NORMALLY, an England manager spends the first six months of his reign indulging in jingoistic bravado. “We’ve got the best players in the world.” “Everyone will be afraid of facing England.” “Our target is to win the next World Cup”.

Gareth Southgate went in for a bit of that when he was first confirmed as Sam Allardyce’s successor, and as he prepares to lead his side into a World Cup qualifier against Lithuania this weekend, the England boss will no doubt be asked about his side’s potential prospects in Russia, and have to adopt an optimistic bent.

But in the build-up to Wednesday’s defeat in Germany, it was refreshing to see Southgate step outside the English bubble and deliver some harsh, but much-needed, home truths.

The Northern Echo:

Bemoaning England’s “island mentality”, and the sense of entitlement that seems to breed, Southgate said: “I think we have got to broaden the horizons because the lads see one league, they see Sky Sports News, they think we’re the centre of the earth and we’re not.”

Finally, the truth. Finally, an England manager has not tried to pretend that everything in the garden is rosy, and has instead felt emboldened to deliver some stripped-back realism instead of the usual over-hyped platitudes about picking players from ‘the best league in the world’.

The Premier League isn’t the best league in the world, and it hasn’t been for quite some time. Of the 16 teams still left in the Champions League and Europa League, only two are English, and one of those, Leicester City, appears to have made it into the quarter-finals more by accident than design. Leicester’s story might be an exceptional one, but even the most biased of observers would have to accept that in a European context, the team sitting in 15th position in the Premier League isn’t.

Arsenal were embarrassed over two legs by Bayern Munich; Manchester City were shambolic as they crashed out of the Champions League to Monaco. Tottenham, so strong in domestic competition, were dreadful all the way through the supposedly low-grade Europa League.

The Premier League is the most financially lucrative league in Europe, and without question the best marketed. But that doesn’t make it the best full stop. So when Southgate is picking players from Tottenham, Arsenal, Manchester United or Liverpool, it is misguided to assume he is selecting from some of Europe’s superpowers.

He isn’t, and even if he was, he isn’t able to select anything like the best players from those clubs. Think of the best five players at Chelsea. Would Gary Cahill’s name be on the list? Do the same with Manchester United. Would Chris Smalling or Marcus Rashford figure? Dele Alli’s name might feature at Spurs, and Adam Lallana would have a shout at Liverpool, but these are exceptions rather than the rule.

And with injuries having bitten ahead of Wednesday’s game in Dortmund, Southgate had to flesh out his starting line-up with players from Burnley, Southampton and West Brom, teams with little or no recent experience of European competition.

That is not to say England cannot be competitive at international level, and it is not to say that Southgate cannot improve on the results of his predecessors. As Portugal proved when they triumphed at last summer’s European Championships, you do not need to have a squad brimming with world-class talent to succeed at a major tournament. Organisation, spirit and tactical flexibility are important factors.

Yet Southgate’s words should temper some of the more outlandish predictions ahead of next summer’s World Cup finals, and provide a context if there are bumps along the road during his tenure. England are a fairly average international side, capable of playing above themselves if things fall right. The fact Southgate knows and accepts that can only be a good thing.


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THE result might not have gone England’s way on Wednesday thanks to Lukas Podolski’s long-range stunner, but there were still a number of positives, most notably the success of the switch to a formation with three centre-halves.

The heart of England’s defence has long been a weak point, so it makes sense to try to strengthen that area of the field by adding another centre-half to the mix. The fact that England’s full-backs are so strong, particularly when it comes to getting forward to attack, only reinforces that impression that a switch to wing-backs could be worthwhile.

The Northern Echo:

It used to be argued that playing with three centre-halves was anathema to English players, but Antonio Conte’s success at Chelsea has debunked that myth. Gary Cahill looks comfortable enough with his club side, and if he can slip seamlessly into a new defensive shape, there is no reason why England’s other defenders cannot follow suit.

Other England managers have toyed with three at the back, only to revert to a tried-and-tested flat back four when a major tournament rolled around. Southgate should have the courage of his convictions and stick with his new shape.


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IT has not been a good week for England teams in terms of results, but in the long term, the rugby side’s failure to set a new world record for consecutive Test victories might actually be a good thing.

Did anyone really consider the current England side to be superior to the all-conquering All Blacks who also won 18 games on the spin before succumbing to Ireland?

The Northern Echo:

Eddie Jones has overseen some huge improvements since taking over in the wake of 2015’s World Cup debacle, but his rebuilding job remains at a fairly formative stage.

Yes, a Grand Slam would have been nice, but England’s form through the Six Nations was patchy and hardly merited it. Better to have a reality check now than with the next World Cup looming.


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YORKSHIRE CRICKET CLUB are currently £25m in debt, and are considering borrowing another £15m to fund the redevelopment of Headingley. The club say the erection of a new stand is “absolutely necessary” if they are to have a chance of staging international cricket beyond 2019.

The Northern Echo: COVER UP: The gloomy scene at a rain-soaked Headingley yesterday, where no play was possible against Northamptonshire

With a Durham hat on, it is tempting to wonder why Yorkshire might be allowed to rack up debts far larger than the ones that saw Durham receive a series of draconian punishments from the ECB.

Leaving aside regional rivalries, though, it is alarming that the authorities are once again showing no support for international cricket in the North. Isn’t it time the ECB started funding rebuilding works to ensure Test matches do not become the exclusive preserve of counties in the South?