In the days leading up to tonight’s game against Slovakia, Harry Kane has been reviewing clips of their group stage performances with Jude Bellingham. Interestingly, there isn’t much footage of them playing together. Bellingham, known for candidly sharing his thoughts, respects Kane's insights. Kane has been advising him on how they can improve their fluidity on the field.
This is why Southgate often lets Kane and other senior players give the final pep talks before important matches. Kane may not be the most verbose, but he is concise and direct, which Southgate believes is what England needs now.
“There are moments where you touch on certain things, but we have been delivering messages all week,” Southgate said. “By the time you get to the kick-off, less is better. The players are normally ready, and you expect them, with their experience, to be in the right zone and the right frame of mind.”
England’s state of mind is a significant uncertainty in their campaign, along with their actual game plan. Whatever the strategy, they must execute it effectively. The first few touches against Slovakia will reveal a lot, especially after the noise of the past two weeks and the boos following their performances. Southgate believes the extended break after the group stage has benefited the squad, along with the mental shift from group games to knockouts.
“There’s definitely an excitement and a good feel around the group the last few days,” he said. “It also coincided with being able to have a day off the training pitch and relaxing a little bit. A bit of golf. It’s not always science. We’re surrounded by science and data in our world now, and sport is about joy and enjoyment… I feel we’ve been through a good week in that sense.”
One might joke about how much of England’s football has been about “joy and excitement”, but Kane feels that the “connection” between himself and Bellingham has been crucial. They need to show more adventure on the pitch to prove that none of the external noise is affecting them.
Kane echoed other figures in the camp by dismissing the impact of the “noise” around Southgate.
“We know what we’re doing here,” Kane said. “We trust the process. We trust everything we believe in, and the rest of it is just noise. It’s something you block out and focus on yourself. I think we’ve been really good at that in past tournaments and this tournament is no different.”
However, England often says this and then plays as if they are under the same pressure as previous teams.
That’s why this last-16 match against Slovakia is both a potential “fork in the road” game, as one camp member put it, and possibly Southgate’s last game. His future hangs in the balance, although he insists he isn’t thinking about it. Even before those first touches, the starting line-up may be more telling.
Does Southgate stick with the same shape and approach, assuming similar performances, or does he take a bold step? If he sticks with the former, this match could be another slog. England will be tough to beat, which is crucial in knockouts, but they will also struggle to win. Southgate and his staff have been working on different approaches, so the possibility of doing something very different is there. It would just be brave to try that mid-tournament. The feeling within the camp is that there needs to be more energy in the attacking areas.
This is why some sort of compromise feels likely.
Kobbie Mainoo is the obvious midfield option now, especially since this is likely to be a similar match to the one against Slovenia. Slovakia will be prepared to let England have the ball for long periods, which is why Mainoo makes more sense than any other midfielder.
Luke Shaw is back in full training, but it’s probably too soon for him to play. His presence would transform the team by providing much-needed balance. It would change the entire dynamic of the team.
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