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Recently, Gareth Southgate has been asked to find the right words at the right time. An hour before kick-off in Leuven, he did it again.
“We are looking forward to seeing him play,” said the England coach, as he discussed the possibility of Jack Grealish’s first competitive appearance. ‘It’s good to see him against high-level opponents. We trust that he can play well. We want him to do what he does at his club. ‘
It was good to hear Southgate speak enthusiastically about the Aston Villa midfielder. Grealish has been a recurring theme over the course of three international camps, but the mention of his name has not always been warmly received.
In September, Southgate was asked about Grealish’s initial absence from his team and made it clear that he had a lot to do to earn it. After an uplifting night against Wales at Wembley in October, the 50-year-old splashed cold water on the idea that Grealish could be this team’s Paul Gascoigne.
Even last week, before the friendly against the Republic of Ireland, Southgate noted that towards the end of last season, when Grealish was hailed as the talisman of Aston Villa, he had only contributed one goal in 22 appearances. Talent is good but, in international football, the final product is decisive.
Grealish, however, was never fazed. He has listened to the debates, he has accepted the criticisms and his form for Villa has been outstanding. Once Raheem Sterling was ruled out of this Nations League game with a minor injury, he had to have his chance. To overlook it would have been grossly unfair.
“He’s getting used to the system that we play (but) the players have great confidence in him,” Southgate added. “We don’t want to push him too hard, but he loves these kinds of games and he will love this occasion.”
It certainly did. Watching Grealish has something that allows you to easily remember the innocence and joy of the game; he plays freely, with enthusiasm pouring out of him. Even in an empty stadium, his mind was filled with wonderful possibilities.
Things, it must be said, started slowly, in more ways than one. The first time Grealish saw the ball, in the fourth minute, it ended up landing on the pitch after a rather crude challenge from Belgian central defender Jason Denayer.
For much of the first 45 minutes, it seemed too vulgar. Grealish was on the periphery rather than in the center of things. It wasn’t for not trying. It was simply due to the fact that England’s game was too conservative.
This is something Southgate must change in the future. He is committed to playing 3-4-3 and it will be his system at the European Championships, but when you have seven defensive players on the field, he demands a lot from the three attackers.
Along with Mason Mount and Harry Kane, Grealish was isolated too often. He came close to one goal in the 11th minute, when he ran to find a cross from Kieran Trippier, but Toby Alderweireled got in the way at just the right time.
There was a cross for Mount after a moment of Kane’s industry that nearly created an opening, while another route to the finish was stopped by a back heel from Jan Vertonghen. As Belgium raced to a two-goal lead, you wondered if you would watch the game away.
We have seen it happen with England before in the past. Players who have waited for opportunities fight in their first big audition and then before you know it, they’re out of the system and will never be seen again. We really don’t want this fate to happen to Grealish.
What we want to see is if he can really take his club form to the highest stage. Fortunately, in the next 45 minutes, they gave us a fair idea that, yes, he will not be out of place. There’s a reason teammates describe Grealish’s talent as “special” and here’s an exciting glimpse.
Doing it against a Welsh team, in a friendly, decimated by injuries, was completely different from showing off against Belgium, the world’s highest-ranked team, but there was no doubt that Grealish provided the undisputed highlight of this defeat.
You could see how he started to gain confidence, how he could make those little movements with his feet like a con man on the street plays with cups and ball – now you see it, now you don’t see it – and started wrapping the Belgium defense in knots.
Thomas Meunier, for his part, will testify that Grealish has all the tools. He spent much of the second period turning inside out with his moves and tricks. He demanded the ball, whispering it under his breath, as Gascoigne did once, backing up to his marker and then turning.
The highlight, without a doubt, was the backward heel move in the 78th minute that made Meunier look like it had been stolen. What a shame, then, his efforts did not lead to a comeback, as he and his team deserved a goal.
“A fantastic player,” Kane said at the final whistle. “It was great to be on the field with him.”
The result was disappointing, but all was not lost. At one point, Southgate beckoned him over and said, “Come on … keep it up.” You suspect that he has finally conquered it. There will be other opportunities in the future. We can say that with certainty.
Source: m.allfootballapp.com
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