Saturday’s qualifier against Bulgaria may not have been the most high-profile game but surely you can expect a little more atmosphere from 82,000 people watching the national teamI was raised in Kingsbury, north London. In case you’ve never been, it’s one of those places that you would describe as perfectly fine. Shops and houses, decent transport links and decent schools, people of different backgrounds living side by side; nothing to shout about but nothing much to moan about either.Every so often, however, it is hit by a wave of visitors. They stream out of the underground station, take over the pavements and drink in the local Wetherspoon’s. Why? Because Kingsbury is next door to Wembley and thus the perfect place...
In the 4-0 win against Bulgaria, England’s forwards proved too hot to handle and again underlined their potential as the team breezes through Euro 2020 qualifyingIt wasn’t thrilling. It wasn’t much of a spectacle. There must be broader concerns about the diminution of the Euro qualifiers as a spectacle since the expansions of the finals. Not that football has ever shown much inclination to worry about such matters, but there probably should be qualms as well about how many central and eastern European sides seem simultaneously to have suffered such a decline. But for England the lack of drama in Saturday’s 4-0 win over Bulgaria is itself an indication of how positive the present situation is for them. Related: Harry...
Gareth Southgate’s faith in the forward was rewarded by a mature performance against Bulgaria that was all about helping his teammatesWhen Harry Kane scores seven goals in training at St George’s Park, Marcus Rashford imagines scoring eight. The reality against Bulgaria was somewhat different and the imagination is likely to remain where the Manchester United forward out-scores the England captain given their respective roles in Gareth Southgate’s side. Kane’s hat-trick, however, did not disguise the reality of how important Rashford is to England. He was goalless, frustrated but crucial to breaking Bulgaria and maintaining Southgate’s stroll towards Euro 2020.Stationed on the left against a five-man defence and without opportunity to even argue over penalty-taking duties for his country, unlike for...
Germany v Netherlands should be another belter, Chad make their return and will Brighton’s Mac Allister play for Argentina?Before October 2018, the Netherlands had not kicked a ball in anger against Germany for six years. When the teams walk out for the Group C qualifier in Hamburg, it will be the fourth time the fierce rivals have faced each other in 11 months. Not that neutrals should be complaining. There have been 12 goals in the two Nations League matches and one Euro 2020 qualifier that have been played since – and some scintillating football. Nico Schulz’s 90th-minute strike for Germany sealed a 3-2 victory in a pulsating qualifier at the Johan Cruyff Arena in March that left the Dutch...
Gareth Southgate has led a revolution that has produced better results and entertainment while England’s cricketers have also benefited from a more aggressive attitudeAmong the myriad skills that are employed in different sports one that is shared by all is risk assessment. Though it sounds like some dark art practised by insurance agents, it is the basic cost-benefit analysis that most competitors make intuitively and upon which all coaches are fixated. Namely, does a given action increase the likelihood of gaining an advantage more than it increases the likelihood of suffering a setback? That is the question a full-back has to ask each time he sprints down the wing. Or a tennis player when she rushes the net.And overall it...