It has been one of the most remarkable features of this extraordinary run to the Euro 2020 final that Gareth Southgate has not only kept his squad fit, he has kept them happy too.
When he brought Jack Grealish off in extra time having only introduced the playmaker well into the second half of the semi-final against Denmark, the England boss understandably feared a rumbling of mutiny. Instead, Grealish grinned “I’m not really bothered, we made the final!” and went about plotting his latest impact off the bench, which could well come against Italy on Sunday.
Perhaps “planning” is a stretch. The Aston Villa midfielder, like so many of this joyous, effervescent England outfit, plays not so much with meticulous forethought as with imagination and a flare that cannot be drilled on the training pitch.
That is not to underestimate the hard yards put in at St George’s Park, however, where Southgate has created a culture buoyed by inflatable unicorns, smoothies and darts. Whatever the secret is, it’s worked.
The era where Wags and scandal dominated the off-field headlines, rather than Bukayo Saka prancing around a swimming pool, is gone.
England team news
The feel-good factor is such that the only bones to pick with Southgate’s team selections now are that he is not able to squeeze all of England’s talented attackers – Grealish, Jadon Sancho, Marcus Rashford and Phil Foden, for example – into his XI.
It means that he could well pick an unchanged team for the final, with Harry Kane leading the line in front of in-form Raheem Sterling, Saka, and Mason Mount.
Saka was a doubt for the semi-final but recovered from a knock suffered in training. All bookings were wiped before the last four too, so no players from either side are suspended for the final.
Kalvin Phillips and Declan Rice will occupy a two-man midfield in front of a back four of Kyle Walker, John Stones, Harry Maguire and Luke Shaw. There is a chance that Southgate could shift to a back three, but his pragmatic approach so far suggests he is likely to stick with the familiar.
Roberto Mancini will envy England’s position of a fully fit squad as he will be missing Leonardo Spinazzola, who excelled in the group stages before tearing his Achilles.
England’s predicted XI:
More from i on Euro 2020
- This has been Sterling’s summer – when the man was finally able to become king
- Fish & chips to fashion tips: What Southgate’s tweets tell us about the England boss
- Why there have been so many own goals – from tiredness to lazy defending
- We need to talk about Jordan Pickford – the unsung hero of this England team
- How to watch every Euro 2020 match on TV and online in the UK
from Football – inews.co.uk https://ift.tt/3e2PAMZ
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