England manager Gareth Southgate plans to name his World Cup squad before their final warmup matches to help strip unnecessary anxiety and pressure from preparations. Tuesday's promising 1-1 draw in Italy was England's last match before Southgate must submit a provisional squad of up to 35 players, with June 4 the deadline for the final 23-man squad. In a bid to have roles clearly defined in preparation for the finals, Southgate will make his decision before the penultimate warmup friendly against Nigeria on June 2. "I'd like to [name the squad before the next friendly] because you end up being able to run a performance camp rather than a selection camp," Southgate said. "I think there's a difference in the feel for everybody. "If you name 28 and they aren't sure, but if you name 23 and five on standby -- which Sven [Goran Eriksson] did well -- then everyone knows where they sit. Those on standby have a chance but they come into the camp knowing that's their role. "If you have got 28 or 30 who think they might have a chance, then there's a lot of uncertainty and anxiety within the games. For me, it's much better to get the 23 secured and work from there." But as a veteran of major tournaments as a player -- including seeing Paul Gascoigne's heartbreaking omission up close at the 1998 World Cup -- the England boss knows better than most the sensitivities surrounding selection. "It's very important," he said. "But I think already across this week, guys would have a pretty good idea of where they sit. It's about managing expectations, I suppose. "There are some who obviously know that they have worked with us for quite a while and the reality is they are going to be part of the squad. There are others that know -- after the conversations I've had with them -- that they are just on the edge of it. "But I think that's important because then it doesn't come as a huge surprise to anybody. I've got to keep those conversations going over the next few weeks to keep letting people know how I see it, so that in the end it doesn't come as dramatically to people. "But as a manager you have got to have difficult conversations all the time. It's delivering that as respectfully as possible, but it's never enjoyable for either person."
|