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There are plenty of opportunities for an injured Harry Kane and an injured Bukayo Saka, backing the biggest beasts in the world game, tonight once proven that there is no replacement for England’s two toughest strikers.
It’s the feeling that Gareth Southgate’s side suffered a rare defeat at Wembley – their first in 21 games and first at any festival since losing to France in the World Cup quarter-finals in December 2022. They are two exhausted teams that found their way to the final. end of some exhausting season, and even more so of those who were missing in the decisive moments of the match.
There is no Neymar Junior for Brazil and instead, the only goal of the match was the first from abroad for 17-year-old prodigy, Endrick. England conceded too many opportunities to a Brazilian team suffering from sadness at home after a run of 3 consecutive defeats in World Cup qualifying. For all the impressive attacking strength and intensity Southgate has at his disposal, England didn’t have Saka to lead a deep defence. They also didn’t have Kane to take advantage of the fleeting opportunities that rarely happen in games like this.
Kane will also miss Tuesday’s friendly against Belgium due to an ankle injury sustained in his last appearance for Bayern Munich. Saka is already back at Arsenal. Southgate spoke of the opportunity to try something else that night and will no doubt do the same on Tuesday with senior player Kyle Walker, probably unavailable. Anthony Gordon, Ezri Konsa and Kobbie Mainoo all made their senior debuts on Saturday night and the conclusions were easy to draw.
There are some players England can’t do without. Only John Stones and Declan Rice, from the core of England’s untouchables, played the entire match, with the former taking the armband as the third captain of the night. He first moved from Walker to Harry. Maguire when the Manchester City player failed to recover from an injury sustained in the first 20 minutes. Maguire had been substituted just as Vinicius Junior found himself trailing England after 80 minutes, this time charging for all that clever run.
Endrick, as a substitute, was in the right position to win the ball back when Jordan Pickford saved it and the game was decided. It’s the kind of moment that can convince a teenager they’re destined for greatness in their first senior game away from home. Endrick will be presented in Europe wearing a Real Madrid shirt next season. Among his longtime teammates, Jude Bellingham once again got real with the ball, an imposing physical presence with magical feet. Vinicius, the most effective striker in the game. Rodrygo is also animated.
Brazil lead at Wembley as teenager Endrick scores ? #ThreeLions | #ENGBRA | @AskNationwide pic. twitter. com/rNSWVYyFes
– Canal Deporte (@CSport) March 23, 202
Another factor for Southgate was the influence of Phil Foden, who could have been expected to thrive on this project given his current form for City, but who has been lost on the right side of the smartest three. He has been one of the most influential players of the Premier League season and there are fears that he will end up in the spare chair at the European Summer Championship.
It’s Bellingham who wears the number 10 shirt, and the position that goes with it, and Foden works around him. He didn’t get a single touch on Brazil’s penalty field all night. His 44 touches in the game were well below his average of 72 for the city.
Southgate said before the game that a third of the long list of players he could have chosen were unavailable due to injury (and negative) and, for all the skill he had, he was. Southgate went on to say that with 10 minutes left and a team that had to adapt to absences and then replace their captain in the first half, a draw looked like a smart comeback against the world’s greatest footballing nation.
England had missed chances before the goal, but a weak header from Lewis Dunk found Andreas Pereira’s header and the ball from Fulham’s midfield gave Vinicius a run in defence. Endrick scored on the rebound.
Brazil were without either of their two first-choice goalkeepers, Alisson Becker and Ederson, and the former was caught on television cameras among the visiting fans. They chose to adopt a long posture at the feet of Bento, who replaced him. Lucas Paqueta racked up a series of fouls earlier despite being booked. Still, the West Ham player’s functionality in midfield, as well as Newcastle Guimaraes, has been very important for Brazil. Paqueta hit a post in the first half and at times took advantage of his chance between the inevitable booking and his substitution in the second half.
There were a lot of fouls on Bellingham, typical of a player so talented that even Brazilians feel brute force could be the most productive way to prevent it. However, when the young Englishman opted to blank Bruno in the 13th minute, it was a worrying moment. Football tournaments do not lend themselves to reasonable advance bookings for players who like to play on the edge.
It was Bellingham’s ball against Conor Gallagher in the first half that gave Ollie Watkins, Kane’s backup tonight, the most productive opportunity. It’s at times like those that reputations are made and the Aston Villa striker has never been the first to capture the opportunity.
Watkins is about to give England ?the lead#ThreeLions #ENGBRA pic. twitter. com/MDGsfowiNG
– Canal Deporte (@CSport) March 23, 202
England had conceded the most productive openings of the first half: Paqueta’s shot hitting the post, a mistake by Maguire that let Raphinha in, Vinicius with a goal sight after Paqueta had handed in Gallagher. Brazil had played in a 4-2-4. They form their preparation, looking to place players in wide positions in one-on-one fights.
Southgate was forced to update Bellingham shortly after an hour and although England’s attack was renewed twice with Jarrod Bowen and then Marcus Rashford, they never had the required threat. Endrick’s goal was a reminder of how thin the margins are, and with Vinicius still. On the field, maybe the match went in Brazil’s favor. He’s the kind of player the Brazilian team couldn’t do without, and those who had similar prestige with England weren’t there to make a difference.
“We’re playing against a very sensible team. The possibilities are going to be limited. Maybe we had the chance to take advantage of one of them from a set piece.
“I’m satisfied with the players who came in. We want to be informed about them. I think Ollie had done a smart job. I didn’t have that clear scoring opportunity that one could wish for. Many of his paintings are very clever.
“[Cole] Palmer and [Jordan] Henderson practiced today with the organization. Belgium played with a different XI [in their first game of the break], so they will be a bit fresher.
“It was a brilliant party for the players [on Tuesday].
“I know there will be a negative reaction to a defeat, but I think with 15 minutes to go the crowd was behind the team, you might see the green players come in and do well. “
“Tonight was the happiest day of my life. I imagined things a little bit with a win and a goal. I thought we were the bigger team, but we lacked the merit they had in the end.
“It’s my long-term dream. Achieving this is everything to me.
“Not only did I believe it in the last few years, I believed it on the pitch [as a kid] recreating Rooney’s and Gerrard’s goals; It’s just an amazing moment.
“We want to find a way to kill groups and put them to the sword when we get the chance. “
On what you could do better:
“Score! When you pass out, you think you might have done better.
“In the first half with the volley, if it were me, I would have liked to score it. “
In euros:
“You never go through to be able to be part of this England team with the skill that surrounds you. I have so much time left to go that I haven’t fully shown you what I can do.
Mike McGrath gave his thoughts on how England’s players behaved tonight. Don’t forget that you can give your opinion on tonight’s match in the comments segment at the end of the blog.
Gareth Southgate has just revealed during his press conference that Harry Kane will play against Belgium on Tuesday night and return to Bayern Munich.
“We don’t know yet, he feels something. He’s not a player who gets injured often, so he doesn’t know exactly what he is. We’ll have to compare it.
“There were some smart performances, it was a high-level match. We controlled long games and had the same number of attempts on goal. It’s that relentless moment that decides the game. We’ve had players make their debuts. “He hasn’t had many internationals, there have been vital performances.
“Anthony [Gordon] has been wonderful on both ends of his game. With 15 minutes to go, there were a lot of adjustments and at that point the audience was satisfied with the performance. When you lose the game, it becomes negative, but we have to put that in context because there were a lot of clever things in the performance.
“It’s a classic game, unlike a South American team. During a qualifier or a competition, more cards would have been dealt and that affects the game. We expected it. And I played well under that intense tension and played well from the back. I’m not dissatisfied with much of that performance.
It was a difficult and fatal night for England, who deserved their defeat to Brazil. This match arguably would have been just a friendly, but each and every game is very important for Gareth Southgate in the countdown to this summer’s European Championship and it was a wasted evening. opportunity to score against one of the leading nations in world football. England’s biggest fear was the number of mistakes made, which may also have been much more costly with Harry Maguire, Ben Chilwell and Lewis Dunk all guilty. Dunk’s poor header allowed Brazil to break the deadlock anyway and, in a first tournament, England will be punished if they make mistakes like this. Kyle Walker was also injured, while Jude Bellingham was fortunate not to be injured given the brutal healing he received. It was a chaste evening in which Phil Foden and Ollie Watkins battled. Unfortunately, there’s a lot to ponder.
Tonight marks England’s first defeat at Wembley in 21 games. The last time they lost at home was in October 2020, when they fell to Denmark in the Nations League.
Endrick’s goal made him Wembley’s youngest senior international goalscorer at the age of 17 years and 246 days. Our own Matt Law wrote an article earlier this week about how Endrick came close to signing for Chelsea. He will sign for Real Madrid this summer, when he turns 18.
Rice launches it and Brazil withdraws. They win the ball and move forward. Endrick found himself with the chance to score his one-on-one moment with Pickford, but he immediately hit the England goalkeeper.
The final whistle blew and Brazil won 1-0 thanks to 17-year-old Endrick’s first foreign goal.
England has a very backward corner. One last chance.
Time is up for England.
There are two more minutes left.
There will be 4 more minutes. Will England manage to equalise?
England were to blame for being jealous in this second half. The speed slowed down and they paid the price, with Brazil rightly taking the lead through their new Real Madrid prodigy, 17-year-old Endrick (whom my colleague Matt Law so presciently described). before the game). It’s a poor goal to concede with a weak header from Lewis Dunk that put England in trouble and their defensive line everywhere. There will be a lot to talk about after the game, but one unforeseen one: Phil Foden’s silence. Surprising form for Manchester City, Foden a real sadness tonight. We expected him to shine, but he remained virtually anonymous.
Brazil’s delayed double substitution as Bremer and Pablo Maia update Wendell and Vinicius Jr.
Brazil is ahead. The ball is played by the English defense and Vinicius Jr beats it. Pickford made a clever one-on-one save, but Endrick scored his first foreign goal at just 17 years old. England insist Vinicius Jr was offside, but he wasn’t, so the purpose is valid. What a moment for the young man.
Brazil lead at Wembley as teenager Endrick scores ? #ThreeLions | #ENGBRA | @AskNationwide pic. twitter. com/rNSWVYyFes
– Canal Deporte (@CSport) March 23, 202
Brazil makes two substitutions in Savio and Luiz Guimaraes and Raphinha.
England make a double substitution as Mainoo makes his England debut. He replaces Gallagher while Rashford replaces Gordon.
Gallagher is about to receive a penalty, but nothing is given to him. There aren’t enough contacts there to warrant a penalty.
Brazil makes a double substitution when 17-year-old Pereira and Endrick update Paqueta and Rodrygo. Endrick will sign for Real Madrid this summer.
Gareth Southgate makes triple substitutions for Bowen, Dunk and Gomez Bellingham, Chilwell and Maguire.
It’s a triple replacement for England with Jude Bellingham among the substitutes, much to Real Madrid’s relief, I suppose, given some of the tackles he suffered in Brazil that actually upset England’s dugout. In fact, Channel Four reported that Jimmy-Floyd Hasselbaink, a member of Gareth Southgate’s coaching staff, spoke angrily to Portuguese fourth official Fabio Jose Costa Verissimo in the half-time tunnel. It can be seen that the two men were in the middle of a verbal exreplace and Hasselbaink was not happy. With the departure of Harry Maguire, it means England have their third captain of the night when John Stones takes the armband. Kyle Walker started as captain before going off injured. Transferring the captaincy is far from ideal for England.
Paquetá first attempted a daring drive from the right side of the box into the most sensitive corner, but narrowly missed. It was close and it would have been a fantastic finish.
At the other end, Gallagher spotted Bellingham at the post, but his header went in front of goal and missed. Bellingham suffers from a small cramp.
Liverpool and Brazil’s number one goalkeeper Alisson, who has recently been injured, is in the stands at Wembley with his family.
Unfortunately, the paper martins are back in full force at Wembley, including with a touchdown at the feet of Gareth Southgate in England’s technical area. It’s a rarity. It could be a friendly, but it’s England vs Brazil and both teams tried instead of pretending. We might not have scored a goal yet, but it could also have been a high-scoring game. Do you ask who will go to such prestigious matches in England and think it’s a good idea to throw paper airplanes?To each his own, I suppose. Meanwhile, Liverpool’s injured goalkeeper Alisson, who is Brazil’s number one, was spotted among the Brazilian enthusiasts and we even had a marriage proposal (which was accepted!) on the big screen at half-time.
One issue that comes up in the game is how far Brazil is targeting Jude Bellingham. They obviously know him as England’s naughty guy and take no prisoners in his approach. Bellingham has been fouled at least five times but, as a rule, he doesn’t shy away from a challenge, and a big one. Nobody touched the ball more than him in the first half (40) and he continued to generate English menace. His most productive hope of scoring is in his 20s. Real Madrid will be keeping an eye on that for fear that he will get injured. Suffice it to say that the speed slowed down in the second half and the set-up looked a little more like a friendly attack.
Chilwell tries to cut back to Foden but is intercepted. The ball went back to Stones on the edge of the box, who took it on the first attempt but his shot went wide.
Chilwell blocked a shot from Raphinha and it went for a corner kick for Brazil, who came up short. They eventually got the ball back, but it was cleared.
Vinicius Jtr sent in a cross from the left but none of his teammates were there to respond, but Chilwell stopped it for a corner. It was sent to the far post but Vinicius Jr could not and Gordon cleared.
There were so many fouls in this game, it’s very friendly. No wonder England is upset by such cynical mistakes. In just 50 minutes, Paquetá committed six fouls.
England had the first corner of the second half when Bellingham’s cross headed back. Foden takes an inside shot that Brazil can lightly pull out.
Moments later, Stones fouled Paqueta, who was running on an all-powerful tightrope. Rice sends a delivery to the remote outpost, where Gordon is there to receive it. He makes a clever touch but it’s directly over Bento.
We’re on tour at Wembley.
Our EURO team members are here in @wembleystadium to honour the life of Terry Venables ❤️ pic. twitter. com/tsAbW28GMp
– England (@England) March 23, 2024
Yes, they might have led if it wasn’t for Ollie Watkins not getting a golden opportunity, but in fact they are lucky not to have at least two goals from a weakened Brazilian side who have been very impressive. In the future. Lucas Paqueta, despite his numerous fouls, has been the most productive player on the pitch, while one of the big communication problems will be a terrible mistake made by Harry Maguire, who let Raphinha into the goal. The Barcelona striker deserves to have scored and it’s the kind of mistake that can cost England dearly in the European Championship. It’s no surprise that Gareth Southgate is taking notes on the touchline. There’s a lot to talk about in the locker room. There will also be contemplations at Manchester City. after Kyle Walker suffered a glaring hamstring injury and Arsenal play at home next Sunday.
So much for the first half, which has been intriguing and intelligent, but so far goalless. Brazil had the biggest chances, adding a shot by Paquetá that hit the post. It all fell into place at Wembley at half-time.
⏸️HT No purpose, a very open game#TelegraphFootball | #ENGBRA
– Telegraph Football (@TeleFootball) March 23, 2024
There will be another two minutes.
England took a corner from the left that almost ended up with Foden at the far post but went for another corner at the other end. Brazil is getting rid of it.
Maguire is very lucky. He tried to pass the ball to Pickford, but was given almost nothing. Raphinha arrives first but his shot goes wide. Another wonderful possibility will beg Brazil.
Gordon attacked from the left and put one in the corner, but Bento went well to the left to stop the ball.
Paqueta has to be careful here as he fouls Bellingham. He’s already on the yellow card and you wouldn’t be surprised if, if he hadn’t been warned, he had noticed the yellow card.
Lucas Paquetá remains the most productive player on the pitch – although he has also committed several fouls – and was unlucky not to give Brazil the lead, hitting the post with his shot. There’s a lot to think about for Gareth Southgate, England opened up all too easily through Brazil, specifically on England’s left flank. The fact that Ben Chilwell now had to step up and go on the attack, after replacing Kyle Walker, made England much more vulnerable. It’s fair to say that England are also missing Harry Kane and Bukayo Saka. England complained after another foul by Paqueta, with Jude Bellingham directing appeals to Portuguese referee Artur Ribeiro Soares Dias.
England won a corner after Gordon’s shot deflected from behind. England played short and eventually Foden made an effort just outside the box, but his effort too close to Bento and it was a simple save at the end.
Brazil hits the post. After an excruciating first effort, moments later, Paqueta returned the ball to his feet in the center of the penalty area, 10 meters away. His shot hit the post and England cleared. Great sadness for England there.
Paqueta is on the e-book after getting rid of Stones.
Paquetá found Rodrygo with a very good lofted pass on the right side of the box, but he failed to give the right touch to place Vinicius Jr in the center and went for a shot on goal.
Watkins tried to locate Bellingham with one out on the left side of the box, but intercepted crucially for Brazil.
Gomes fouls Bellingham in Brazil’s half. Bellingham implored referee Artur Dias to penalize Gomes for several fouls, the referee disagreed. Rice’s delivery is authorized.
Gordon intervened from the left and his curling shot into the far corner was deflected for a corner by Bruno. The ball came back to Chilwell on the edge of the box and, as on the last occasion, he missed the opportunity by hitting it badly beyond the box. far post.
Chilwell discovered Maguire at the far post, whose header deflected into a corner. It was cleared for Chilwell on the edge of the box, but his effort would be better suited to a rugby attack than a football one.
From an English free-kick down the right, Rice discovered it in the far post area. His shot was blocked but moments later England won another free kick in the dangerous area, just metres from Brazil’s box.
It’s not a huge surprise since Walker couldn’t possibly continue. He will be replaced by Konsa, who will make his debut.
Gareth Southgate and his assistant Steve Holland are in the middle of a verbal exchange on the English pitch. They wonder if Kyle Walker will be able to continue, as the England captain was injured pushing Vinicius Junior’s shot off the goal line. Walker is now damaged He let go and went straight into the tunnel, which will be a fear for his club, Manchester City. In other words, he may not be worried in Tuesday’s friendly against Belgium and there will be fears that he will be left out of next Sunday’s game. Massive clash at home against Arsenal.
Interestingly, Southgate will bring in Ezri Konsa for his right-back instead of employing Joe Gomez. It will be a big cheque for Konsa, who performs the task of Aston Villa but is in fact not as fast as Walker and faces the speedy Vinicius Junior. Good luck.
Gallagher spotted Watkins in the Brazil box, but there was a throw-in just before winning his shot, causing his effort to go over the crossbar. Good defense.
Watkins is about to give England ?the lead#ThreeLions #ENGBRA pic. twitter. com/MDGsfowiNG
– Canal Deporte (@CSport) March 23, 202
Surprisingly, Walker is back and right in the middle of the action. Vinicius Jr passes it in the penalty area and it falls, but there was not enough touch to penalty.
Moments later, Brazil were ahead at the top of the pitch and Rodrygo was struggling in the England box, but his shot went wide. He’s done better there.
Bellingham was the first player to be booked tonight after a hasty lunge at Guimaraes. You shouldn’t see such aggression in a friendly match.
Before play resumed, Walker had fallen and medical personnel were on the field. Manchester City fans will be worried ahead of the Premier League clash against Arsenal tomorrow in a week’s time.
Brazil will be at the forefront. Paquetá makes a beautiful pass via after getting away from Gallagher. Vinicius Jr arrives at the goal and finds himself one-on-one with Pickford. He made his shot past Pickford but didn’t have much speed and Walker cleared again.
Rodrygo made Brazil’s first effort of the night. He discovered dominance in a central domain and dribbled into the English area. He shoots to his left but Pickford drops to his left to save.
Tactically, it was an attractive first few minutes for England, who pressed incredibly hard to fill the pitch against Brazil. So much so that Jude Bellingham almost plays as a second striker alongside Ollie Watkins and with Conor Gallagher coming up from midfield. Positive, competitive technique from Gareth Southgate, which is great to watch. England have already taken a couple of free-kicks close to Brazil’s penalty dominance, thanks to Gallagher. The danger is that Brazil, weakened, will not be bad at receiving the ball. through the press, as they have just demonstrated with Rodrygo’s first shot.
We have a carbon copy of the incident from a few moments ago when Gallagher wins a free kick in the same position as the previous one after a foul through Paqueta. Chilwell takes the free kick but the flag is raised for offside in front of Maguire.
Foden takes the free kick towards the post. Brazilian goalkeeper Bento comes out but doesn’t touch when he goes past the post.
England received a free kick on the flank, a few metres from Brazil’s box, after a foul on Gallagher.
We’re on our way to Wembley.
Wembley will pay tribute to Terry Venables with a minute’s applause. His family is at Wembley tonight.
David Seaman, Alan Shearer and Gazza are all at Wembley tonight cheering England on.
Both have come out of the tunnel Wembley. Es the time of the national anthems.
Tonight the focus will be on Jude Bellingham. It’s not that he’s discouraged from facing Brazil, especially since his star players Vinicius Junior and Rodrypass are his teammates at Real Madrid. In the absence of Harry Kane, Bellingham is even more England’s most important player and that’s all he’s going through to thrive. With injuries and absences in Gareth Southgate’s team, England – perhaps for the first time – come into this match as favourites to beat Brazil. Even if it’s a friendly, it will be a significant result if England win – as Southgate pointed out. Expect them to play and beat Brazil for only the fifth time in 27 attempts. Prediction? England 3 Brazil 1.
England: Pickford, Walker, Stones, Maguire, Chilwell, Rice, Gallagher, Foden, Bellingham, Gordon, Watkins.
Substitutes: Konsa, Johnstone, Dunk, Branthwaite, Gomez, Toney, Bowen, Rashford, Maddison, Mainoo, Ramsdale.
Brazil: Bento, Danilo, Fabricio Bruno, Lucas Beraldo, Wendell, Joao Gomes, Bruno Guimaraes, Lucas Paqueta, Raphinha, Vinicius Jr, Rodrygo.
Substitutes: Rafael Monteiro, Leo Jardim, Murilo, Bremer, Richarlison, Yan Couto, Pepe, André Trindade, Douglas Luiz, Andreas Pereira, Savio, Endrick, Galeno, Ayrton Lucas, Pablo Maia.
“It’s a tough opponent, but I’m ready for it. When you put on an England shirt, you want to make the most of it.
“I think there’s a festival everywhere. There are a lot of smart players in the team.
“There are world-class players fighting for the same spot, I’m just going to play my game.
“The players have to get used to the way I play. I play better than Harry Kane. Se needs a bit of understanding and communication. Over time, you learn how to play with other players.
Ready for his debut with #ThreeLions. ? @anthonygordon pic. twitter. com/9T5vwGXiuG
– England (@England) March 23, 2024
There have been many questions as to why Brazil is rarely heavily dressed in its iconic classic yellow blouse and blue shorts tonight. It just doesn’t seem right. In fact, there’s no clash of colors with England dressed in her new (controversial) house white blouse. It turns out that the explanation for why Brazil wears blue is that they also have a new yellow blouse at home that they must present in the subsequent friendly. This one – in Spain on Tuesday with the match played at the Santiago Bernabeu, home of Real Madrid. Although Brazil built against England – and it’s a prestigious match for them despite the absence of 14 players – it turns out that betting against Spain in Madrid, the home stadium of Vinicius Junior and Rodrygo’s club, is a more vital match for them.
Warm-up at the @wembleystadium! ?pic. twitter. com/zSyEtKo60Y
– England (@England) March 23, 2024
It’s appealing to give Kyle Walker the captaincy in the absence of Harry Kane and Jordan Henderson. Harry Maguire would have possibly been expected to be upgraded, however, Gareth Southgate has settled on Walker who, of course, wears the Manchester City armband this season. It is well known in the English camp that the 33-year-old is desperate to be on the bill when it comes to becoming England’s captain and covets the job, but he would possibly draw attention given the off-field controversies that concern him. Obviously, he shouldn’t influence his selection, but being captain of England?Personally, I would have gone through Declan Rice.
Placed on the seats at Wembley tonight, those banners reading “Raise the Flag”:
On Ollie Watkins and Harry Kane:
“It’s other players and we have to appreciate the way Ollie Watkins plays and not ask him what he’s doing to do the same thing as Harry.
“Our task is to bring out their [players’] assets and function in the spaces they want to function in; we want to adjust our game to Ollie. “
On what Anthony Gordon should do:
“Really what he’s done for his club all season. You don’t have to do anything different.
“He’s been exciting on the ball and he’s been training well all week, he feels like he’s been with us forever. “
On the New England controversy:
“I haven’t focused much on him. I see this has been discussed in the media, but look, I talked about it for a long time yesterday. The most important thing on the England jersey is the Three Lions.
“Sometimes we’ve had the St. George’s flag and we didn’t. In my opinion, you can’t replace the flag of St. George.
“So everything else is artistic, but it’s been way out of my focus. “
There are three Premier League players leaving for Brazil tonight, adding Joao Gomes from Wolves. Our own John Percy has written about the effect Gomes has had on Wolves since his move from Flamengo to Molineux.
England are absent and with Harry Kane injured, it’s Ollie Watkins who gets the green light to lead the centre-forward line against Brazil, and rightly so. There’s also a start for Anthony Gordon and, of course, a few other wonderful homework from my colleagues Mike McGrath and Matt Law, who wrote about the team that was expected this morning. As always, they were proven right, even reporting that Kyle Walker would be the captain in Kane’s absence. Obviously, this is a great opportunity for Watkins and Gordon. , but also for Conor Gallagher, who will play alongside Declan Rice in midfield. Who will be Rice’s wife at the Euros is one of the biggest issues facing Gareth Southgate. Will Gallagher seize his chance?
Team News! ? Gordon and Watkins start ?ڠڠڠڠڠ England ? Brazil ?? #TelegraphFootball | #ENGBRA pic. twitter. com/DN0SM73dlS
– Telegraph Football (@TeleFootball) March 23, 2024
Preparation for this adjustment was imposed through Nike’s resolution to have a multicolored St. George’s cross on England’s European Championship jersey, which generated a massive reaction. The FA is set to introduce an overhaul of how uniforms are approved.
With Euro 2024 just a few months away, you can have a say in how you think the tournament will unfold thanks to our Euro 2024 predictor.
To play here.
Tonight the #TroisLions will face Brazil! ? pic. twitter. com/Y9o4fmJKhx
– England (@England) March 23, 2024
??Dorival Júnior joined the Seleção Brasileira for his friend’s match against England at Wembley at 4pm. Será a primeira do trainador devant da Amarelinha!??? Pra cima, Brazil! ? #BRAxING #PaixãoPelaAmarelinha pic. twitter. com/rGvJTFlq7K
– CBF Futebol (@CBF_Futebol) March 23, 2024
Tonight, England will pay tribute to Terry Venables, who passed away on November 25 last year. England have played since his death, so tonight’s match marks the first opportunity for an England to pay tribute to ‘The Tel’.
England’s friendlies have long since lost their credibility, but today’s match against Brazil provides a genuinely exciting opportunity to take on those South American stars. You can save your predictions for the game on the most productive sites.
Our #TroisLions are here! ? pic. twitter. com/2ZAjKD1dTT
– England (@England) March 23, 2024
England’s preparations for Euro 2024 are accentuated tonight when they face Brazil at Wembley. England still have 3 matches tonight before the start of the European Championship; Belgium on Tuesday and friendlies against Bosnia and Iceland in June. The opening match of England’s tournament will be played against Serbia in Gelsenkirchen on June 16.
With his contract expiring in December, England manager Gareth Southgate has been linked with the Manchester United job but insisted his full attention on England ahead of the Euros.
“I think I’ve answered that question every time I’ve sat down with you. My goal is the European Championships,” he said at his press conference on Friday.
“If we did something, a contract here [with England] before, everyone would say, ‘Why do you sign a contract before a Euros where you have to act yourself?’
“I’m definitely not going to communicate with anyone before that. I have been here for 8 years in this position. I wouldn’t need to communicate with anyone else when I’m working.
Southgate showed that Bayern Munich striker and England captain Harry Kane will miss tonight’s game and may also miss Tuesday’s match against Belgium. Jordan Henderson and Cole Palmer will also be absent tonight, but they may only have Belgium compatibility.
Tonight, England have the chance to face a quality opponent, as Brazil is currently ranked fifth in the FIFA rankings.
“We’ve done that in the last few years [consistently winning games against the most sensible groups],” Southgate said.
“I read that I only beat Brazil 4 times in 26 games, something like that.
“There are a lot of games where there are wonderful warring sides where we don’t have a remarkable record and that this team has managed to beat: Italy twice, Spain. It’s an opportunity for us to mark a milestone and create a little bit more. of a story for those kids.
“We’re going to be tested in every single facet of our game and it’s going to be a big challenge for us. “
We’ll have news from the team shortly.
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