Coach called on Jones to give his squad a lesson in winning before their match with Lithuania and his charges are learning the value of initiativeGareth Southgate handed the stage to the player at his side when it came down to dissecting more precisely the advice and guidance offered up by Eddie Jones on Friday night. The England rugby union coach had addressed the nation’s senior football squad back at their team hotel in Hertfordshire, his presentation devoid of PowerPoint slides or whiteboard bullet points. Players have a tendency to drift off on such occasions, staring blankly at the rat‑a‑tat of buzzwords, but the Australian apparently held the room.“We have taken massive inspiration from his work,” said Ryan Bertrand. “His...
The US should beat Honduras but if they fail then the pressure is likely to tell on a team left floundering at the end of the Jürgen Klinsmann eraLet’s start with the obvious — Honduras is a must win game. Concacaf qualifying may appear to present a ridiculously forgiving format, but there’s only so far that forgiveness stretches when you’ve lost your first two games and dropped points in the third. And no team has ever secured an automatic qualifying spot after losing its first three games, so unless the US team fancy playing in a wild card game after the Hex (and that’s a best case scenario…), they need to win on Friday. Continue reading...
The Peruvians haven’t been to a World Cup since 1982, and two huge matches this week could decide my team’s fate. For better or worse, I’m keeping the faithWith six matches to go in South American World Cup qualification, the table could hardly be tighter. The difference between first-placed Brazil and fifth-placed Argentina is eight points. Below them, three other teams still have a realistic chance of qualification. Only Bolivia and Venezuela are out of it. Related: Germany 1-0 England: five talking points from the friendly in Dortmund | Jamie Jackson Continue reading...
It may not be a crisis yet but it will be if bogey team Chile defeat Argentina – and it will add to the many issues that are affecting the national gameWhatever happens on Thursday, Chile will haunt this generation of Argentinian players for ever. The two sides met in the 2015 Copa América final and the 2016 Copa América Centenario final and on both occasions Chile won on penalties after a 0-0 draw, extending the Argentinian trophy drought that stretches back to 1993. As Argentina face the possibility of failing to qualify for a World Cup for the first time since 1970, Chile, who have a knack of stopping them from playing, are probably the last team they want...
After two defeats, the US are struggling in World Cup qualifying and Jürgen Klinsmann is an isolated figure. At least Christian Pulisic looks goodFor much of his first World Cup cycle, Jürgen Klinsmann’s glass half-full approach seemed like a calming signal. But as his second cycle has stumbled from setback to mini-revival to bigger setback, his unwillingness to take responsibility looks to have made him an increasingly isolated figure. Related: USA slump to 4-0 defeat in Costa Rica as pressure builds on Jürgen Klinsmann Continue reading...