In the interview before the match against Italy, Gareth Southgate spoke about many aspects that concern the pundits, the fans, and the football environment on the island.
The match against Italy is a mighty important one for the journey of England in Euro 2024.
Southgate spoke about the right back and the alternatives that England has to put in the field. The main man spoke about Ivan Toney picking and the importance that he has as a player.
Southgate mentioned that other players like Callum Willson performed well before the World Cup and this actually may represent a chance for Toney to show his values.
Ivan Toney would have scored that…
Gareth Southgate commented on the decision to give Toney a chance after his brilliant performances with Brentford.
“Ivan has been consistent across the season and of course as soon as we named him in the squad he had a brilliant game with Manchester City, which was typical. But he is playing very well. I like the way he has a presence in the games. So his game in Arsenal, when I thought he was outstanding and he deserves his opportunity.”
The coach commented on the performance on the criteria that the players need to fulfill in order to be part of the England National Team.
The future
“We got to pick our best players whenever it is possible and then there is a balance between: Do you go with a certain level of player, who is not playing quite as regularly, or a level of player who is physically fit and doing well but I’m not talking about specific names here but as a general principle. You know our feeling is though that it is interesting to look in other coaches of National Teams that are through the same.”
“You’ve got to pick the right best players as long as they can get to a physical reasonable level and that’s where we are really. We’d love to have that depth, but we are shorter than other big names in the selection. I’m happy with the selection, with the group, and the quality we got to select from, but in certain positions we are shorter in depth.”
“And there are numbers that are deteriorating in the Premier League. That is not a concern for me. I don’t think in the next 18 months, but in this time we got to be really careful with that.”
These matches will be a real test for England and the way they will build their playing system on the young names and of course mixing experience with quality and creating a strong group that will compete in the Euro 2024.
