What makes Gareth Southgate's young English squad click

By Srinivas Sadhanand

Gareth Southgate fluffed his lines from 12 yards out at the Euro 1996 semi-final in front of 75,000 English fans at the Wembley Stadium as the Three Lions lost to fierce rivals Germany, who - to add insult to injury - would go on to win the tournament.

England’s shootout showings in successive tournaments - 1998, 2004, 2006 and 2012 - would become a symbol of the team’s repeated failure in international football, a self-deprecating punchline.


However, it seems the Three Lions’ Class of 2018 are cut from a different cloth. While the current crop may not possess the attributes of the supremely-gifted ‘Golden Generation’, what they do have as a unit is a steely stubbornness to overcome adversity.

It was another battle in Russia as England beat Colombia 4-3 in a shootout, the latter equalising in the 93rd minute to force extra time and penalties. England maintained a steady stronghold over possession early on, but to no visible use. In the 15th minute, Gareth Southgate’s men caught a whiff of blood for the first time as Jesse Lingard’s probing ball teed Kieran Trippier up to deliver an exquisite cross to Harry Kane who headed the ball into the roof of the net.

That was England in a nutshell, efficient most times but capable of the incredible intermittently.

Los Cafeteros (The Coffee Growers) initiated a plethora of counter-attacks that flattered to deceive, relying on their ‘Juans’ in Quintero and Cuadrado to conjure something out of almost thin air, emphasising the absence of a certain James Rodriguez.

The England back three though enjoyed a happy day - Harry Maguire in particular snuffing out Radamel Falcao’s aerial threat to perfection, winning 12 duels in the entirety of the match (the most by a defender in the 2018 World Cup). It’s good practice for Sweden, who’re more physical and equally capable in the air.

The pairing of Dele Alli and Lingard did the hard work that they’re not used to their clubs, not using their stardom as an excuse, quieting an already conservative Colombian midfield. Quintero’s wayward shot in the 32nd minute was Colombia’s best and only opportunity.

Tempers flared in the Colombian camp - midfielder Barrios taking on Jordan Henderson with a sly headbutt in the chest and chin as Trippier lined up for a freekick in the 38th minute. He got away with a yellow. But more important, England - as young a squad as they are - kept their cool and away from the cards.

The Colombians continued to delve deep into the dark arts - maybe a bit surprised by how in control the opposition was. Davidson Sanchez grappled with Sterling inside the penalty area in the 44th minute to stop him from running in behind. This approach was punished in the 57th minute as Carlos Sanchez’s rugby tackle on Kane yielded what seemed an expected penalty.

Trippier put in an enticing delivery for Alli to put wide after leaping over Santiago Arias. The young right-back has been in good form for his country and could prove to me more important as England almost walk towards the final.

They were then guilty of holding back, in the hope that one goal would be enough. That would have been the Southgate’s fault as much as his team’s. In the 93rd minute Yerry Mina scored from a towering header — as he had done twice before this World Cup.

Extra time yielded nothing and England had to confront a formidable enemy. With the shootout tied at 3-3, Pickford repaid his teammates for their composed finishing - even Jordan Henderson’s saved effort was a good try. Southgate had spoken of practising penalties, refusing to see it as luck of the draw. Pickford guessed right, literally, to stop Carlos Bacca and Eric Dier ended their run of ‘bad luck’.