Time is the most precious commodity at a major football tournament and Gareth Southgate bought himself a golden slice of it when England beat Serbia in their opening group game in Gelsenkirchen on Sunday evening.
That 1-0 victory, courtesy of a brave, committed header from Jude Bellingham, bought the England boss more time to hone his selection, more time to experiment, more time to decide.
Sunday’s win, however much lukewarm water has been poured over it since, took away much of the jeopardy that might otherwise have been attached to tonight’s game against Denmark in Frankfurt.
It gave Southgate the latitude to smile wryly at some of the hand-wringing that has gone on since and remind England’s players that even triumphs will be treated as disasters by the kind of observers who say he is a failure because England have not won the last three major tournaments in a row.
And it gave him the freedom to smile at the knee-jerkers urging him to drop Phil Foden, who had such a stellar season with Manchester City and was named the best player in the best league in the world, because he had one quiet game against the Serbs.
Gareth Southgate bought himself time to keep experimenting with the 1-0 win over Serbia
The win gives Trent Alexander-Arnold another chance to prove he can excel in midfield
It means Southgate has another shot at breathing confidence into Phil Foden’s attacking play
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Southgate would baulk, no doubt, at the idea the Denmark game is a free hit because he knows how much criticism will come if England do not win, but the reality is a draw would most likely ensure his players qualify for the knockout stage with a game to spare. And then there will be no more free hits.
The result matters but what matters more is that it is a chance to breathe confidence back into Foden’s attacking play, and as far as the experiment of playing Trent Alexander-Arnold in midfield is concerned, this is the final audition.
Alexander-Arnold, one of the best passers of the ball in English football, played well in the first half against Serbia without playing well enough to convince those who say it is madness for him to be learning the position during a tournament.
He is so lavishly talented and so adept at producing crosses and passes that can unlock even the lowest of low blocks that Southgate wants to persist with playing him alongside Declan Rice, the kind of bold move so many of his critics said he was incapable of. Now, apparently, he is being too bold.
Alexander-Arnold will come up against one of football’s classiest midfield schemers in Frankfurt in Christian Eriksen and even though Southgate expects the Manchester United player to be in a more advanced role, watching him pull the strings for any side is always an education.
England’s former left back Stuart Pearce on Wednesday said he believed Alexander-Arnold could exert the same kind of influence Glenn Hoddle once wielded for England and Southgate was asked if he saw the Liverpool player as a quarter-back passer or a metronome like Frenkie de Jong of the Netherlands, setting the tempo of the play.
‘I think he’s less likely to be a player who dictates tempo,’ the England manager said. ‘That’s a different type and probably that’s midfield players who have been in there for ever and really understand the flow of a game.
‘What I do see is that range of passing and that ability to open up a defence that might be blocking spaces, defending low. He’s somebody that’s going to cause opposition players to be aware that we can play balls in behind them at any point with fantastic accuracy.
Calls for Southgate to replace Alexander-Arnold and Foden must be resisted, at least for now
However, he will have to contemplate plan B if Alexander-Arnold and Foden do not thrive
There have been calls for Cole Palmer (L) or Anthony Gordon (R) to replace Foden
‘His understanding of the game is good. All the defensive responsibilities we’ve asked of him, it’s not necessarily been where he’s played for many years but he’s been really diligent and open to wanting to take that on board. So, look, we know it’s a work in progress.
‘We know it’s something that’s going to get a lot of attention as it’s not been the norm but we feel it’s something that can add to what we’ve got.’
It is hard to argue with Southgate about that. To win this European Championship, to get past sides with the quality of France, Germany, Portugal and Spain, Southgate knows playing safe is not going to be enough.
England have suffered defeats by fine, fine margins in the last three major tournaments and a player such as Alexander-Arnold, if he settles into the role that has been mapped out for him, can tilt the balance the other way — in England’s direction.
The same applies to Foden. Sunday was Bellingham’s night. The Real Madrid player played, not for the first time, like a superhuman, and sometimes there is only room for one performance like that in a side. The rest slip into a supportive role. Maybe against Denmark, the roles will be reversed and Foden will take centre stage.
Fine, beguiling, brilliant players though they both are, and even though tournament football accelerates a team’s evolution, calls for Southgate to replace Foden with Cole Palmer or Anthony Gordon at this stage have to be resisted.
‘There’s going to be a narrative around a player, a couple of players, after every England game,’ said Southgate, referring to the conversation about Foden.
‘This is a different world to the one you experience at clubs. The players, as a collective, recognise that after the last couple of days. We talked with them about it. It’s very rare at their club that they would win a game and experience what they have experienced over the last couple of days.
Southgate called for his England stars to ignore criticism after their tepid triumph over Serbia
Sunday was Jude Bellingham’s night, but perhaps the roles will be reversed against Denmark
‘I have to make sure I can guide them through that, let them understand it and recognise it’s the reality of our world but that we shouldn’t be thrown off track by it. We’re in a good position, we know we want to play better, there are lot of things we did really well and we move towards tomorrow’s game.’
Alexander-Arnold and Foden will get another chance against the Danes, as they should. If they excel, England will move on to Tuesday’s game against Slovenia with increased confidence.
If they do not, Southgate will have to contemplate Plan B. And if that happens, time will no longer be his friend.
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