da cassino online： [ad_pod ]
da dobrowin： When Gareth Southgate took over the England job, he promised his reign would be far different to those before him; an emphasis on youth, a desire to play attacking football, and an insistence to look beyond reputation and select players based on form.
Fast forward to 2019 and just two weeks before the Three Lions take on Netherlands in the Nations League semi-final, Harry Kane has been included in Southgate’s squad; the man likely to have been out of action for almost two months by the time the game comes around.
There’s no doubting that a fit and firing Kane would be the first name on the team-sheet. Indeed, there’s an argument to be made that he represents England’s one true world-class player.
But naming in his squad just reeks of the kind of thought-process and decision-making that ruined and plagued the senior side for the past two decades.
Choosing them because they had a ‘reputation’. Choosing them because they simply played for a top-six club. Choosing them because they didn’t have the bottle to trust the youngsters.
Make no mistake, the introduction of the Nations League has been a surprising success – greater fan turnout and a more competitive edge to the bland friendlies we’d all become accustomed to.
But, it isn’t the World Cup. Nor the European Championships.
Dress it up however you want, but were England to win the whole thing next month, don’t expect an open-top bus parade and millions of Three Lions fans to be lining up the street.
Instead, the tournament represents such an incredible opportunity for Southgate to place his faith in his young talent like he has done previously. The likes of Dele Alli and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain have been injured under his watch, and Southgate has welcomely introduced James Ward-Prowse and Callum Hudson-Odoi.
So why then does the former U21 boss feel compelled to include Kane this time when all signs point to him being far short of match fitness?
Check out what the Pl>ymaker FC squad got up to at the Football Blogging Awards in the video below…
The Spurs striker has been the subject of great scrutiny in recent seasons for the sheer amount of games he’s had to play and the risk of potential burnout. All the responsibility usually gets pointed at the manager at the club level, but in this instance, Southgate perhaps needs to carry that burden on his back.
Leave Kane out, and trust a Callum Wilson. Leave Kane out, and trust a Raheem Sterling. Leave Kane out, and simply trust the rest of the team to fill the void.
Rushing him back for a Nations League semi-final just seems a little far-fetched; his ongoing ankle problems are beginning to be a cause for concern, and the last thing either England or Spurs need is for it be made worse by playing him in what is ultimately a B-grade competition.
Kane might be England’s captain. But it’s time someone else steps up to the plate.