Panama’s manager, Hernán Darío Gómez, cannot understand the controversy around the England team-sheet, saying it gives his side no advantage.
A picture was widely published of the assistant manager, Steve Holland, holding training notes that appeared to indicate Raheem Sterling would be dropped in favour of Marcus Rashford and Reuben Loftus-Cheek would come in for the injured Dele Alli. But Gómez dismissed the fuss, adding confidently that he would stick with his starting XI from Panama’s first game against Belgium when they were beaten 3-0.
“It doesn’t give me or afford me any advantage,” he said. “Each and every coach needs to make sure they’re 100% prepared and ready regardless of the opposition.
“It doesn’t matter who plays, because if one doesn’t play the other is just as good.”
It is Gómez’s third time leading a team at a World Cup after taking his native Colombia and then Ecuador to the finals. Despite the comprehensive defeat by Belgium, Gómez said England presented a sterner challenge.
“This is going to be our hardest match by far,” he said. “Against England we could get the same score or even worse. If we are distracted for only a millisecond, we are going to suffer. England don’t have a lot of individual stars like Belgium but they work great as a team, particularly when it comes to ball recovery. They will be a tough nut to crack; they play beautiful, organised football.”
Gómez struck a realistic tone as he said going back to Panama having sustained another “honourable loss” would be a satisfactory outcome. “We need to be fortunate, have a good day, and get off on the right foot for our players to shine,” he said. “We know full well that people are supportive back home despite the 3-0 loss. But just as the country is pleased right now, tomorrow or the day after they could hate us. Ninety minutes of football can change your life.”
When it was suggested to Gómez that talking down Panama’s chances might discourage his team, he bristled. “Have you heard me talk to my players? Have you?” he said, adding that Panama would try to defend stoutly and pick off England on the counterattack. “If we play in an organised way and play the way we can, we can give them a hard time,” he said.
Gómez has experienced multiple tragedies through football. He was Colombia’s assistant when Andrés Escobar was shot dead after scoring an own goal at the 1994 World Cup. During qualification for this tournament the Panama midfielder Amílcar Henríquez was assassinated while playing dominoes with friends and the crime remains unsolved.
“He was a leader within our team,” Gómez said of Henríquez. “Remembering him helps to bring us together. The team still talks about him a lot but we have a lot of pain. Whenever you lose a loved one, we feel it in our hearts.”
