England manager Gareth Southgate oversees a training session at Rangers Training Centre ahead of the international friendly against Scotland. Getty
England manager Gareth Southgate oversees a training session at Rangers Training Centre ahead of the international friendly against Scotland. Getty
England manager Gareth Southgate oversees a training session at Rangers Training Centre ahead of the international friendly against Scotland. Getty
England manager Gareth Southgate oversees a training session at Rangers Training Centre ahead of the international friendly against Scotland. Getty

Sport

Football

Gareth Southgate refusing to 'overly experiment' when England face Scotland in friendly

Scotland manager Steve Clarke wants to use match to determine the progress of his team

The National

September 12, 2023

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England manager Gareth Southgate insisted Tuesday's international friendly against rivals Scotland will not be the time to "overly experiment".

Both sides are on the cusp of qualification for next summer’s European Championship in Germany as they meet at Hampden Park for the 116th edition of the oldest fixture in international football.

Southgate sees England’s first friendly fixture since March 2022 as an important test for his side, fresh from Saturday’s challenging 1-1 draw against Ukraine.

Scotland have won their last five matches and will be roared on by a sold-out home crowd, and Southgate knows he has to get the balance right with his selection.

“We’ve got to find the right balance of physical freshness – we’ve had a day less preparation – experience, finding out about some players, winning, playing well,” he said. “So, the usual things that are expected of us with England, really.

“But I think the first thing is we can’t fiddle around with the team because we’re playing a top-level side, who are going to be at full tilt and giving us a really high-level challenge.

“So, you can’t overly experiment because that would be ridiculous.”

Southgate largely stuck with the tried and tested with his squad selection for this September double-header, leading to starts for Harry Maguire and Jordan Henderson against Ukraine.

It was the first competitive start of the season for Maguire, who remains down the pecking order at Manchester United, and the first time Henderson had represented his country since swapping Liverpool for Saudi Pro League side Al Ettifaq.

Southgate received some criticism for selecting the pair against Ukraine, while a disjointed, toothless performance hardly set pulses racing.

“I haven’t seen it, so the reaction for us is, we’re top of the group,” said the England manager, who could hand Levi Colwill and Eddie Nketiah their debuts in Glasgow.

“I think we’re the top scorers in Europe. The boys did a really good job in a difficult environment and we know that our attacking play didn’t quite click.

England player ratings v Ukraine

Jordan Pickford - 6: Out well to sweep up late in the first half. Couldn't do anything about Zinchenko's close-range opener. Otherwise had very little to do. Reuters
Jordan Pickford - 6: Out well to sweep up late in the first half. Couldn't do anything about Zinchenko's close-range opener. Otherwise had very little to do. Reuters
Kyle Walker - 8: An unlikely goalscorer with his first for England on his 77th cap. Lovely alertness and run followed by a sumptuous first touch which gave him a straightforward finish. Dealt expertly with Mudryk after the break. Getty
Kyle Walker - 8: An unlikely goalscorer with his first for England on his 77th cap. Lovely alertness and run followed by a sumptuous first touch which gave him a straightforward finish. Dealt expertly with Mudryk after the break. Getty
Harry Maguire - 5: A mixed bag. Some examples of competent defending but then looked all at sea for the goal, gambling on the cross going to the near post and charging clumsily into defensive partner Guehi. Offered a threat at set-pieces. PA
Harry Maguire - 5: A mixed bag. Some examples of competent defending but then looked all at sea for the goal, gambling on the cross going to the near post and charging clumsily into defensive partner Guehi. Offered a threat at set-pieces. PA
Marc Guehi - 7: Solid performance from the Crystal Palace man. Did his defensive work with minimal fuss and was safe and steady with his distribution. Getty
Marc Guehi - 7: Solid performance from the Crystal Palace man. Did his defensive work with minimal fuss and was safe and steady with his distribution. Getty
Ben Chilwell - 5: Frustrating display from the Chelsea left-back, especially in the first half. Touch was poor, passing sloppy and got nowhere near Konoplya as he created Ukraine's opening goal. Reuters
Ben Chilwell - 5: Frustrating display from the Chelsea left-back, especially in the first half. Touch was poor, passing sloppy and got nowhere near Konoplya as he created Ukraine's opening goal. Reuters
Jordan Henderson - 5: Huffed and puffed in the first half and was partly to blame for Ukraine's goal as he failed to react quickly enough and track Zinchenko's run. Better in the second half but a mediocre display overall. Reuters
Jordan Henderson - 5: Huffed and puffed in the first half and was partly to blame for Ukraine's goal as he failed to react quickly enough and track Zinchenko's run. Better in the second half but a mediocre display overall. Reuters
Declan Rice - 5: Far from his best game in an England shirt. Struggled to offer any stability or control with the Ukrainians working their socks off and making life hard for the Three Lions' midfield. Reuters
Declan Rice - 5: Far from his best game in an England shirt. Struggled to offer any stability or control with the Ukrainians working their socks off and making life hard for the Three Lions' midfield. Reuters
Jude Bellingham - 6: Started really positively but deteriorated from there. Some flashes of brilliance early in the game and created a decent chance for Maddison. Influence waned and passing became increasingly erratic leading to his withdrawal. Reuters
Jude Bellingham - 6: Started really positively but deteriorated from there. Some flashes of brilliance early in the game and created a decent chance for Maddison. Influence waned and passing became increasingly erratic leading to his withdrawal. Reuters
James Maddison - 5: Missed a decent opportunity in the first half when his touch let him down. Some bright moments, but too often wasteful and gave up the ball cheaply. Booked for petulant challenge. Reuters
James Maddison - 5: Missed a decent opportunity in the first half when his touch let him down. Some bright moments, but too often wasteful and gave up the ball cheaply. Booked for petulant challenge. Reuters
Harry Kane - 7: Didn't get too many looks at goal but was able to influence the game from deep, never more so than in providing a beautiful assist for Walker's goal. Reuters
Harry Kane - 7: Didn't get too many looks at goal but was able to influence the game from deep, never more so than in providing a beautiful assist for Walker's goal. Reuters
Bukayo Saka - 6: At times lively and a goal threat, at others wasteful and frustrating. Hit the bar with a curling effort, but too often ran down blind alleys or made poor choices. Reuters
Bukayo Saka - 6: At times lively and a goal threat, at others wasteful and frustrating. Hit the bar with a curling effort, but too often ran down blind alleys or made poor choices. Reuters
SUBS: Marcus Rashford (Bellingham 65) - 5: Tried his best to make a breakthrough. Threatened with a free-kick but then got the ball caught under his feet in a good position. Getty
SUBS: Marcus Rashford (Bellingham 65) - 5: Tried his best to make a breakthrough. Threatened with a free-kick but then got the ball caught under his feet in a good position. Getty
Phil Foden (Maddison, 66) - 5: Struggled to get into game during a disjointed final 30 minutes for England, must be frustrated to have only figured from the bench. Reuters
Phil Foden (Maddison, 66) - 5: Struggled to get into game during a disjointed final 30 minutes for England, must be frustrated to have only figured from the bench. Reuters
Conor Gallagher (Saka, 86) - N/A: Came on as England settled for a point late on. Reuters
Conor Gallagher (Saka, 86) - N/A: Came on as England settled for a point late on. Reuters

“I think some of that was the surface, really, because to make those really incisive, quick passes at times you just needed a little extra touch or there was a little bobble.

“I’m very conscious I wasn’t going to be too harsh on my internal review with the players. Because you could see moments when we’re watching it back where the ball pops over players’ feet or (someone) goes to play a ball first time, and it lofts in the air.

“Equally, that wasn’t the case with everything that we did, so we’re always challenging. We want to be better and better and we’ve got to set a high standard.

“We weren’t as happy coming away with the point as we might have been but it’s still a really good result."

Clarke keen to assess Scotland progress

Scotland manager Steve Clarke during a training session at Lesser Hampden ahead of the game against England. PA
Scotland manager Steve Clarke during a training session at Lesser Hampden ahead of the game against England. PA

Scotland manager Steve Clarke, meanwhile, wants to use the match as a chance to see how close his side have got to England.

Scotland go into the game on a high having won 11 qualifying matches in a row. Friday’s 3-0 victory in Cyprus made it five wins from five in the Euro 2024 qualifiers and kept open the possibility of Scotland qualifying on Tuesday.

But Clarke will put aside thoughts of Germany next summer as Scotland host a side who will provide a stern test of their recent progress.

“Certainly in my lifetime England have probably moved a little bit further in front. We are trying to close the gap on them and we will find out how much we have closed the gap," he said.

“For us, it’s just about trying to continue to improve. I speak about it all the time, game to game. Obviously, we played well in Cyprus. It was a comfortable evening and now we see what we can do against a team that’s nominally a pot-one team, always in the later stages of major tournaments.

“That’s the benchmark we want to judge ourselves against and we will find out how close we are.

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Our legal columnist

Name: Yousef Al Bahar

Advocate at Al Bahar & Associate Advocates and Legal Consultants, established in 1994

Education: Mr Al Bahar was born in 1979 and graduated in 2008 from the Judicial Institute. He took after his father, who was one of the first Emirati lawyers

UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Whiile you're here
End of free parking

- paid-for parking will be rolled across Abu Dhabi island on August 18

- drivers will have three working weeks leeway before fines are issued

- areas that are currently free to park - around Sheikh Zayed Bridge, Maqta Bridge, Mussaffah Bridge and the Corniche - will now require a ticket

- villa residents will need a permit to park outside their home. One vehicle is Dh800 and a second is Dh1,200. 

- The penalty for failing to pay for a ticket after 10 minutes will be Dh200

- Parking on a patch of sand will incur a fine of Dh300

Heavily-sugared soft drinks slip through the tax net

Some popular drinks with high levels of sugar and caffeine have slipped through the fizz drink tax loophole, as they are not carbonated or classed as an energy drink.

Arizona Iced Tea with lemon is one of those beverages, with one 240 millilitre serving offering up 23 grams of sugar - about six teaspoons.

A 680ml can of Arizona Iced Tea costs just Dh6.

Most sports drinks sold in supermarkets were found to contain, on average, five teaspoons of sugar in a 500ml bottle.

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Favourite book: ‘The Art of Learning’ by Josh Waitzkin

Favourite film: Marvel movies

Favourite parkour spot in Dubai: Residence towers in Jumeirah Beach Residence

Winners

Best Men's Player of the Year: Kylian Mbappe (PSG)

Maradona Award for Best Goal Scorer of the Year: Robert Lewandowski (Bayern Munich)

TikTok Fans’ Player of the Year: Robert Lewandowski

Top Goal Scorer of All Time: Cristiano Ronaldo (Manchester United)

Best Women's Player of the Year: Alexia Putellas (Barcelona)

Best Men's Club of the Year: Chelsea

Best Women's Club of the Year: Barcelona

Best Defender of the Year: Leonardo Bonucci (Juventus/Italy)

Best Goalkeeper of the Year: Gianluigi Donnarumma (PSG/Italy)

Best Coach of the Year: Roberto Mancini (Italy)

Best National Team of the Year: Italy 

Best Agent of the Year: Federico Pastorello

Best Sporting Director of the Year: Txiki Begiristain (Manchester City)

Player Career Award: Ronaldinho

Quick pearls of wisdom

Focus on gratitude: And do so deeply, he says. “Think of one to three things a day that you’re grateful for. It needs to be specific, too, don’t just say ‘air.’ Really think about it. If you’re grateful for, say, what your parents have done for you, that will motivate you to do more for the world.”

Know how to fight: Shetty married his wife, Radhi, three years ago (he met her in a meditation class before he went off and became a monk). He says they’ve had to learn to respect each other’s “fighting styles” – he’s a talk it-out-immediately person, while she needs space to think. “When you’re having an argument, remember, it’s not you against each other. It’s both of you against the problem. When you win, they lose. If you’re on a team you have to win together.” 

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It firmly rejected “acts of terrorism, which constitute a flagrant violation of the sanctity of houses of worship”.

“Attacking places of worship is a form of terrorism and extremism that threatens peace and stability within societies,” it said.

The council also warned against the rise of hate speech, racism, extremism and Islamophobia. It urged the international community to join efforts to promote tolerance and peaceful coexistence.

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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
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MATCH INFO

Europa League final

Who: Marseille v Atletico Madrid
Where: Parc OL, Lyon, France
When: Wednesday, 10.45pm kick off (UAE)
TV: BeIN Sports

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Emergency phone numbers in the UAE

Estijaba – 8001717 –  number to call to request coronavirus testing

Ministry of Health and Prevention – 80011111

Dubai Health Authority – 800342 – The number to book a free video or voice consultation with a doctor or connect to a local health centre

Emirates airline – 600555555

Etihad Airways – 600555666

Ambulance – 998

Knowledge and Human Development Authority – 8005432 ext. 4 for Covid-19 queries

Emirates exiles

Will Wilson is not the first player to have attained high-class representative honours after first learning to play rugby on the playing fields of UAE.

Jonny Macdonald
Abu Dhabi-born and raised, the current Jebel Ali Dragons assistant coach was selected to play for Scotland at the Hong Kong Sevens in 2011.

Jordan Onojaife
Having started rugby by chance when the Jumeirah College team were short of players, he later won the World Under 20 Championship with England.

Devante Onojaife
Followed older brother Jordan into England age-group rugby, as well as the pro game at Northampton Saints, but recently switched allegiance to Scotland.

Updated: September 12, 2023, 4:05 AM`
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