MX23RW : Friday, April 19 22:40:42| >> :600:2325715:2325715:

Gareth Southgate never feared Albania game would be cancelled

Gareth Southgate never feared Albania game would be cancelled
© Reuters
England will look to build on their comfortable victory against San Marino when they play in Tirana on Sunday.

Gareth Southgate insists he had no concerns that England's World Cup qualifier in Albania would be called off and is preparing for a tougher test than San Marino provided last time out.

The Three Lions cantered to a 5-0 victory over San Marino on Thursday and will be looking to maintain their winning start to Group I with victory in Tirana.

Albania also opened their account with three points, winning away to Andorra as they prepared to host England.

England and San Marino players embrace after Thursday's qualifier at Wembley
England and San Marino players embrace after Thursday's qualifier at Wembley (Adam Davy/PA)

Southgate does not think the game will be as easy as facing the world's worst side three days earlier and has called for a strong performance from his players.

"It definitely will be a tougher test," he said.

"They are a well-coached team, a very experienced Italian coach, and you can see the detail in the way they play.

"We will have to see whether they adapt to us but they play well with the ball and they're well organised defensively, they're well organised with their set-plays. So, as always, we've got to be at our very best to win the game."

The game at the Air Albania Stadium was seemingly under threat after the Albanian Football Association (AFA) said on Thursday it had been informed that local police could not guarantee the safety of the teams.

State police later issued a statement saying they had taken the relevant precautions for the match.

There are also questions over the quality of the playing surface at the 22,500-seater stadium – but Southgate has no worries about either issue.

"No, whenever you travel anywhere around Europe now, the stadiums are good," he replied when asked if he had concerns over security and the pitch.

"I know they've had some problems with the pitch, as we did when Wembley first opened, but I also know they've been doing a lot of work on that so I'm sure it'll be better than it was for the matches when the stadium just opened."

Southgate is likely to make a number of changes to his side, with the likes of Harry Maguire, Phil Foden and captain Harry Kane all pushing for starts.

Another player keen to be involved is Manchester United left-back Luke Shaw – who has not been capped since appearing in a Nations League defeat by Spain in September 2018.

The 25-year-old is enjoying a fine season at Old Trafford and Southgate has also been impressed with a player he has known for some time.

Asked about Shaw's form, Southgate added: "It has been very good.

"Luke played in the first under-21s game I took charge of, in fact John Stones played right-back.

"There's never been any doubt in our mind of Luke's quality. He's obviously suffered from injuries and had to withdraw from a few squads, but it's been great to see him playing on the front foot as a full-back both with and without the ball,

"He has been really ambitious with his attacking and I think that is important, he looks physically like he is in good condition to be able to drive forward, he has got excellent quality with the ball and it is a good moment for him.

"I've seen somebody who's just delighted to be here for a start and enjoying his football and playing with confidence.

"I think first and foremost, Luke's a good defender and that's very important for us. We talk a lot about possibilities as an attacking team, but we have to keep clean sheets we have to be difficult to play against.

"I like the fact that he's aggressive in his defending against his wingers, is difficult to play against one against one is doing better at cover defending on his centre-backs.

"He doesn't need to do anything differently to his form in his club with us. He's just got to find that level and and play his game and he should feel comfortable doing that."

ID:440862: cacheID:440862:1false2false3false:QQ:: from db desktop :LenBod:restore:8314:
Restore Data
Share this article now:
England manager Gareth Southgate pictured on March 25, 2021
Read Next:
Gareth Southgate delighted with England's midfield options
>
rhs 2.0
Today's games header
Tables header RHS
TeamPWDLFAGDPTS
1Manchester CityMan City32227376324473
2Arsenal32225575264971
3Liverpool32218372314171
4Aston Villa33196868491963
5Tottenham HotspurSpurs32186865491660
6Newcastle UnitedNewcastle321551269521750
7Manchester UnitedMan Utd32155124748-150
8West Ham UnitedWest Ham33139115258-648
9Chelsea31138106152947
10Brighton & Hove AlbionBrighton321111105250244
11Wolverhampton WanderersWolves32127134651-543
12Fulham33126154951-242
13Bournemouth32119124757-1042
14Crystal Palace3289153754-1733
15Brentford3388174758-1132
16Everton3298153248-1627
17Nottingham ForestNott'm Forest3379174258-1626
18Luton TownLuton3367204670-2425
19Burnley3348213368-3520
20Sheffield UnitedSheff Utd3237223084-5416


Sports Mole provides in-depth previews and predictions for every match from the biggest leagues and competitions in world football.
Argentina's Lionel Messi kisses the World Cup trophy after collecting the Golden Ball award on December 18, 2022Sign up for our FREE daily preview newsletter direct to your inbox!