The England manager’s success is about clarity and individual responsibility, about things that seem opposed to tribal politicsAt the end of England’s semi-final victory against Denmark Gareth Southgate appeared on the Wembley pitch and walked across to commune with the England fans. A bit frazzled, but still dapper and trim and looking, as ever, like a kindly infantry officer who secretly writes poetry, Southgate went to the western end of Wembley, the end from which the boos before kick-off had emerged earlier in the tournament, but which responded now in a great barrelling surge of noise as Southgate waved and gurned in response. Related: The Guardian view on the England team: making the whole country proud | Editorial Related: Defeating...
England and Italy managers have moulded a style and attitude that resonates with the players and their own publicAs the 2024 European Championship will take place in Germany I am naturally interested in the appearance and impact of the home teams at the current tournament. It is important for the atmosphere and reach of a tournament that a home team plays with courage and spreads optimism. It is important that it has characters within the squad with whom fans can identify. That the players are aware that they are playing at home and that the crowd can feel it. Related: England beat Denmark in extra time to set up Euro 2020 final with Italy Related: Italy into Euro 2020 final...
All the goals Germany have conceded at Euro 2020 have come from diagonal balls into space and Raheem Sterling could be the man to exploit the weakness at Wembley“Gareth Southgate, the whole of England is with you!” Is it, though? As Southgate prepares to send his injury-free, defensively unbreached, quietly purposeful England team into the last-16 tie against Germany on Tuesday night, two things stand out.First, it is hard to recall such a talented, well-set England team approaching a tournament knockout tie so grudgingly praised in their own country. Welcome to England 2021, a place where even the football feels a little seasick right now. Related: Hitting on the counter is the smart option for England to beat Germany |...
How to counter Joshua Kimmich and Robin Gosens is one of a string of conundrums the England manager must solveNothing in football is ever straightforward. There are few rights and few wrongs; almost everything is contingent. But even within that context, England’s game against Germany on Tuesday is hard to pin down. There are few certainties for either side; rather this is two swarms of questions buzzing into each other.At least with Germany, there is relative certainty about the shape. Joachim Löw has vacillated between a back three and a back four since the World Cup debacle before finally settling on a 3-4-3, in which the real strength is the attacking prowess of the wing-backs, Joshua Kimmich and Robin Gosens....
The speed of Sterling and Rashford had seemed the default option in support of Kane, but can Southgate afford to leave the skills of Foden and Grealish on the substitutes’ bench?Welcome to the month of living dangerously. At the end of the strangest, most fractured build-up to any modern tournament England’s footballers have at least avoided one familiar pitfall.Too often this has been a tale of boredom and stale systems, of hotel-emptiness and simply waiting for things to start. Related: Harry Kane feels England in ‘better place’ than at 2018 World Cup Related: How we made Three Lions: David Baddiel and Ian Broudie on England’s Euro 96 anthem Continue reading...