(Football news) Both England players and fans will need to be ‘patient’ in the Three Lions’ opening match against Iran at the World Cup. Their opponents are known for their stubborn resistance, employing a low block with the hope to catch their opponents on a counter. Southgate, who has had a pragmatic approach for his team, a strategy that has paid dividends in the last two tournaments will hope to get a victory, even though the match isn’t “pretty” or “entertaining”. In 2018, England defeated Tunisia 2-1 thanks to Harry Kane’s stoppage time winner, a result that was described by the media as "a stuttering start", "lacklustre" and "uninspiring". However, England ended up finishing the tournament in fourth place, something most didn’t expect or predict ahead of the tournament.
For Southgate and England, the focus will be getting the result and avoiding injury for key players. As we have seen often in the World Cup, the result in the opening match can set the tone for the rest of the tournament and a loss could be disastrous as they will have no wiggle room, requiring them to win their last two games to secure qualification. A draw might not be the worst result but the obvious concern is that the USA and Wales will offer a more stern competition, which means getting the result against less formidable opponents is a necessity.
Southgate is expected to go with a 4-3-3 formation and it wouldn’t be a surprise to see Harry Maguire included in the squad despite the Manchester United defender making just one Premier League start since September. The 29 year old has fared better with the England team and was named Player of the Tournament when England finished runner-up in Euro 2020. Moreover, Jude Bellingham could make his first World Cup start while Bukayo Saka could potentially be selected over Phil Foden on the right wing. The inclusion of Bellingham comes as no surprise, especially considering that the 19 year old is having a fantastic season with Borussia Dortmund with nine goals in 22 appearances.
A back four will allow Southgate to have an extra attacking player on the pitch, make use of Bellingham’s athleticism and his ability to carve open defences and potentially get Kalvin Phillips the game time he needs. The Manchester City midfielder has played less than 70 minutes of football this season but is highly rated by Southgate and could feature in the final 30 minutes of the match. This is the first World Cup where five substitutions are allowed which means Southgate can make significant changes to the starting lineup if he feels the need to, especially to give his squad some invaluable minutes ahead of fixtures against Wales and USA.
One of the talking points of the match is whether Harry Kane will wear a ‘One Love’ armband against Iran. The FA are under pressure to drop the pro LGBTQ+ armband if it would mean that Kane will get a yellow card immediately when the game begins. FIFA, who launched their own armbands with messages 'Football Unites the World' and 'Save The Planet' have not yet given their permission to wear the rainbow armband but have said that any potential fines for wearing it will be incurred by the FA. The England national team is also expected to take the knee before kick off with Southgate confirming the same.
Speaking ahead of the match, Southgate said “We have discussed taking the knee. We feel we should. It's what we stand for as a team and have done for a long period of time. Of course, we understand in the Premier League that clubs have decided to only do that for certain games, big occasions, we feel this is the biggest. We think it is a strong statement to go around the world for young people in particular to see that inclusivity is very important." In team news, James Maddison and Kyle Walker will miss the opening match with the City fullback still recovering from injury while Maddison has not trained yet since his arrival in Qatar.
When asked about the team, Southgate said “Kyle Walker is a little bit short for this game but is progressing really well. We are ahead of where we thought he might be at this point. James hasn't been able to train since we arrived so he will not be able to make the game tomorrow. Our challenge is to give our supporters a tournament that's memorable. We have taken them on fantastic journeys in our lives to tournaments. Our country is also going through a difficult spell – not the same as some of the other countries around the world. But we're in an economic recession and life has been difficult for a lot of our people so we want them to enjoy their football and have a journey with our team that brings some real happiness."
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