1) Is Gareth Southgate really the best man for England job?
Currently there are no outstanding teams in international football. In part this is down to concentration of money in the club game, which has led to the world’s best players converging at fewer clubs than ever before. But to look at the winners of the last World Cup and European Championship, and to look at the South American giants, is to look at a fallow period across the board. Which is to say that it has never been easier to succeed, which is to say that England stand on the verge of opportunity. Though they do not have top-level players in every position and though they do not have any world stars, yet few countries have as deep a selection nor as wide an array of attacking talent.
The question, then, is whether Gareth Southgate is the man to extract the maximum from it. That he is English is a plus, not because of modish nationalist sentiment but, because the point of the enterprise is to find the best national football team, the manager is an essential part of the enterprise and, as such, his or her identity should be subject to the same rules that govern the player. More specifically no elite football nation would outsource such an important role and there is also a moral imperative, as pithily noted by Frank Sobotka in the Wire. “We used to make shit in this country, build shit,” he said. “Now we just put our hand in the next guy’s pocket.”
Because international managers get very little time with their players they need not be great coaches and because they are dealing with those who have reached the top, their ability to motivate is also not crucial. Rather they must correctly identify their best individuals and arrange a system which suits them, then work out how to combat the strengths of their opponents. How little evidence there is of Southgate’s ability to do this is amazing, which is not to say it is beyond him but to marvel at how we find ourselves here.
Southgate set for England job but work has only just begun
FA plucks Southgate for England job from a bare cupboard
2) Wales pay for Coleman’s lack of positive thinking
After a disappointing home draw with Georgia last time out Chris Coleman altered his formation from the 5-3-2 that has been so successful to a 4-2-2-2. Mindful of another opponent aiming to play on the counter, he inserted an extra attacker in the shape of Hal Robson-Kanu and moved Gareth Bale slightly deeper; his boldness was rewarded when the pair combined to put Wales ahead. But the goal came at the end of a period that had been controlled by Serbia, their sharp technique and intelligent movement overriding the Bale factor. But they did not create any serious chances, nor did they in a dull second half, and as the clock ran down Coleman might have urged his players forward in pursuit of a clinching second goal. However, he chose not to but, stranger still, did not restore the system with which his team are most comfortable. So, when he withdrew Joe Ledley – exhausted, no doubt, but whose scurrying tenacity in front of the back-four made him the game’s outstanding player – Serbia sniffed a chance and a minute later were level. Publicly Coleman professed satisfaction with what he had seen, though privately he would be within his rights to wonder why they were not better. And, while he was at it, he would also do well to challenge his own contribution.
Wales 1-1 Serbia: match report
3) Martin O’Neill must work out plan to stifle Bale
Given that in Vienna there is a shoulder where death comes to cry and a tree where the doves go to die it was no great surprise that between September 2012 and October 2016 Austria were unbeaten in home qualifiers. So for Ireland to leave the Ernst Happel with a win was quite some achievement; they now lead Group D by two points and are well-placed to win it. But their next game, at home to Wales, poses a different and specific problem: can they contain Gareth Bale? Though Austria’s David Alaba and Marko Arnautovic are very good indeed, they are not world-beaters like Bale and, should Wales exert similar pressure to Austria, it is unlikely that Ireland would make it to half-time without conceding. Individually they do not have the tools to cope with Bale, so Martin O’Neill must devise a plan for the collective. Most likely this will involve deep, disciplined defending – after all, a draw would be a reasonable result for Ireland, whereas Wales need to win. But there is more to it than that. Bale’s goal against Serbia on Saturday came, in part, because Vladimir Stojkovic charged out of his goal for no reason, and similar happened at the European Championship, when Matus Kozacik and Joe Hart were spooked simply by his presence behind a dead ball. So, perhaps more than anything, O’Neill must prime his men to stay calm; easier said than done.
Austria 0-1 Republic of Ireland: match report
4) Croatia’s star-studded midfield can beat anyone
Croatia’s performance against Spain was one of the highlights of the European Championship. Not only did they come from behind to beat the world’s most competent frontrunners but they did so in thrilling style and fielding a team studded with youngsters. So it is not at all surprising to see them at the top of Group I, nor will it be if they make a serious impression in Russia. In particular they have a midfield of conviction and imagination, as good as any in the world. Against Iceland it featured Milan Badelj, Mateo Kovacic and Ivan Rakitic, with Luka Modric, now fit, replacing Kovacic at half-time, to complete a trio of box-to-box schemers comfortable in any facet of their job – a rarity in the modern game. And with exciting players such as Ivan Perisic and Marcelo Brozovic outside them, along with a tangible sense of national pride that inspires less feted players to play above themselves, they have a team good enough to beat anyone.
Croatia leave troubles at home to play best football in years
5) Spain need to find room for brilliant Isco
Spain’s 4-0 win over Macedonia was not as straightforward as the scoreline suggests, the margin established thanks to an own goal, a ricochet and two late goals. This is only to be expected, as Julen Lopetegui seeks to rebuild, but whatever he does, he does not have players anywhere near as brilliant as those bestowed upon his predecessor. In particular, his squad lacks spark, David Silva and his shuffle its only reliable provider, which is not to say that Vitolo and Thiago Alcantara are not good players – they are – but they are not definitive players, at least not yet. In which circumstance, perhaps he should find a starting spot for Isco whose off-the-cuff brilliance can punctuate the possession carousel.
Julen Lopetegui: why I am passionate about English football
Spain are fitting opponents for Southgate’s England template
6) Deschamps must build his France team around Pogba
Didier Deschamps has done a spectacular job in contriving to remain manager of France. Endowed with perhaps the world’s most talented squad, he has extracted from it close to the minimum; his preference for André-Pierre Gignac ahead of Anthony Martial is a sacking offence in and of itself. Nor has Deschamps discovered the best way of using Paul Pogba. Because his is a unique, transcendental talent, he can succeed in a variety of positions and against Sweden he played well shielding the back four. But this does not mean that picking him there is the smartest thing to do, even if, alongside him, Blaise Matuidi has emerged from last season’s slump. Such behaviour might be excusable had Pogba not explicitly stated that he is most useful when stationed on the left of a midfield three, by amazing coincidence the self-same position in which he excelled for Juventus. Of course, he might be wrong but, if he believes to the contrary, it barely matters and, given his age – he is still only 23 – he should be learning his position, not being shunted hither and yon. When a manager is lucky enough to have a player like Pogba, he must build around him, not shove him where there happens to be a space.
Payet scores winner as France beat Sweden
7) Germany benefit from Serge Gnabry’s renewed confidence
Since leaving Arsenal, Serge Gnabry has exploded. He was superb throughout Germany’s Olympic campaign, finishing as joint-top scorer, and now has four goals in nine games for Werder Bremen. These exploits were enough to earn him a debut for his country and on Friday night he scored a hat-trick against San Marino. Now Arsène Wenger is no fool – he knew how good Gnabry was and did not want him to leave. In which context Gnabry deserves praise for his decision; ignoring such praise from such an eminent figure cannot be easy. But, unwilling to sit around and wait, Gnabry ignored his ego and did exactly that, so fully deserves the rewards earned by his bravery and confidence.
Klose confirms retirement and joins Germany coaching staff
8) Northern Ireland carry on their summer showing
After a strong summer showing in France, the pressure was on Northern Ireland to continue improving through World Cup qualifying; no longer would an occasional decent result obscure eventual failure. And in Azerbaijan they met a side in good form, their last three games yielding wins over San Marino and Norway, along with a point in Prague against the Czech Republic. But in Belfast they were barely given a look-in, dominated in midfield and brutalised from set pieces by a side intimately acquainted with its method. Confidence beats pressure every time.
Northern Ireland 4-0 Azerbaijan: match report
9) Belotti’s got the lot for Italy
Excelling against Liechtenstein is no big deal but even so Italy will have been heartened by their performance on Saturday. And, having struggled with attackers for more than a decade, they may have found a star in Andrea Belotti. Doubtless his cause was helped by playing with a partner – Ciro Immobile – and two wingers, Antonio Candreva and Jack Bonaventura, in a bold 4-2-4 formation. But there was more to it than that. As a youngster Belotti played in midfield and on the wing and is comfortable playing as the main striker or in behind – versatility that will not be lost on Giampiero Ventura, who managed him at club level before taking the national job. In Liechtenstein Belotti showed the full range of his talents. His first goal was a tap-in but only because he anticipated where the ball dropped while his second followed an intelligent run and dextrous first touch. But the highlight of his evening was the craning, stretching header that put Immobile through for Italy’s third goal. The question now is whether Ventura has the moxie to stick with such an offensive approach.
Italy finally have system to maximise talent at their disposal
10) Strachan deserves a chance with Scotland
Gordon Strachan is under pressure as manager of Scotland, which is fair enough; they have not played well under him nor have they improved all that much. But the idea that someone else could come in and necessarily improve things is a funny one – the world is no more replete with necessarily better managers eager for the job than it is with necessarily better players able to do a job. And at least Strachan knows his squad; any replacement, whoever it might be, would have to start from the beginning. So, though he might be privately encouraged to look again at some of the players he has discarded and though the evidence for keeping him is not overwhelming, the SFA would do well to hold their nerve and give him a chance. They might think it cannot get any worse but verily it can.
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