England’s target against Wales tonight is to combine the best aspects of their flawed performances against Iran and the USA and play the game, rather than this World Cup occasion.
Gareth Southgate’s side produced a near-perfect attacking display in the 6-2 dismantling of Iran in their opener, but the manager was frustrated by lapses at the back, leading to Mehdi Taremi’s double.
Against the USA on Friday, England’s attack was blunted by a hard-pressing opponent, but their defence held firm, and Southgate afterwards singled out Harry Maguire and John Stones for particular praise.
England have all but sewn up their place in the last 16 — barring an historic defeat at the Ahmad bin Ali Stadium — but Southgate is being judged on performances over results, and wants to see a more complete display to propel them into the knockouts.
“We want to put the two parts of our game together,” he said. “We have shown in the first game how we can attack. We showed another side to ourselves in the second game and we have to merge those two things to be a serious contender.”
Southgate is planning to tinker with his line-up, with Jordan Henderson and Kyle Walker expected to start, as the manager seeks a balance between freshness and a side with the necessary tools to break down Wales’s stubborn back-five.
In the international equivalent of a local derby, the emotional intangibles could be as significant as any tactical tweaks, and England will need to remain cool in the heat of the occasion.
In any circumstances, Wales have extra motivation to beat their neighbours, but especially in what could be their final match in a first World Cup since 1958 and possibly Gareth Bale’s last-ever game.
Wales are yet to play anything like their best, or even really have a moment in Qatar, with Bale’s penalty against the USA their only goal, and while England must save some energy for the knockouts, Robert Page’s side can afford to expend every last drop tonight.
Anyone who witnessed Wales belting out their national anthem ahead of the games against the USA and Iran can see what it means to the squad to be in Qatar, but Southgate bristled at suggestions that they are more powered by emotion than England.
“They have a great anthem, to be fair, it’s stirring,” Southgate said. “If people want to say [Wales are more emotional], then no problem, but they wouldn’t know our dressing room very well — or any of the England dressing rooms I was in as a player. That’s an easy narrative, but it’s not my experience.
“For me, it’s a great sporting rivalry, no more than that. That feeling might not be mutual, but I can understand that.”
Knocking out England with a four-goal win is surely beyond even a side including Bale, but any kind of result would make for a famous night in Cardiff, the Valleys and beyond, and Southgate is conscious that Wales should be stirred to greater than usual heights — just as Scotland were in the 0-0 draw at Wembley at Euro 2020.
Any England game has a highly-motivated opponent.
“When we played Scotland, physically they found a level they hadn’t found before and couldn’t find after, so that is the nature of this game,” he said. “But any England game has a highly-motivated opponent.”
The challenge for England is to match the spirit and energy of their opponents while making their superior quality count, and Southgate is eager to see his players set a ferocious tempo, having appeared sluggish against the USA.
The team also have an extra motivation of their own, in the form of a video of Wales celebrating England’s humiliating Euro 2016 exit to Iceland and, asked if he might use it to galvanise his players, Southgate said with a knowing smile: “I couldn’t say. We are aware of some of that, but I couldn’t say if we would use it or not.”
Southgate, meanwhile, is faced with his own external noise, specifically in the form of growing clamour for Phil Foden to play a greater role in the team.
The Manchester City playmaker was left on the bench as England toiled on Friday, but the manager has warned against expecting too much from the 22-year-old.
“We need to make sure we are not building Phil into a situation where, if he steps on the pitch, this is becoming really difficult for him, because the level of expectation is beyond a young guy who is still establishing himself,” he said.
Foden is among those pushing for a start, but the likely recalls of Walker and Henderson suggest Southgate is seeking experienced heads to manage the intensity of the occasion.
