SM
Ipswich vs. Man United: 7 hrs 29 mins
Upcoming predictions and previews
Collect News Data

Gareth Southgate urges England squad players to take chance against Andorra

:Headline: Gareth Southgate urges England squad players to take chance against Andorra:
The England boss is planning to make a host of changes to take on the minnows.
Sports Mole

England boss Gareth Southgate is planning widespread changes against Andorra and has challenged his players to seize their opportunity with just five camps to go until the World Cup.

The wounds from July's Euro 2020 final loss to Italy remain raw but there is no time to wallow in self-pity given it is just 14 months until the winter tournament in Qatar gets under way.

England have yet to qualify for the 2022 World Cup but Thursday's victory amid disgraceful scenes in Hungary means they have a five-point gap over their nearest Group I rivals ahead of facing minnows Andorra.

England recorded an impressive victory in Hungary (Attila Trenka/PA)

Southgate plans to make wholesale alterations given Wednesday's trip to Poland looms large, but that does not mean the Three Lions boss expects a drop in quality from those coming in.

"I think every time we train, every time we work together, there's a level of performance that's expected amongst us as a group of staff and players, really," he said as England prepare to line-up at Wembley for the first time since the Euro 2020 final.

"We've seen that since we got together again on Monday.

"You've got to set the standards and there's got to be a level of focus and humility. I mentioned before the game in Hungary that they're important qualities because it means then that the talent we have comes to the fore.

"So if we're working as hard as we should be, if we're mentally in the right place, then our talent can come to the fore and I think we've shown that over a consistent period of time.

"We're 14 or 15 matches without defeat and it means that as a group you gain confidence from various situations we've had to face in terms of being behind in games or being ahead in games, tight games that you have to win late.

"Everybody that comes in knows their job, everybody knows the way that we play and that's what we want every time we select a team and they take the pitch.

"We've got great trust in all of the squad so whenever we make changes to the team we always still get a good level of performance and really good level of focus."

England captain Harry Kane tries to catch Kieran Trippier during an England training session (Nick Potts/PA)

Southgate says the changes are important to keep his squad "as engaged as possible in what we're doing", while also providing his players with the chance to impress on the field as much as they do off it.

Conor Coady, who did not appear at Euro 2020, will start against Andorra and Jadon Sancho would have surely joined him in the line-up had he not withdrawn through injury.

"It's disappointing for Jadon, first and foremost, because these opportunities for England are obviously important and cherished," Southgate said.

"We've only got another five camps before a World Cup, so, yeah, for him not to play is a disappointment.

"But you know we've got a strong squad and we've got other players who are in good form and playing well, so in terms of the depth we're in a good place, really."

Sunday will be a particularly big day for Patrick Bamford as the Leeds striker prepares to make his debut in front of more than 65,000 people at Wembley.

"Of course it's a special moment for him and for his family," Southgate added.

"You always think about people that have helped you on that journey when you get these opportunities but we want him to do what he does every week with his club.

Patrick Bamford, right, is set to make his England debut (Nick Potts/PA)

"He's settled in really well with the group. He hasn't had a huge amount of time to be able to train with us yet, but I think he's got a really clear picture of how we like to play.

"It's good that he was able to watch the team play the other night at close quarters and get a feel of the expectations.

"We just want him to go and enjoy his football. The phrase you used was opportunity and that's exactly what it is.

"It should put any more pressure on himself than that. We know what he's capable of and we're looking forward to seeing him play."

body check tags ::

amp_article__462285 : Collect and Make Data not in DataBase  : 
last updated article - 2021-09-04 17:01:29:
html db last update - 2021-09-04 17:01:29 :

ex - 7200 : read : write cache and make html

Click here for more stories about Gareth Southgate

Click here for more stories about Andorra

Share this article now:
EM
Read Next:
Gareth Southgate vows 'mature' England will keep fighting battle against racism
>


Sports Mole provides in-depth previews and predictions for every match from the biggest leagues and competitions in world football.
AL
Sign up for our FREE daily preview newsletter direct to your inbox!
Read more about Gareth Southgate Patrick Bamford Jadon Sancho Football
Follow @SportsMole for the latest breaking news stories, and follow @sm_headlines to get every headline from Sports Mole
Recommended Next on SM
Gareth Southgate vows 'mature' England will keep fighting battle against racism
Ruben rejected: Man United's 'unsuccessful feeler' for Real Madrid star revealed
"He's been unfairly judged" - Have the critics been too harsh on Arsenal's Merino?
Tuesday's Nations League predictions including Hungary vs. Germany

Page options

Premier League Table
TeamPWDLFAGDPTS
1Liverpool119112161528
2Manchester CityMan City127232217523
3Chelsea126422314922
4Arsenal126422112922
5Brighton & Hove AlbionBrighton126422116522
6Tottenham HotspurSpurs1261527131419
7Nottingham ForestNott'm Forest125431513219
8Aston Villa125431919019
9Newcastle UnitedNewcastle115331311218
10Fulham125341717018
11Brentford125252222017
12Manchester UnitedMan Utd114341212015
13Bournemouth124351617-115
14West Ham UnitedWest Ham113351319-612
15Everton122551017-711
16Leicester CityLeicester122461523-810
17Wolverhampton WanderersWolves122372028-89
18Crystal Palace121561017-78
19Ipswich TownIpswich111551222-108
20Southampton11119721-144
Scroll for more - Tap for full version


Sports Mole provides in-depth previews and predictions for every match from the biggest leagues and competitions in world football.
AL
Sign up for our FREE daily preview newsletter direct to your inbox!

Loading ...

Failed to load data.

history www

Sunday's Premier League predictions including Ipswich Town vs. Man United

1

SP

Defensive trio to miss out: Arsenal injury, suspension list for Sporting clash

2

DT

Wolff 'lucky' to get Bottas back at Mercedes

NEW

3

W'

Preview: Denver Nuggets vs. New York Knicks - prediction, team news, form guide

NEW

4

PD

Sunday's La Liga predictions including Leganes vs. Real Madrid

5

SL

Sunday's Serie A predictions including Napoli vs. Roma

6

SS

European escape: National champions 'escalate' pursuit of Chelsea contract rebel

7

EE

'Not good enough': Man United chiefs have 'serious doubts' over summer arrival

8

'G

Flick stunned! Ten-man Barca pegged back by Celta late on in Vigo

9

FS

Another Ruben reunion? Man United add 'fan favourite' to left-back shortlist

10

AR


. . . . . . . . . . . . . . .