England chasing chemistry as Denmark crave revenge

Once Gareth Southgate felt his England team understood his instructions for this afternoon's match against Denmark, he then attempted to ensure they also knew what the game meant.

- MIGUEL DELANEY

The staff went through a session on the mindset of the opposition and "what motivations they might have". That is something Southgate now insists on for every game, as “it’s an important part of psychologically preparing our team” for the “narrative” of any occasion, but it is more distinctive for this one. Denmark are fired up. Their squad are constantly talking about the penalty that was given for England’s 2-1 victory in the Euro 2020 semi-final at Wembley, and want to right that “injustice”.

The scorer Harry Kane is of course still there, but the player who was criticised for apparently diving isn’t. Raheem Sterling is one of three of England’s front six from that game who won’t be playing in Frankfurt, as Southgate attempts to get a new chemistry to blend. It still seemed elusive, on the evidence of the 1-0 win over Serbia. The manager said his staff “have challenged everybody to take that next step” in terms of performance in this game.

It unintentionally echoes the words of Cesc Fabregas on a player who is almost Sterling’s direct replacement in the starting XI. Phil Foden has become the focus of much of the debate after a fairly dour opening team performance. That is because he didn’t stand out in the way he has for Manchester City, where he won the Football Writers’ Player of the Year accolade last season. Fabregas said Foden needed “to take this responsibility to grow”, to “step up”.

While Southgate has received criticism for not putting the playmaker where he can excel, there is a growing feeling within the game that the player is now overly accustomed to the highly defined structure of Pep Guardiola’s City. It is almost the contradiction of a star who looks so free and fluid in his actual play. Foden has been cast as a street footballer but he is actually the ultimate product of the modern academy system, having been at City since he was a child.