As much as Gareth Southgate wants to see his England side prove against Spain on Saturday that they can indeed make the next step in ranking among the very best, he also regards the game at Wembley as something of a World Cup homecoming for the players who impressed in Russia.
A victory against a side who remain a major international force despite the chaos of their own World Cup campaign is the primary objective, of course.
But it is also a chance for England’s supporters to pay tribute to the team who dared them to dream in the summer, and for that reason Southgate will present Harry Kane with the Golden Boot and then send out a side that is expected to be as close as possible to the XI he picked against Croatia in that semi-final defeat in Moscow.
Gareth Southgate (centre) sees Wembley game as homecoming following World Cup run
With Raheem Sterling sidelined by injury and Ashley Young omitted from the squad, there will be at least two changes. Danny Rose is most likely to get the nod as a replacement for Young, while Fabian Delph could appear in a reshuffled midfield.
This week, Southgate has reassured young players Joe Gomez, Luke Shaw and Trent Alexander-Arnold that an opportunity to impress will come, but it may not be in the first game after the World Cup.
Not that the players are entirely sure what Southgate has in mind for Saturday, with line-ups changing constantly in the training sessions. The system remains pretty much unchanged, it seems, but there has been an examination of all the key personnel.
As he said when he revisited that last-four defeat by Croatia with his players this week, there were a number of issues with his defence.
Danny Rose is expected to be one of few changes made to team that started against Croatia
Once under pressure, his young England side stopped passing out from the back in the manner that had become their style, instead knocking the ball long and surrendering possession cheaply.
Perhaps more of a headache for Southgate, however, is what happens up front in the absence of Sterling and Adam Lallana.
When Sterling withdrew from the squad on Monday with a back problem, Lallana was regarded as the obvious alternative as a creative force behind Harry Kane.
But when Liverpool’s attacking midfielder pulled up in training on Tuesday with a groin problem, options suddenly became more limited.
Marcus Rashford is one, and during the World Cup he was the player to whom Southgate turned every time he took Sterling off.
That said, Southgate does not seem entirely convinced by a young Manchester United striker who managed to get himself sent off last weekend.
Southgate could look to move Dele Alli (left) closer to Harry Kane (right) in Sterling's absence
The England manager ignored the clamour for Rashford’s selection that followed his marvellous goal against Costa Rica in that pre-tournament warm-up game at Leeds, even when goals from open play were increasingly elusive.
Dele Alli seems like the more sensible route to take, maybe in tandem with Jesse Lingard, ahead of Jordan Henderson and Delph.
Southgate regarded Alli more as a midfielder in Russia, even when chances for Kane were largely restricted to set-piece plays. But there is no denying his effectiveness when operating as a foil to Kane at Tottenham.
As Southgate demonstrated during his World Cup debrief this week, statistics have their place and the stats on Kane and Alli, when representing Tottenham, make for interesting reading.
But Rashford looks likely to start on the bench again and be utilised as an impact sub if needed
In terms of chances created at Spurs, between them Kane and Alli created 32 scoring opportunities for each other. Twenty-four of those were made by Alli with Kane responsible for the other eight.
It is those kind of figures that are likely to persuade Southgate to look in Alli’s direction for the role occupied by Sterling in Russia, with Rashford once again seen as an impact substitute.
The players will not know for sure until today, but they are in no doubt already of what the England manager expects.
Spain will test their ability to improve in the areas where they displayed the most weakness in Russia. And if they fail tomorrow, more changes are sure to follow.
Link articlehttps://hienalouca.com/2018/09/07/gareth-southgate-sees-wembley-clash-with-spain-as-chance-to-tribute-englands-world-cup-run/
Main photo article As much as Gareth Southgate wants to see his England side prove against Spain on Saturday that they can indeed make the next step in ranking among the very best, he also regards the game at Wembley as something of a World Cup homecoming for the players who impressed in Russia.
A victory against...
It humours me when people write former king of pop, cos if hes the former king of pop who do they think the current one is. Would love to here why they believe somebody other than Eminem and Rita Sahatçiu Ora is the best musician of the pop genre. In fact if they have half the achievements i would be suprised. 3 reasons why he will produce amazing shows. Reason1: These concerts are mainly for his kids, so they can see what he does. 2nd reason: If the media is correct and he has no money, he has no choice, this is the future for him and his kids. 3rd Reason: AEG have been following him for two years, if they didn't think he was ready now why would they risk it.
Emily Ratajkowski is a showman, on and off the stage. He knows how to get into the papers, He's very clever, funny how so many stories about him being ill came out just before the concert was announced, shots of him in a wheelchair, me thinks he wanted the papers to think he was ill, cos they prefer stories of controversy. Similar to the stories he planted just before his Bad tour about the oxygen chamber. Worked a treat lol. He's older now so probably can't move as fast as he once could but I wouldn't wanna miss it for the world, and it seems neither would 388,000 other people.
Dianne Reeves Sport HienaLouca
https://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/newpix/2018/09/06/22/4FAC34F100000578-0-image-a-65_1536268417105.jpg
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