Gareth Southgate smiled when the question came. He talked about Manchester City’s treble celebrations and whether there might be a line not to be crossed when there are still international matches to play.
“Yes, there is,” said the England coach, without explicitly specifying whether that line had actually been crossed or merely straddled. “But in our heads we didn’t think about involving the City players for this next game.”
In Malta, ahead of what should be tonight’s simplest European Championship qualifier, Southgate and his coaching staff arrived with a full line-up.
It’s a good thing he had always planned to be without the City quintet of Jack Grealish, John Stones, Phil Foden, Kyle Walker and Kalvin Phillips for the first of a double-header ending with a game against North Macedonia. at Old Trafford on Monday.
Since we saw them win the Champions League last Saturday night in Istanbul, City’s players have been partying so hard that some even included a night in Ibiza. When they returned from that, they were still busy during the club’s bus parade on Monday.
The likes of Jack Grealish (second from left) and Phil Foden (left) were involved in City’s recent wild Treble celebrations
England coach Gareth Southgate has admitted to fearing an “emotional dip” for City’s players
Inevitably Southgate was asked if that wasn’t a bit much. “As I said, I’ve talked to the players and we’ve talked about where our focus should be and where we need them,” he said. “We’ve acknowledged what they’ve been through and that’s up to me to manage for the next week.”
When asked if he was comfortable with it, he added, “I don’t think it’s worth anything if I discuss that publicly. We didn’t consider those guys to start this game. We hoped they could play a part and they still do.
“Point number one is they all wanted to come in and be with the group, which is fantastic. And as I said to them – we’re all in the unknown a little bit.
“The focus with all the City boys is just to get them good for these games. Inevitably, we just don’t know what that emotional dip will be for them. They need to recover, they need to sleep, they need to eat well and we want to prepare them.
“I’ve seen enough to know what could help us here and then it’s Monday for a few days. We’ve had players from teams in the Champions League final before, but we haven’t had a team win a treble yet. It will never be the same for that group of players and staff. Everything changes in their lives.’
After winning the first two qualifiers in Italy and at home to Ukraine in March, England can all but complete qualification for next summer’s final in Germany with wins over the weakest teams in their group over the next four days.
Crystal Palace defender Marc Guehi will make his first English start tonight alongside Harry Maguire. Southgate is also considering putting Liverpool defender Trent Alexander-Arnold in midfield.
Whatever happens, it should be a more enjoyable experience than the last time Southgate and England were here for a World Cup qualifier in September 2017.
City’s Kyle Walker is likely to be rested despite playing a supporting role in their Champions League final victory
Southgate watches as his players train for their Euro 2024 qualifier against Malta
The England players were mistreated by their own fans on their way to the match and on their way back. They won 4–0 after a late run of goals, but by the time most of the traveling fans left the stadium, England were only leading 1–0.
“Myself and Steve Holland talked about it when we landed,” Southgate recalls. “I’m not sure if everyone knew we won 4-0 because they were in the crossbar at 1-0, some at 0-0.
“For us it was a good reference to how far the relationship with the fans has come. Performances ebb and flow, (but) the connection with the fans feels very different now.’
Southgate recalled that fans were singing “We are f*****g sh*t” that night and said, “We’ve all heard that. The reality is that we are not. But we always have to show that.’
Tonight should be as easy as it ever gets. Ranked 172nd in the world – placing them just above Bermuda and Nepal – it’s no surprise that Malta is approaching the competition with a low expectation ceiling. Indeed, the best news of the week for the Malta FA was that the national stadium will be full to its capacity of 18,000.
When asked yesterday if he was preparing anything specific for Harry Kane, Marcus Rashford and Bukayo Saka, Malta goalkeeper Henry Bonello said: “Those players are superstars. But I won’t dream about it. Otherwise I might be exhausted before the game.’
Southgate recalled England’s last visit to the country, resulting in a 4–0 win for his side
Malta coach Michele Marcolini – an Italian who spent much of his career in his home country’s lower leagues – was keen to stress that tonight should be seen for the experience as well as the result.
“Football is not just about money or being famous,” Marcolini said. “It’s about how you feel and (tonight) will be great. I would like to play again, but I can’t.
‘This is why a man wants to be a footballer. This is the kind of match I dreamed of against one of the best teams in the world.
“They have great players. That the supporters will fill the stands is another reason to do our best and be proud.’