The Football Association has remained coy over what will happen when England line up for their next World Cup match, against Ghana on Tuesday, and come up against a familiar opponent in Thomas Partey. The former Arsenal midfielder played for Villarreal this season, but will be released at the end of his contract this month.
In the pre-match ceremony, all players are expected to shake hands with opponents and the FA will leave England’s players to decide whether they wish to go through the ritual with Partey. The squad includes two of his former clubmates, Declan Rice and Bukayo Saka.
For some, a handshake will seem uncomfortable. Partey is scheduled to go on trial next year at Southwark crown court after he was charged with five counts of rape and one of sexual assault last year. He was later charged with two further counts of rape. Partey has denied all the charges, with his lawyer insisting that he welcomes the chance to clear his name.
David Hytner
Inside the foyer of the England team hotel in Kansas City, along with the TV screens that show the World Cup matches, there is an anachronism. It is a record player and it is worth reporting there were younger members of the squad who looked genuinely baffled by it. What were these strange plastic circles that went on it?
The Football Association found out the favourite songs of each player and obtained vinyl versions of them. And very popular the whole thing has been, even if Harry Kane has been determined to play country and western on it. Harry, this is not leadership.
Music has been the answer for England. As their training sessions have got under way, there have been songs blasted out from pitch-side speakers. On the Sunday before last, for example, it was Dr Dre, Coolio and Tupac. Luther Vandross has also been heard. It has been eclectic. But for the moment of communion, which came after England started their Group L campaign with the 4-2 win over Croatia in Dallas last Wednesday, it was all about Oasis.
Ghana started their campaign with a 1-0 win over Panama. Caleb Yirenkyi’s injuy-time goal turned frustration into joy, and one point into three.
It’s fair to say this isn’t a vintage Ghana side; they didn’t qualify for the most recent Africa Cup of Nations, the first time that has happened since 2004. But they have Antoine Semenyo, arguably the best wide forward in English football, and Yirenkyi looks a star of the future. Maybe even the present.
We’re expecting two changes to the England team that beat Croatia last week. They come in defence, with Djed Spence set to play one of the full-back roles and Marc Guehi starting in central defence. It’s likely to be Spence over O’Reilly at left-back.
Preamble
Ever do that thing where you fix one problem and unwittingly create another? If so, there are three lions who know how you feel. To explain. For decades, England were notoriously poor starters at a major tournaments. Between 1986 and 2016, they won only two of their 14 opening matches at a World Cup or European Championships. Then Harry Kane scored a late winner against Tunisia in 2018 and it all started to change.
Englnd have won their last five opening games, culminating in Wednesday’s happy-go-lucky 4-2 defeat of Croatia. But that has facilitated a different problem, one with which all Stone Roses and Elastica fans are familiar: the difficult second group game.
At the last World Cup, under Boring Boring Gareth, England started with a 6-2 win over Iran. The next game was a bloodless, goalless draw with the United States. England cruised through the group regardless and eventually lost to France in the quarter-finals despite producing arguably their best performance under Southgate. A similar thing happened at the last two Euros, when victory in the first game was followed by deflation draws with Scotland and Denmark respectively.
A draw tonight, even a defeat, wouldn’t jeopardise qualification for the last 32 but it would pollute the ultra-positive vibe created by the win over Croatia. Such things matter more than ever. If the fans are England’s 12th player, as the cliché goes, then Maurice Mentum is their 13th.
