Marc – Football World Cup Blog

Joe Gomez admits needs for regular gametime to improve England prospects

Liverpool defender Joe Gomez has acknowledged that he needs regular minutes at the club level in order to stand the chance of representing England regularly. The young defender was picked by Three Lions boss Gareth Southgate for the recent internationals against Bulgaria and Kosovo, but he was left a frustrated figure on the bench in both of those games.

In a report covered by The Mirror, Gomez said that he cannot blame Southgate for the recent treatment, considering there are several players within the squad who have earned more minutes on the playing field this term. He added that his situation with the Reds is acceptable, given the stiff competition for places and he needs to wait for the chance to impress.
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Gareth Southgate explains Aaron Wan-Bissaka’s England call-up

England head coach Gareth Southgate has said that Aaron Wan-Bissaka was closely monitored by his coaching staff last season and believe the right-back deserves to make the jump to the senior national team. Wan-Bissaka made the big-money move to Manchester United from Crystal Palace over the summer and he has since accumulated the second-most number of tackles in the new league campaign.

Speaking in a press conference, Southgate said that the Three Lions are gifted with multiple options on the right side of the backline and Wan-Bissaka has been offered the chance to compete with Trent Alexander-Arnold and Kieran Trippier, he told: “We tracked him [Wan-Bissaka] very closely last year and thought he had an outstanding season. But we wanted him to stay with the U21 group, he has adapted well and quickly to a high-profile move. We are looking at him and Trent, that is reason Kyle Walker is not with us.”
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Guardiola fancies Sterling to score 30 goals for Manchester City this season

Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola believes Raheem Sterling has the credentials to reach the 30-goal mark for the Citizens this term. The England international was the standout performer for the Citizens last season with 25 goals across all competitions and Guardiola feels the attacker has the ability to make an improvement during the ongoing campaign.

In a press conference, Guardiola was asked whether Sterling can reach the mark 30-goal mark for the current season and his reply was positive saying: “Yeah, hopefully. It will be good for him and for the team. When he’s in front of the goal, he puts it in the net. So, he can do it, yeah. He scored 25 last season, and 25 to 30 is only five goals. So he can do it.”
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Manchester United boss Solskjaer fires warning to Jesse Lingard

Manchester United boss Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has told Jesse Lingard that he needs to produce a better level of performance in order to command a regular starting role next season. The England international had an average 2018/19 season with the Red Devils and he ended the campaign with just five goals across all competitions.

For the current pre-season, Lingard has been a regular feature for the side without success and Solskjaer has cited that the attacker must seek an improvement in terms of the performances, he said:“Jesse has proved before with his big-game goals that he’s valuable. But of course I’m going to demand more of him. I think he will be the first one to know that his last season was not up to standard. What we have discussed can be between the two of us, but I expect more from him and he knows what I want. “Jesse knows what it is to be a Manchester United player. At times maybe he’s made one or two bad decisions but he’s made more good decisions than bad. He’s a top boy.”
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Ian Holloway backs Tammy Abraham to make an impression at Chelsea

Former Queens Park Rangers manager Ian Holloway has said that he is excited to see Tammy Abraham make an impression with Chelsea next season. The England international struggled during a Premier League stint with Swansea City between 2017 and 2018 and that meant that he was loaned out to the Championship with Aston Villa last term.

The move worked out perfectly for the Villains and the striker himself, who scored 26 goals in the Championship and Holloway is looking forward to the striker making a mark with the Blues, he told TalkSPORT: “I’m so excited because I can see Tammy Abraham playing for Chelsea. I was fuming the other day when he was subbed for the England Under-21s.

“OK, when he went to Swansea it didn’t work for him because it was his first season in the Premier League, but he’s ready now. The boy is an immense talent.He was the second-highest goalscorer in the Championship last season and he’s the record goalscorer in their youth set-up. So I’m delighted. I think he’s ready for it and it’s got to happen now.”
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Neville believes Leicester City will be under pressure to keep Maguire

Manchester United legend-turned-pundit Gary Neville has said that Leicester City face a huge battle to keep hold of Harry Maguire this summer amid interest from both Manchester United and Manchester City. The England international was heavily linked with a move to the Red Devils last summer but the Foxes managed to sway away the interest by convincing the centre-back to sign a new long-term deal.

Despite this, the speculation regarding the defender’s future has refused to cease and recent reports have claimed that United and City could go head-to-head to pursue the services of the former Hull City man. Speaking to Sky Sports, Neville said that Maguire has improved immensely in the past couple of seasons and he can be placed in the bracket of John Stones, considering his composure and ball-playing abilities.
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Darren Anderton insists Jack Grealish won’t improve Tottenham

Former Wolverhampton Wanderers ace Darren Anderton has said that Jack Grealish may not necessary improve Tottenham Hotspur, should the north London club make an approach for his services. The 23-year-old was heavily linked with Spurs during last summer’s transfer window but ultimately the midfielder decided to stay put with the Villains and sign a new long-term deal.

Since then, he has captained the west Midlands outfit to a second-straight Championship play-off final but Anderton does not believe the midfielder has the credentials to walk straight into the starting lineup at Spurs, he told SportingBet: “Jack Grealish wouldn’t improve Tottenham’s team and they’ve got better players in his position already.
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Pochettino confident of Dele Alli participation in the Champions League final

Tottenham Hotspur boss Mauricio Pochettino is confident that Dele Alli will be available for the Champions League final against Liverpool next month despite appearing exhausted during the final Premier League game of the campaign against Everton. The England international appeared jaded in a lacklustre performance in the first period which saw him substituted at the break.

Speaking to reporters, Pochettino acknowledged that Alli was not in the best of shape for the curtain closer and he had doubts whether the midfielder would start the game in the first place. He added that the substitution was taken as a precaution and the playmaker should return to the mix for the Champions League final in Madrid.
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Harry Kane acknowledges Tottenham Hotspur could have a tough road ahead

England international Harry Kane has acknowledged that it would be difficult for manager Mauricio Pochettino to bolster the first-team squad due to the financial restrictions for the new stadium. The north London giants have finally succeeded in preparing their new home ground for the Premier League next month, but the same could hamper the transfer proceedings in the forthcoming years.

Speaking to ESPN, Kane admitted that the current team is one of the best in the club’s history but that would make no sense, if they end up without winning any silverware. He added that rebuilding the squad would be difficult under the current circumstances but the players need to do the best on their part to end the club’s trophy drought which has extended more than a decade.
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Jamie Vardy Will Not Come Out Of International Retirement, Claims Rodgers

Brendan Rodgers is of the opinion that Jamie Vardy will not change his decision on retiring from international duty even if the injury to Harry Kane means that the 32-year-old may feature for England at the UEFA Nations League in June. Tottenham forward Harry Kane has suffered a serious injury that is likely to keep him out of the Nations League final that will take place in June. This leaves manager Gareth Southgate with a major headache when it comes to the strikeforce for the national team. Manchester United forward Marcus Rashford is one of the players who can replace Kane without second thoughts but it does make the squad thin up front.

This has led to potential talk aboutVardy being forced to come back from retirement. In order to focus on his club career and give youngsters a chance,Vardy pretty from international action a year ago just after the World Cup 2018. The 32-year-old claimed that international retirement had been on his mind for a few years, as Southgate was with a view of nurturing young talent in order to benefit the national team. Brendan Rodgers recently took over as the manager of Leicester City and he has madeVardy as the focus of every attack. This has led toVardy once again rediscovering his form that led to England call-up in the first place.
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