Big Weekend: England v Belgium, Giggs, Ukraine, penalties

Dave Tickner

Game to watch – England v Belgium

There was always a decent chance the order of this break’s fixtures would give Gareth Southgate the sort of problems we’re always told are Nice Problems To Have.

England were one-dimensional, drab and really just painfully ordinary against Iceland and Denmark in the last international break with the optimism that had built through the World Cup and inaugural Nations League campaign seeping away to nothing.

Starting a three-game international break with a friendly against a Wales team shorn of its big guns always looked likely to produce two things. One, an “experimental line-up” and two, a fairly comfortable victory in which multiple elements of that experimental line-up showed up the staid football of the first two Nations League games.

And lo, it came to pass. Jack Grealish, on the back of his scintillating show against Liverpool, was levels higher than anyone else on the pitch, while Dominic Calvert-Lewin and Danny Ings also carried their fine domestic goalscoring form into the international arena with maiden England goals. Conor Coady also got his first England goal, which very much was not a continuation of his domestic goalscoring form. But was also very lovely.

So… what happens now? Has Southgate already picked his side for the clearly far tougher test against the world’s top-ranked team? Or have Grealish and co. played their way in? Calvert-Lewin making way for actual Harry Kane remains perfectly understandable, but Grealish has to play now, surely?

Either way, England will need to be far, far better than the soporific side that stumbled to victory in Reykjavik and a goalless draw in Copenhagen. Although a sixth consecutive clean sheet would admittedly be the ideal starting point.

 

Teams to watch – The penalty shootouters

Not one, not two, but three teams from these islands involved in simultaneous penalty shootouts and none of them being England was quite something. While Northern Ireland and Scotland prevailed to keep their Euro 2021 hopes alive, for the Republic there was disappointment.

For all three, an interesting dynamic to their next games, three days later in a different tournament. Scotland and Northern Ireland must turn their attention back to the current Nations League while preparing for play-off finals carrying a huge prize from the last one.

For Republic of Ireland, something even weirder. One thing about penalty shootout defeats for international sides is that generally that’s that for a little while. You might have to go through the motions of a 3rd/4th place play-off, but nobody cares about that. You usually have plenty of time to come to terms with the specific pain that comes only with a shootout defeat. Instead, these players must immediately lift themselves for a crunch clash with Wales, a game which already looks like a must-win for the Irish after taking just a point from their first two games.

 

Team to watch – Ukraine

Missing out on the dopamine high of all those mad Premier League goalfests during the international break? Don’t worry, Ukraine have got you covered. Having lost their last two matches 4-0 to Spain and 7-1 to France, they next face Germany on Saturday night.

Germany, for their part, come into the game on the back of a 3-3 draw with Turkey which featured a 94th-minute equaliser.

Basically what we’re saying is: this will probably be 0-0.

 

Manager to watch – Ryan Giggs

There were encouraging signs for a relatively callow Wales side, particularly in the first half, and now attention turns back to a Nations League campaign that has gone flawlessly so far with two wins from two on the back of securing qualification for the Euros if/when they eventually happen.

Defeat to England was Wales’ first in nine games and 15 months, and there are plenty of signs that Wales are no longer quite so dependent on your Bales and your Ramseys as they once were.

But more importantly, that Manchester United job looks like it could be coming up again. It’s important that the next manager knows the club and understands what it means to be part of Manchester United Football Club. Give it Giggsy ‘til end of the season.

 

Football League game to watch – Fleetwood v Hull

A first ever league meeting between two teams who have hit League One from opposite directions in recent years, and one that already looks significant in how the division might unfold.

The doom and gloom around Hull has dissipated with four straight wins – all with clean sheets – as they bid to make their return to the third tier for the first time in 15 years a brief one, as well as taking down everyone’s new second-favourite team Leeds in the Carabao. Their adventure in that competition was ended abruptly by West Ham, but in the league they rumble on.

They’ve had quirky fixtures, though, having faced three promoted sides in their first four games. Joey Barton’s Fleetwood should be a different proposition altogether. They made the play-offs last season, but have made a sticky start to this campaign with three defeats after an opening-day win.

 

Big Weekend Jack Grealish

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