Turgid England must abandon slow build-up … and ditch Hart

With a World Cup spot secured, Paul Hayward outlines what Southgate must do to improve

There was a nice symmetry about Wembley’s next visitors, Germany, qualifying for the World Cup on the same night as England. Never mind that the Germans reminded us, shyly, “there is no World Cup without a champion,” and made modest reference to an “immaculate record of nine wins from nine.” And let’s not get bogged down in the memory of Germany becoming the first European country to win a World Cup in the Americas, in Brazil three years ago; or that Joachim Low became coach of die nationalmannschaft way back in 2006, since when England have tried Steve Mcclaren, Fabio Capello, Stuart Pearce, Roy Hodgson, Sam Allardyce and Gareth Southgate. These comparisons are invidious and irrelevant, of course, because all teams are equal on the day they touch down in Russia, even if some are more equal than others.

After Sunday’s dead game in Lithuania, Germany are England’s next opponents, followed by Brazil four days later. Not to be outdone, the world champions have lined up dates with France, Spain and Brazil, as they endeavour to remedy two comparative manpower shortages, at full-back and striker. Oh, yes, Germany have problems too.

They just happen not to include fans turning to origami mid-game, their No 10 being jeered, and the lap of honour coinciding with thousands of fans turning their backs and pressing through the exits. This was the scene at Wembley on Thursday night when England beat Slovenia 1-0 in stoppage time to qualify with a game to spare. The English are obsessed with qualifying campaigns, perhaps as an alternative entertainment form to tournaments, where events invariably head south. This one was particularly turgid, and sucked Southgate into a storm that has been brewing since 2006 – the last time England could realistically claim to be tournament contenders.

Disenchantment was spreading anyway, and flooded Wembley just at the point Southgate’s job was to calm things down, give young players time to develop and deliver on the simple aim of securing a place in Russia. England cannot flop at a World Cup from this distance, but they can prepare some of the ground for another miserable experience by not addressing the flaws thrown up by games against Slovakia, Slovenia, Scotland, Lithuania and Malta.

From the nadir of the Iceland game at Euro 2016, and Allardyce’s 67 days in charge, Thursday night was a deliverance. England could prepare to greet Germany on Nov 10 as fellow travellers to Russia. They beat Slovenia with John Stones (£47 million), Kyle Walker (£53 million), Raheem Sterling (£49 million) and Harry Kane, who would probably fetch £150 million

in the current frenzied market. Those figures, of course, are useless and misleading. They speak of money’s victory in English football over player production. They point to the continuing disparity between performances for club and those for country. Walker would not dare play for Manchester City the way he did this week for England. Sterling would have been hooked by Pep Guardiola at half-time for the way he abandoned his starting position and gave the ball away.

“They’re young players we have to try and get behind. They’re giving everything they’ve got,” Southgate protested.rotested. ““They They haven’t England can afford to take seven defenders with Eric Dier’s versatility at centre-back, which makes room for the uncapped Nathaniel Chalobah in midfield. Michail Antonio, also uncapped, is the type who always seems to affect games. England do not have a midfielder capable of making telling forward passes. Unless got Champions League or league championship winning medals in the group. They’re a work in progress. But they are giving everything for the shirt and they will improve in the next few years.

“They’re suffering the consequences of 25 years, 30 years, 40 years whatever, but that isn’t Jack Wilshere turns his career around the options are limited. Could Harry Winks do it? Ross Barkley could also be an option. Harry Kane, Marcus Rashford and Jamie Vardy are all excellent strikers. What about Plan B? Daniel Sturridge, the star four years ago, is easy to include, but his confidence has slipped. their fault. We have to give them the backing to go and believe.”

This plea to the fans and media to back off is an optimistic attempt to buy time for players who already know that to play the way they did against Slovenia is unacceptable.

“Are we going to become Spain in the next eight months?” Southgate asked. “No we’re not.” But there is still a lot they can do. One is to abandon the slow, passing game that contradicts the kind of football these players practise at their clubs. England need to be more assertive and dynamic – to press and penetrate more. They also need to abandon players who are palpably y not good enough: Midfield is Gareth Southgate’s biggest headache and I have selected two players who have not been involved in qualifying at all. Injuries have prevented Danny Drinkwater from playing for England for over a year, but if he can get fit and play enough for Chelsea, then he is good enough to go. Ashley Young has been such as Alex Oxlade-chamberlain and Jake Livermore – and to solve most urgently the problem in central midfield, where Eric Dier and Jordan Henderson are a ponderous combination. England need constructive passes from that area, to release the talents further forward: especially Harry Kane and Marcus Rashford, a partnership that is Southgate’s best hope in Russia. The time has come, too, to set Joe Hart aside, in the long-term interests of mistake-avoidance, and to appoint a keeper less scarred by his experiences.

Fatalism is the enemy. They still have eight months left to problemsolve, just like Germany. frozen out since 2013, but has started the season in form and can play in a variety of positions. Elsewhere in midfield, Ross Barkley will be fit by the end of the year and Mauricio Pochettino has earmarked him for a role next to Eric Dier if he can take him to Tottenham in January. That could solve a huge problem.

Henderson and Dier are ponderous, the team needs constructive passes from midfield