference.These are the kind of events that disappear completely from the memory in between times. But one glimpse of that stern, avian profile frowning dutifully in front of a board covered with adverts and you’re hurled back instantly into a wholly realised place of tortured moral compromise, of penitent tactical self-justification, all of it ringed off-stage by the massed buttock-launching rocket assaults of English discontent. Continue reading...
Much was made of Manchester United forward’s absence from recent squads but he was in the zone on his home groundOver on the left, Marcus Rashford was busy softening North Macedonia up with his direct running and mazy dribbles. Further back, Declan Rice was holding his position in defensive midfield, maintaining his discipline and making sure to keep possession ticking over. Meanwhile Jordan Henderson was in ultra-pest mode, all boundless energy as he charged down every lost cause, a one-man pressing machine who appeared to be on a mission to prove that meaning can be found even in a facile mid-June Euro 2024 qualifier played on a Monday night in Manchester.This was England at their most merciless. There is a...
Best creative attacker is likely to determine whether Gareth Southgate can finally mould a genuine champion teamWith 40 minutes gone at Wembley Stadium Bukayo Saka took the ball in the inside left channel, bumped away the yellow shirt at his back and produced that familiar whip‑crack turn, one of those moments where he just seems to have a weirdly preternatural grasp of the physics of movement, snaking off into spaces that aren’t, technically, supposed to be there. Perhaps this is one reason why he gets kicked a lot. There is no logical answer to this problem.Saka had time to think about what to do next, a micro-second of processing time. The finish was ridiculous. Not novel or unorthodox: the left-foot...
Sixteen years after reopening, Wembley still does not feel like home but it gave the visitors an opportunity for expressionA recorded announcement plays on a loop on the approach to Wembley Stadium. “I’m Clive Tyldesley,” says the voice, for the voice is indeed Clive Tyldesley’s. “It is not allowed to drink alcohol on Olympic Way or the surrounding streets. This is due to a Public Space Protection Order. I’m sorry, it’s the law.”On Tyldesley goes, advising fans that anybody caught with an open container of alcohol will be dealt with by law enforcement officers, before warning that bags over a certain size will not be permitted into the stadium. “I’m sorry,” Tyldesley repeats, and to be fair he genuinely does...
Forward now sits at the top of a golden seam of main men after goal in Naples – and his mark of 54 goals will be difficult to beatThere was an agreeable note of pantomime when the moment came for Harry Kane. Goalscoring records don’t matter, perhaps, or shouldn’t matter, are just numbers in the book. And yet of course they do matter, not least in international football, with its sense of duty and history and ritual.And somehow it always seemed likely Kane would get his chance to take that England record in this wonderful mini-epic of a qualifier, with England just about holding on to take a thrilling 2-1 victory. Continue reading...