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Tag: England

  • Man Utd defender Luke Shaw recalled to England squad

    Man Utd defender Luke Shaw recalled to England squad

    Manchester United defender Luke Shaw has been included in Gareth Southgate’s 23-man England squad for September’s fixtures against Spain and Switzerland.

    Shaw, 23, last played for England in March 2017, as a second-half substitute in a 1-0 friendly defeat by Germany.

    Liverpool pair Joe Gomez and Adam Lallana, and Burnley’s James Tarkowski are also included in Southgate’s first post-World Cup squad.

    “Luke has always been a player we have liked,” said Southgate.

    Shaw endured a tough 2017-18 season, facing public criticism from United manager Jose Mourinho, who questioned his approach to training and commitment to the club.

    But the former Southampton player, who has seven international caps, has enjoyed a strong start to the new Premier League season, scoring his first senior goal against Leicester City this month.

    “He’s had a difficult period in terms of adapting to a new club and a horrendous injury that he had to overcome,” Southgate added.

    “I’m really impressed with his physical condition. He’s shown an extra edge to his game in the last couple of games. He’s shown aggression and a desire not to lose, and is looking back to his powerful best.”

    England open their Uefa Nations League campaign against Spain at Wembley on 8 September, before facing Switzerland three days later in Leicester for a Kick It Out international friendly.

    Shaw’s United team-mate Ashley Young, who helped England reach the World Cup semi-finals, has been left out of the squad, as has Phil Jones, who is injured.

    “I want us to try and capture what we had this summer,” said Southgate.

    “Once we’re through this camp, there’s going to be competition from others. People are going to have to play at a good level to retain their places.”

    England squad

    Goalkeepers: Jack Butland (Stoke), Jordan Pickford (Everton), Alex McCarthy (Southampton)

    Defenders: Trent Alexander-Arnold (Liverpool), Fabian Delph (Manchester City), Joe Gomez (Liverpool), Harry Maguire (Leicester City) Danny Rose (Tottenham Hotspur), Luke Shaw (Manchester United), John Stones (Manchester City), James Tarkowski (Burnley), Kieran Trippier (Tottenham Hotspur), Kyle Walker (Manchester City)

    Midfielders: Dele Alli (Tottenham Hotspur), Eric Dier (Tottenham Hotspur), Jordan Henderson (Liverpool), Adam Lallana (Liverpool), Jesse Lingard (Manchester United), Ruben Loftus-Cheek (Chelsea)

    Forwards: Harry Kane (Tottenham Hotspur), Marcus Rashford (Manchester United), Raheem Sterling (Manchester City), Danny Welbeck (Arsenal)

    BBC

  • England duo Vardy, Cahill retires from international football

    England pair Jamie Vardy and Gary Cahill are stepping aside from international football to allow manager Gareth Southgate to bring younger players in.

    But both players say they are “not shutting the door completely”.

    Leicester City striker Vardy – who has won 26 international caps – says he first told Southgate of his intentions at the World Cup in Russia.

    “This has been on my mind for a while,” the 31-year-old told the Guardian.

    “I’m not getting any younger and you can see, to be fair to the gaffer, he wants to make it more youthful, which obviously had its benefits during the World Cup.”

    Vardy, who made his England debut against the Republic of Ireland in June 2015, made four appearances for England at this summer’s World Cup, where they reached the semi-finals.

    He has told Southgate he also wishes to concentrate on his club football and his family.

    “Gareth said that he felt I still had a lot to offer, and we’ve not shut the door completely,” said Vardy, who scored seven goals in an England shirt.

    “If the worst came to happen and everyone was injured, then obviously I wouldn’t say no.”

    Chelsea defender Cahill, 32, scored five goals in 61 appearances for England, having made his debut in 2010, and captained the side on several occasions.

    He made just one appearance at the World Cup, during England’s 1-0 group stage defeat by Belgium.

    “I can see it is now going to a younger generation and I think it is the perfect time for me to take a step back,” Cahill told Chelsea TV.

    “I’ve been hugely honoured to play for my country and I would never shut the door.

    “I’ve said that if there are injuries in the future and I’m needed to come and play then, of course, I’m available.”

  • FA set to extend Southgate’s England contract beyond 2020

    FA set to extend Southgate’s England contract beyond 2020

    The Football Association wants Gareth Southgate to remain as England manager beyond Euro 2020 but accepts it cannot compete on salary if a Premier League club tries to lure him away.

    Southgate’s standing soared as England reached a first World Cup semi-final for 28 years in Russia this summer.

    Having initially come in as a caretaker manager, the 47-year-old was given a four-year contract in November 2016.

    “We’d like him to stay beyond 2020,” said FA chief executive Martin Glenn.

    “I think we’d both like that, but if we talked about it at any length it would then be a contract conversation and he’s on holiday now – so we’ll talk when he comes back.”

    Southgate’s salary is understood to be £1.8m a year, with performance bonuses taking it closer to the £2.5m his predecessors Sam Allardyce and Roy Hodgson are believed to have earned.

    These figures, however, are still considerably less than the £4m a year Fabio Capello received when in the job and a fraction of the £15m a year salaries earned by the likes of Manchester United boss Jose Mourinho and Manchester City counterpart Pep Guardiola in the Premier League.

    Southgate has not hidden the fact he would also like to return to club management one day, having been sacked by Middlesbrough in 2009.

    Asked if he was concerned that Southgate’s success with England will attract lucrative offers from clubs, Glenn said: “I want to pay my staff competitively so they are not a flight risk, but I also recognise we are a sports governing body and we’re not a Manchester United.

    “We can never compete with the Premier League in terms of pay – everyone knows that.

    “At some point, Gareth may choose that he wants to try something different and we’ll find someone else.”

    Glenn’s admiration for Southgate is clear, with the chief executive saying he “blossomed” in Russia and referring to him “as the definition of the modern manager we want”.

    “Gareth is on a journey,” he added. “He loved the World Cup and he’s built his own belief that we can go further and that motivates him and [assistant manager] Steve Holland.

    “One of the most powerful things he said after our defeat by Croatia was we haven’t done the job. We want to be a top 4 team, one of the best, so it’s unfinished business.”

  • Croatia underestimated by English pundits lacking respect – Modric

    Croatia underestimated by English pundits lacking respect – Modric

    Croatia were “underestimated” by English pundits who lacked respect, says captain Luka Modric.

    Zlatko Dalic’s side beat England 2-1 in extra time to reach the World Cup final for the first time in their history.

    Midfielder Modric said the team had been motivated by people saying they would be “tired” after their previous two matches went to penalty shootouts.

    “We showed again we were not tired,” he said. “We dominated the game physically, mentally, in all aspects.”

    Kieran Trippier gave England the lead in Moscow, but Ivan Perisic levelled for Croatia before Mario Mandzukic scored the winning goal in the 109th minute.

    “English journalists, pundits from television, they underestimated Croatia and that was a huge mistake,” Real Madrid’s Modric told ITV. “They should be more humble and respect more opponents.

    “All these words from them we take, we were reading and we were saying, ‘OK, today we will see who will be tired’.”

    England face Croatia in October and November in the new Uefa Nations League.

    Croatia, whose previous best World Cup performance was a third-place finish in 1998, face France in Moscow on Sunday.

    “It is the biggest success in Croatian history in sport and we have to be proud,” added Modric.

    Croatia defender Dejan Lovren said Modric deserves to win the Ballon d’Or if they win Sunday’s final, describing his team-mate as the “best midfield player in the world”.

    The Liverpool centre-back also believes he should be considered one of the world’s best defenders.

    Lovren, 29, made 43 appearances for Liverpool last season as they finished fourth in the Premier League and reached the Champions League final.

    But he was criticised for some of his performances during the season, and received a death threat after October’s 4-1 defeat by Tottenham.

    “I think people should recognise that I am also one of the best defenders in the world and not just talk nonsense,” he told Bein Sports.

     

  • BREAKING: Croatia through to 2018 World Cup final

    BREAKING: Croatia through to 2018 World Cup final

    Croatia defeat England 2-1 on Wednesday to advance into 2018 FIFA World Cup final.

    England’s bid to reach a first World Cup final since 1966 came to an end in the last four as they lost in extra time to Croatia in Moscow.

    Juventus striker Mario Mandzukic scored the winning goal in the 109th minute, slotting in from Ivan Perisic’s flick-on into the area.

    Perisic’s volley sent the match into extra time after Kieran Trippier had given England a fifth-minute lead with a sublime free-kick.

    Unfancied before the competition, Gareth Southgate’s young side defied expectations by reaching the semi-finals, but were undone by an experienced Croatia side.

    England, playing in their first World Cup semi-final since 1990, got the perfect start through Trippier’s brilliant free-kick and Croatia were finding it extremely difficult to deal with England’s high-tempo game.

    Harry Kane could have doubled the lead but was denied by goalkeeper Danijel Subasic and Jesse Lingard placed a shot wide from a good position.

    Croatia grew into the game in the second half and equalised through Perisic, and the Inter Milan winger hit the post with a low drive shortly after.

    In extra time John Stones saw a header cleared off the line, while Pickford made a brilliant save from Mandzukic’s close range effort – but the Everton man could do nothing about the winner.

    England will now play Belgium in Saturday’s third/fourth place play-off in St Petersburg.

  • England: Museum bids for Southgate’s World Cup waistcoat

    England: Museum bids for Southgate’s World Cup waistcoat

    Football may not be the only thing ‘coming home’ this month as England boss Gareth Southgate’s World Cup waistcoat is being sought by the Museum of London.

    Over 300 years since the sleeveless garment was first worn by King Charles II in the English capital, unlikely trendsetter Southgate has made waistcoats popular again.

    The England manager has sported a navy blue Marks & Spencer one throughout England’s run to the World Cup semi-finals in Russia, which has led to increased sales and more Google searches for the item back home.

    Actor Hugh Grant tweeted about the piece of clothing ahead of England’s quarter-final victory over Sweden and the following day BBC presenter Andrew Marr opened his show in a waistcoat as a tribute to Southgate.

    The Museum of London now wants to recognise the garment’s revival by acquiring one of the England boss’ waistcoats for its permanent collection.

    “Waistcoats were born in London in 1666, promoted by King Charles II,” the museum’s senior fashion curator Beatrice Behlen said.

    “The new fashion soon spread and for at least 300 years a three-piece suit soon formed a key part of every man’s wardrobe.

    “Now Gareth Southgate is reviving that London tradition and bringing waistcoats home to the forefront of fashion.

    “This acquisition would be a fantastic addition to our holdings and would come at an exciting time for us while we build the London Collection as we plan the New Museum in West Smithfield.”

    Sky sports

  • England wave off suggestions of playing ‘weak’ teams

    England wave off suggestions of playing ‘weak’ teams

    England midfielder Eric Dier has said every team the side has met at the 2018 World Cup were “very hard” as they prepare to play Croatia at the semi-final on Wednesday.

    Several fans and pundits believe the Three Lions have been meeting “weak” teams at the competition but Dier said there is a “lot of quality here, in every team.”

    He also said the players want to serve as inspiration to the future English side when they look at them.

    “It means a lot to us,” the Tottenham player told ESPN. “This is only the third time that England have reached the semifinals, and the first time in 28 years.

    “I want this to be an inspiration for future generations of English footballers. I hope that, when they look at us, they know that everything is possible and that they can also go far.”

    He added that, “All the matches here at the World Cup are very hard.

    “Since the beginning of the tournament, we’ve seen the big teams struggling against other teams that some considered to be weak.

    “However, there is no such thing as a weak team in a World Cup. There’s a lot of quality here, in every team. We experienced that against Sweden. It was a really tough game.

    “Our great triumph is our unity. We have a really great bond between the 23 players and the staff. We’re ready to fight for each other and we have a very strong mentality.

    “Everyone has been able to see this since the beginning of the World Cup, and now we expect to be here until the last day.”

  • World Cup: England reaching semi-final is ‘incredible feeling’ – Southgate

    World Cup: England reaching semi-final is ‘incredible feeling’ – Southgate

    England’s appearance in a first World Cup semi-final since 1990 is an “incredible feeling”, says boss Gareth Southgate.

    Goals by Harry Maguire and Dele Alli sealed a 2-0 last-eight win over Sweden to leave them one game from the final.

    England must now prepare for a momentous match in Moscow on Wednesday against the winner of the quarter-final between hosts Russia and Croatia.

    “Russia in Moscow would be an incredible game,” Southgate said.

    England have not reached the final since winning the World Cup in 1966, while it is only the third time they have reached the last four.

    “I hope everyone at home enjoys tonight because it’s not often this happens,” added Southgate to BBC Sport. “It is an incredible feeling.”

    Maguire and Alli struck either side of the interval in Samara. Maguire broke the deadlock on the half-hour, flashing a header past Sweden goalkeeper Robin Olsen from Ashley Young’s corner.

    England sealed victory when Alli headed in Jesse Lingard’s lofted cross at the far post.

    “We knew it was going to be such a different game after having extra time and penalties against Colombia, with all the emotion and the energy,” said Southgate.

    “We had to withstand a lot of physical pressure but the resilience of the team was crucial.

    “We knew we would have the majority of the ball and it was a case of breaking them down because Sweden are a really well organised team.

    “Over the years we have underestimated them.”

  • [BREAKING] World Cup: England advance into semi-finals

    [BREAKING] World Cup: England advance into semi-finals

    Harry Maguire and Dele Alli scored headers as England booked their place in a first World Cup semi-final since 1990 by beating Sweden 2-0.

    Maguire and Alli struck either side of half-time in Samara on Saturday to move the Three Lions into the last four, and they will face either Croatia or hosts Russia on Wednesday.

    England dominated after making a slow start, Maguire scoring from Ashley Young’s left-wing corner after half an hour to put Gareth Southgate’s side on track.

    Jordan Pickford made tremendous saves to deny Marcus Berg and Viktor Claesson either side of Alli doubling England’s lead, the midfielder nodding in Jesse Lingard’s centre.

    Although the World Cup’s top scorer Harry Kane was muted, England held Sweden at bay to follow up their penalty success against Colombia with a more comfortable victory.

    Sweden had advanced from three of their four previous World Cup quarter-finals but could not find a way to beat Pickford as the Three Lions marched on to the semis.

    Claesson hammered the game’s first shot over the crossbar in the 12th minute as a cagey start saw both sides play loose passes due to early nerves.

    Raheem Sterling then set up Golden Boot leader Kane, who slotted wide, with England – playing in their first World Cup quarter-final since 2006 – starting to find their feet.

    And they took the lead in the 30th minute with their eighth set-piece goal of the tournament.

    Young’s outswinging corner found Maguire to power home his first international goal, goalkeeper Robin Olsen and Ola Toivonen on the line unable to stop the defender’s downward header.

    The offside flag spared Sterling’s blushes when Kieran Trippier’s long-range pass sent him clear to miss and the forward soon wasted another chance from Jordan Henderson’s lofted throughball.

    Olsen did well initially with a strong hand to deny Sterling, who dallied with the rebound and allowed Andreas Granqvist to make a vital block.

    Pickford was called into action for the first time shortly after the restart, diving to his left to superbly palm away a header from Berg, who climbed above Young at the back post.

    The importance of that terrific save was made clearer as England struck again in the 58th minute.

    Another England set-piece caused chaos and, although Sweden initially cleared their lines when Lingard delivered a perfect cross to the back post, Alli was there to double his side’s advantage.

    Pickford made a smart stop from Claesson after he combined well with Berg, Sweden coach Janne Andersson turning to John Guidetti from the bench.

    Guidetti teed up strike partner Berg in the 71st minute but Pickford, who kept his first clean sheet of the World Cup, tipped the effort over the crossbar.

    Such was England’s comfort in the closing stages, Henderson – at risk of missing the semi-final through suspension – could be replaced by Eric Dier as Southgate’s side moved on to Moscow.

  • Lack of pressure means England can win World Cup – Eriksson

    Lack of pressure means England can win World Cup – Eriksson

    England are benefiting from playing without “enormous pressure” and can go all the way and win the World Cup if they beat Sweden in Saturday’s quarter-final, says Sven-Goran Eriksson.

    Swede Eriksson guided England to successive World Cup quarter-finals in 2002 and 2006 before resigning.

    “Before my time, during my time and a little bit after my time, it was like you had to reach the final,” Eriksson told BBC Sport.

    “That has changed.”

    Eriksson also took England to the quarter-finals of Euro 2004 but was criticised after his 67-match reign ended in defeat by Portugal at the 2006 World Cup in Germany.

    The former Manchester City boss, who managed Ivory Coast at the 2010 World Cup, said the lack of pressure on England in Russia is helping Gareth Southgate’s side.

    “That’s good for the team because you can go out and play more relaxed,” he added.

    “England are a good team, a young team and a hungry team. I think England and the fans are happy now because they are in the quarter-finals.”