WINKS: WORLD CUP WAS JUST START FOR US
MIDFIELDER SAYS ENGLAND ARE READY TO BUILD ON POSITIVE DISPLAYS IN RUSSIA AND AGAINST CROATIA
HARRY WINKS today claimed England are ready to prove they can compete with the best sides in the world as they bid to keep their Nations League hopes alive here in Spain.
Defeat tonight for Gareth Southgate’s side would leave them facing possible relegation from the competition’s top tier — and while demotion would have little bearing on their Euro 2020 hopes, it would represent a step backwards after reaching the World Cup semi-finals.
England earned a credible goalless draw on Friday night against Croatia, the team that knocked them out at the last-four stage in Russia just 93 days earlier, and Winks believes that result is proof they are ready to build on an encouraging summer.
“The lads did unbelievably well in Russia and at the weekend,” he told Standard Sport. “To see where people were expecting us to finish before the tournament and where we did, the boys did excellently.
“They made the country proud and also brought a great style of football to the game. As well as winning matches — and doing it emphatically — they were able to say they played out from the back and did it in a way that is not so typically English.
“It is a great to be part of the group now and the aim is to make sure the World Cup is just the beginning of what’s possible for this group.
“There were quite a few opportunities against Croatia on Friday. Eric [Dier] hit the post, Harry [Kane] hit the bar and Marcus [Rashford] had a couple of opportunities.
“Overall, we were the better side and on another day we take those chances and win t h e g a me . It was a good performance and the lads are happy. Let’s hope we can do something similar against Spain.”
Southgate is without John Stones and Jordan Henderson through suspension after the pair picked up bookings in Rijeka and while the England manager confirmed Joe Gomez will replace Stones, he was cagey about Henderson’s replacement. He also admitted his frustration at the scheduling of the current Premier League season, with many players appearing to be still suffering the after-effects of their World Cup exertions.
“I hadn’t looked into when the season started until when we got back from the tournament,” said Southgate. “Maybe they were expecting us to be back by the end of June. I assumed the rest of the world were going to be there until the middle of July.
“It’s always easy to make a comment like that and not know the complex scenario the decision makers had to go to, because that happens to me quite a lot but I think everybody knew when the final was going to be and the semifinal and that they would be away for a period of time.
“It ’s a b i t l i ke o u r c l u b s in the Champions League. Some of the other leagues in Europe help their clubs and adjust the fixture list and I’m sure our clubs would appreciate that because, in the end, they’re representing English football and we want them all to do well.”