The pace of change under Gareth Southgate is so unrelenting that Jadon Sancho’s involvement has almost felt like old news this week.
Last night’s furore over Declan Rice’s old social media post and the call-up of Chelsea’s Callum Hudson-Odoi without starting a single Premier League game has allowed Sancho to slip under the radar somewhat, despite now being in line for his first competitive international start.
Marcus Rashford’s injury withdrawal has left the door open and while Southgate refused to confirm whether Sancho or Hudson-Odoi would get the nod, he did at least admit it was a straight choice between the pair.
Sancho has become something of a poster boy for braving a move abroad, having left Manchester City to thrive in the Bundesliga with Borussia Dortmund. Indeed, Hudson-Odoi may have joined the 19-year-old in Germany had Chelsea not so robustly resisted Bayern Munich’s £35million overtures during January’s transfer window.
That message has been muddied by Chelsea boss Maurizio Sarri’s reluctance to give Hudson-Odoi consistent chances to prove himself, but Southgate is less inclined to wait.
The focus on Hudson-Odoi and Rice’s unfortunate social media post showing apparent support of the IRA as a 15-year-old has meant the sum total of scrutiny on Sancho in the build-up to tonight’s Euro 2020 qualifier against the Czech Republic has been an impudent Panenka penalty during a training session on Tuesday.
“We certainly don’t want to knock that out of creative players,” said Southgate. “Sometimes you can focus on team detail and moulding players into the way you want them to play — and then they lose the thing that makes them special. It’s important that we don’t do that, with the creative players especially. You want them to feel comfortable enough to do that in a senior environment and to feel they can talk openly with the senior players and feel that they are part of the group.
“Both of them [Sancho and Hudson-Odoi] were involved in small-sided games yesterday, encouraging the older ones and just feeling like they’re part of the group. I’m sure the goalkeepers weren’t too happy about [the trick penalty], but that’s normal practice. These boys have got huge confidence and they just do what they see.”
What they have seen since the World Cup is a switch from 3-5-2 to 4-3-3 as Southgate has looked to accommodate Raheem Sterling, Harry Kane and Rashford in the same line-up. They combined to most devastating effect in Seville in October, scything through Spain to earn a famous Nations League win.
If there was a criticism of England during their run to the World Cup semi-finals, it was that their threat from open play was not always potent — relying instead on set-pieces and an advanced understanding of VAR — and Southgate’s evolution to a back four is designed to help impose themselves on opponents, particularly ones they are expected to beat, like the Czech Republic.
The Sterling-Kane-Rashford triumvirate has thrilling potential and Southgate underlined the level Sancho has to reach. “He’s got people like Marcus, Harry and Raheem, whose focus in training is exemplary,” he said. “Not that Jadon’s hasn’t been, but he can see that to get to the level and maintain the level you’ve got to have those habits every day of the week. Your preparation has got to be strong and that’s in your hands, but it’s great that those players coming in see really good role models.”
Sancho is the first player born this millennium to represent England at senior level. During a round of interviews ahead of Dortmund’s Champions League last-16 tie against Spurs, the Londoner admitted his surprise at the attention a series of fine performances was generating back home.
Yet, Sancho’s emergence, having only made his international debut against Croatia last October, was one of the reasons Southgate opted to sign a contract extension that will keep him in charge of England until 2022.
“First and foremost, it’s pride in doing the job,” he said. “But, certainly, when you were looking at what the next few years could look like, and you knew the team that had won the Under-20s World Cup and the U-17s and U-19s Euros, there were some really exciting players. But although I’m saying they’re ready, they’ve also got to learn how to win and manage games.”
With Euro 2020 qualification starting and the Nations League finals to come this summer, the task of taking those lessons on board begin now.
