#battle-hardened

New Post has been published on https://thebiafrastar.com/england-youngsters-should-get-chance-to-become-battle-hardened-in-qualifiers/

England youngsters should get chance to become battle-hardened in qualifiers

Harry Kane scored a hat-trick against Bulgaria as England made it 42 European Champinships and World Cup qualifying games unbeaten

England face a familiar, ominous threat as their path to qualification for Euro 2020 continues to look little more than a formality – but it will not come from any of the teams they will face on the route to next summer’s showpiece.

Their opponents in Group A could almost have been hand-picked for a comfortable passage by manager Gareth Southgate and the Football Association.

There is a danger, however, that lies in brushing aside such impotent opposition with monotonous regularity.

Bulgaria, ranked 60th in the world by Fifa, were dismissed 4-0 at Wembley while Kosovo, at 120th, are next up at St Mary’s in Southampton on Tuesday. The Czech Republic, England’s highest-rated opponents at 43rd, have already been beaten 5-0 at Wembley while Montenegro, at 55, were outclassed 5-1 on their own ground.

Not exactly glorified friendlies but hardly testing occasions either.

Match Report: Kane hat-trick as England cruise past Bulgaria

How did England players rate against Bulgaria?

As it happened: England 4-0 Bulgaria

Kane takes up to ’50 penalties’ a practice session

England have now gone undefeated in each of their last 42 Euro and World Cup qualifying games, winning 33 and drawing nine, since the defeat by Ukraine in October 2009.

A decade without defeat in qualifying is hugely impressive but the flipside of that is the fat lot of good it has done England when it has really mattered.

England’s run to the 2018 World Cup semi-final was a glorious feel-good surprise, although the perceived success has to be tempered by the fact that they were beaten on the three occasions they met a side of serious quality, namely Belgium twice and Croatia in the last four.

The abysmal World Cups of 2010 and 2014, along with the debacle of Euro 2016, meant the Russian odyssey was an exception rather than the rule.

The make-up of Group A now means England are again presented with the prospect of facing their most taxing competitive tests for two years – 12 months if we count the inaugural Uefa Nations League semi-final loss to the Netherlands – once the serious action gets under way next summer.

The notion of England not qualifying is a non-starter. This is not arrogance but a simple statement of fact. It is clear any starting line-up Southgate assembles from his squad should be good enough to ensure their place at Euro 2020 with the minimum of fuss.

It means there is actually a case for Southgate getting his squad match-hardened for Euro 2020 in the remaining qualifiers with a policy of rotation. There are plenty of promising candidates ready to step up.

Ross Barkley was preferred to James Maddison and Mason Mount in England’s midfield

This was a relatively conservative selection by Southgate, passing over the claims of in-form pair Mason Mount from Chelsea and Leicester City’s James Maddison for starting places, preferring Jordan Henderson and Declan Rice as his midfield anchor men and Chelsea’s Ross Barkley further forward.

Southgate also opted for the experience of Atletico Madrid’s Kieran Trippier over Liverpool youngster Trent Alexander-Arnold at right-back – despite the latter’s vastly superior form over the last 12 months.

The policy cannot be criticised given a 4-0 victory that barely caused England to break sweat but there is still a good case for freshening up England with young blood at St Mary’s on Tuesday.

It would not be a case of taking Kosovo lightly, simply giving England’s young brigade a taste of the competitive action they will need to prepare them for what may await when sterner examinations come next summer.

Not so much experimentation, more sound common sense in readiness for the acid tests.

Leicester City’s Ben Chilwell will come in for suspended Danny Rose at left-back while England’s side would hardly be weakened by Alexander-Arnold’s inclusion.

Mount won his first cap as a substitute and there is a case for actually playing him or Maddison rather than the extra insurance policy of both Henderson and Rice. They could certainly offer a viable alternative and serious competition to Ross Barkley, not as replacements for the future but certainly as rivals.

Southgate says England must up training intensity

See how the players rated

Jesse Lingard withdraws from England squad

The good news for England and Southgate is that the current squad looks like it can bear a fair amount of rotation without seriously weakening the overall package.

England captain Harry Kane, with a hat-trick here to take his England tally to 25 goals from 40 appearances and go above 1966 World Cup final hero Sir Geoff Hurst in the all-time list of goalscorers, and Raheem Sterling are irreplaceable.

Kane, admittedly helped by a regular supply of penalties, is building a truly remarkable body of work with England.

He leads from the front in every respect, his tireless work ethic and consistency a touchstone for this modern England, while his partnership with Sterling increasingly looks like a natural, telepathic fit. Southgate has a pairing that will be the envy of many countries at Euro 2020.

Southgate also has room for manoeuvre elsewhere that hardly strips his starting XI of quality.

Gareth Southgate says Kieran Trippier’s move to Atletico Madrid has given him “a new lease of life”

In defence, Alexander-Arnold is hardly a downgrade on Trippier in the absence of injured Aaron Wan-Bissaka and dropped Kyle Walker, while those midfield options also include Tottenham’s Harry Winks.

Borussia Dortmund’s 19-year-old Jadon Sancho has proved he lives comfortably at this level. He will relish more chances and the big, competitive stage.

England would not be belittling Kosovo or any of their future opponents in qualifying by shuffling their pack. It would simply be a case of seeing the bigger picture.

It is an old concern – but it may be the start of Euro 2020, when faced with the sort of forensic examinations the best teams conduct, before we find out just how good this England team is and how much progress has been made since they just came up short in the semi-finals at the World Cup and the Uefa Nations League.

England have been here before. This time they must be ready for when the serious interrogation starts next summer.

Shiites have a strong, battle-hardened, war-tested, well-armed, well-funded, armies and militias all over the Middle East – FFK warns Buhari

Reacting to President Buhari’s proscription of Islamic Movement of Nigeria (IMN), former aviation minister, Femi Fani Kayode says, ‘It is an attempt to stop the Shia from practising their faith and to demonise, terrorise, intimidate, scatter, outlaw and destroy them’.

FFK went on to say, ‘how would Buhari and the Sunni Muslims of Nigeria feel if JNI or SCIA were banned and labelled as…

New Post has been published on https://www.thisdaynews.net/2018/06/19/breaking-news-cristiano-ronaldo-seeks-encore-against-battle-hardened-morocco/

Breaking News: Cristiano Ronaldo seeks encore against ‘battle-hardened’ Morocco

Cristiano Ronaldo will attempt to follow up his World Cup opening game heroics for Portugal against a Morocco side licking their wounds after a crushing last-gasp defeat.

A hat-trick from the five-time world player of the year snatched a thrilling 3-3 draw for the European champions against Spain in a heavyweight Group B showdown in Sochi.

It was Ronaldo’s 51st career hat-trick, and the 51st in the tournament’s history, as the Real Madrid star became just the fourth player to score in four World Cups.

“I am very happy, it’s a nice personal record to have, one more in my career,” said Ronaldo.

“For me the most important thing is to emphasise what the team did against one of the favourites to win this World Cup.”

Despite lifting the trophy at Euro 2016, Portugal are not widely viewed as among the favourites in Russia but can take a big step towards the last 16 with victory over Morocco in Moscow on Wednesday.

“I think we are stronger than Morocco if we compare the two teams, but I’m not saying the game will be easy for us,” striker Andre Silva told reporters at Portugal’s training base.

“We cannot underestimate them and must have respect for any opponent. Any game at the World Cup is difficult.”

It will be just the second meeting between the two countries, after Morocco beat Portugal 3-1 in the group stage at the 1986 finals.

Morocco did not concede a single goal in the final qualifying round as they sealed a return to the World Cup for the first time in 20 years, but their knockout hopes hang by a thread after a 95th-minute own goal by Aziz Bouhaddouz against Iran.

– ‘We’re not dead’ –

Herve Renard’s men face a monumental challenge, with games to come against Portugal and Spain, but midfielder Faycal Fajr is adamant all is not lost for the Atlas Lions.

“If I said that we don’t believe we can qualify it would be a lie,” said Fajr, one of 17 players born abroad in Morocco’s 23-man squad.

“I could throw out some examples, like the Argentina draw (1-1 with Iceland). Where there’s a will there’s a way. (The Portuguese) have two feet, two legs and they are humans like us.”

“We lost a battle but we haven’t lost the war. We’re not dead,” he added.”

Renard lamented that Morocco were “crucified by our own errors” in the loss to Iran, but the Frenchman is used to defying the odds, having led outsiders Zambia to a surprise triumph at the 2012 Africa Cup of Nations.

He then became the first coach to win the continental title with two different teams three years later, guiding the Ivory Coast to glory.

Morocco will need Renard to conjure up more magic to prevent an early exit, although Fajr says the mood in the camp remains positive.