St Petersburg: England’s players have a clear idea of who will play Monday against Tunisia and midfielder Fabian Delph said they are ready to find another gear at this World Cup.
Gareth Southgate’s team will go through a final training session Sunday morning before flying to Volgograd, with the intention of making a winning start.
Among those facing anxious waits are Eric Dier and Jordan Henderson, both jostling to be England’s chief destroyer in midfield, while Ashley Young or Danny Rose could play at left-back.
“We have an idea of the team now,” Manchester City’s Delph said here, Saturday. “We’ve worked on various systems with different personnel. The team can be changed according to the situation. But from the set-up we’ve done, it’s pretty clear to see who is probably going to be starting.”
This time people will see a different England. We’ve got that calibre of player in our squad – very exciting, very fast, loads of athleticism, fearless, young players – so I think we’ve got that extra gear
Fabian Delph
Some coaches prefer to keep players guessing, the theory being that uncertainty ensures training sessions stay sharp while nerves have less time to settle.
“I think for certain players they like to know ahead of time,” Delph said. “But whether you are selected on the day of the game or the day before I think it is all the same thing. As long as your mindset is clear, you know what you need to do.”
Delph is unlikely to be among the starters against Tunisia and he may not even be in the country given the 28-year-old has vowed to return to England if he is called back for the birth of his third child.
His wife, Natalie, is due to give birth June 30, two days after England play Belgium in their last group game in Kaliningrad. “It’s very exciting if I’m being honest,” Delph asserted. “It’s been a fantastic year for me on a personal level and to be expecting our third child is absolutely amazing. I’m waiting on the text to say ‘get back home’.”