WITH SO many ‘sons’ on that Icelandic football pitch this was always going to be about the future.
A chance to look at a fresh bunch of England players coming through at just the right time for the manager Gareth Southgate.
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England struggled to produce creativity during their win over IcelandCredit: Rex Features
Rookies Phil Foden, Jadon Sancho and Mason Greenwood. Plus greenhorns like Declan Rice and Mason Mount. We’ve seen the names being talked about.
I’m including Aston Villa’s Jack Grealish in this group even though he is 24 and a vastly experienced club player.
On Saturday night I spent most of it watching England struggle against Iceland and his name kept cropping up in my mind.
This match was crying out for him. In fact, the England team is crying out for some creativity in midfield. It’s an area where we have really lacked some zip.
If we were watching any other country play, Grealish would have been on long before this game started to go stale
I am a massive fan of Jack. I’d play him all day, every day.
To me, I do sometimes wonder if Southgate sometimes can be a bit cautious.
This seemed all about what people couldn’t do rather than what they could do.
If we were watching any other country play, Grealish would have been on long before this game started to go stale — and that was pretty early.
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Jack Grealish was left on the bench as the Three Lions snatched three points in the Nations LeagueCredit: Rex Features
Mount too. I like the 21-year-old and England need a young player coming through who can open up the opposition, open up the door, find and pick a pass, create something to excite.
That’s what we have to unearth in this next generation of players that we got a glimpse of last night.
And take my word for it this is a talented bunch — as good as the so-called ‘Golden Generation’ of 15 years ago who won nothing for the country.
Managers Sven-Goran Eriksson and Fabio Capello had a fantastic group of players at their disposal then.
This is a talented bunch — as good as the so-called ‘Golden Generation’ of 15 years ago who won nothing for the country
In club football, I maintain that it’s all about the players. You don’t have to be the world’s best coach to train the world’s best players. But on the flip side, a superb football coach would struggle to do anything with a poor quality squad.
There is a bit more to it than that of course but so much revolves around the talent you have — at club level.
In international football it’s different. Getting the best out of great players when you only have them to work with every so often can prove difficult.
There is also the juggling with the demands of their clubs.
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SunSport columnist Harry Redknapp has given the lowdown on Gareth Southgate’s EnglandCredit: Louis Wood – The Sun
Players would turn up for England knowing in the backs of their minds that what really mattered was not getting injured, probably because they had a Champions League match coming up the following week.
Southgate seems to have changed that mindset somewhat. You could see from the campaign in Russia in 2018 that a poorer team was able to go further because everyone believed in the cause.
There’s been a reconnection with the fans and between the players and that has formed the basis for a more positive view of the team from everybody.
Now that Southgate has that sorted along comes a group of hugely-talented young players. What a great time to have this job.
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Mason Greenwood added dynamism to England’s attackCredit: Getty Images – Getty
Foden, Sancho, Rice, Greenwood, Mount and Rashford are all young and hungry and joining up with a group of more experienced England players who have bought into Gareth’s mindset.
Learning from the likes of Harry Kane in particular, who believes so much in the national team, will only fire up the youngsters as we progress and develop.
This is as talented a bunch as the Golden Generation of the noughties.
Let’s just hope that history doesn’t repeat itself and we don’t toss it away again.
MASON BUZZ REMINDS ME OF JOE ’N RIO
ROBBIE SAVAGE told me a couple of years ago to keep an eye out for an emerging young player at Manchester United called Mason Greenwood.
Robbie’s son is a scholar at Old Trafford and at the time Greenwood was only 14 but already tearing his way through youth football.
I am now so excited to see 18-year-old Greenwood make a huge impression on the Premier League this season.
This will be his first full year and this boy has the lot.
I am now so excited to see 18-year-old Greenwood make a huge impression on the Premier League this season. If I was his manager, I’d be so excited.
He has pace, technical ability and confidence beyond his years.
If I was his manager, I’d be so excited.
Although he was a different kind of player, it reminds me of when I was manager at West Ham and Joe Cole was coming through.
The buzz at the club ahead of players like these is intoxicating and gives everyone involved a rush of adrenalin.
It’s like the bow wave of a fast-moving ship, pushing things ahead of it all the time and the rest of us enjoying the ride.
We also had Rio Ferdinand and a young whippersnapper striker in Jermain Defoe.
There’s an added ingredient of sparkle when a real gem shines through from inside a club.
Look at how Marcus Rashford has captured the imagination of the United fans. United still need a couple more players, though.
A centre-half and an out-and-out striker.
They have great young forwards but a proper hold-up No 9 would make them a formidable outfit.
Greenwood, Rashford and a bulldozing centre-forward.
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Gareth Bale could turn old club Spurs into Premier League title challengersCredit: AFP and licensors
Were they to add Jadon Sancho to that, you’d really believe United are on their way back.
This season they’ll definitely be pushing harder than in recent years although there is a lot of ground to make up on the top two.
Exciting times to be a Man United fan, though.
Liverpool and Man City are not going to have it their own way for too much longer.
The next few seasons will see England’s top league busted wide open again with United and Chelsea making serious inroads into their superiority.
BALE COULD LEAD SPURS TITLE CHARGE
BET I am not the only one sorry to see Lionel Messi is NOT coming to the Premier League by signing for Manchester City after all.
It was no surprise that, while the uncertainty over his future raged, City were favourites to win the league.
This, despite Liverpool winning it by 18 points last year. That tells you the impact one of the few players I regard as a genuine ‘genius’ can have.
However, while one Barcelona star is staying put, there’s a chance a Galactico could come home — as Gareth Bale drops hints he may be ready to return to the Premier League.
Of the possible destinations, if Bale went back to Tottenham to team up with an already lively frontline you could see Spurs do some serious damage.
Bale could change Tottenham from European contenders to Premier League title challengers. He would give everyone a lift.
Harry Kane, Son Heung-min, Dele Alli and Bale.
If it were my call, I’d throw all four of them on together and step back to watch lift-off.
Bale could change Tottenham from European contenders to Premier League title challengers.
He would give everyone a lift. And when I think of Dele playing the supporting role behind those three it makes my skin tingle.
Dele plateaued over the last few seasons — but has shown some signs of starting to get back to his best.
It was always likely to happen to him because he was so young when he burst on to the scene.
But Spurs need reinvigorating — and Bale would do just that.
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Dele Alli has shown signs of rediscovering his best formCredit: Getty Images – Getty
As it stands, I’m plumping for a top eight involving the same mix from last season.
Liverpool will face a tougher race but will become the fourth team to retain the Premier League title.
Then it’s Manchester City, with Chelsea and Manchester United slugging it out for third and fourth.
After that it’s Tottenham, maybe Arsenal, and then Wolves and Leicester to round it off.
Anyone below that could be in a battle for Europe or a desperate fight for survival.
JUST SCRAP VAR
Football belongs to the fans. It’s not right that every time a goal is scored they have to wait two minutes to see if they can celebrate or not. We don’t need the game to be perfect.
VAR is not for me. I would keep goal-line technology — but I would get rid of everything else.
And even if I was still a serving manager, I’d say the same thing.
It would give me no pleasure at all to see a goal disallowed — even against my team — if the scorer was offside by the thickness of his big toe.
VAR is not for me. I would keep goal-line technology — but I would get rid of everything else. And even if I was still a serving manager, I’d say the same thing.
Some you win, some you lose, let’s just trust referees and their assistants.
Football is really about entertainment. It’s a whole package.
Of course winning and losing matters.
But the paying fans have got to enjoy going.
And that’s the biggest part of it all.
LUKA AT BILLY
I LOVE watching young players, always have done. Especially those who emerge from the academies and make it.
Billy Gilmour at Chelsea is my one to watch for 2020-21. What a fascinating player he is. Intelligent, hard-working and tough despite being relatively small — and so elegant to watch.
The 19-year-old is always one move ahead and that’s what you need against the giants of midfield. He has pictures in his mind where the next pass is going before he even receives the ball.
His head is permanently swivelling and I bet if you stopped any match he was playing in and blindfolded Billy, he could tell you precisely where all his team-mates were. To me, he’s a Luka Modric in the making.
Jack Grealish stopped by England security at St George’s Park as they didn’t recognise Aston Villa star More
