Southgate: 'Rashford is now different from Euro 2021'
"Rashford is now a completely different version of the player at Euro last year," said Southgate after the 3-0 win over Wales in the last leg of Group B of the 2022 World Cup on the evening of November 29. "He's come back by creating moments like today. Rashford could have scored a hat-trick, and it's great for Rashford and England that he's regained his confidence."
Rashford has had problems with his shoulder, with part of the muscle in this area torn, since November 2020. The injury was not too severe, so Rashford still played until the end of the 2020-2021 season for Man Utd and then attended Euro 2021, where he failed to score and also missed a penalty that caused England to lose 2-3 to Italy in the final at Wembley. . Being under a lot of pressure and coming back from shoulder surgery made the 25-year-old striker decline, scoring only five goals for Man Utd in 32 matches in all competitions in the 2021-2022 season.
This season, Rashford gradually regained his form when he was trusted by coach Erik ten Hag, given the highest stone position in the attack. He currently has three assists and eight goals in 19 games in all competitions, including four in the Premier League, three in the Europa League and one in the League Cup.
On the yard of Ahmed bin Ali, Rashford continued to shine when he scored twice to help England defeat Wales to enter the 1/8 round with the first place. As a result, he was voted player of the match and rose to the top of the list of top scorers, equal to Kylian Mbappe of France, Enner Valencia of Ecuador and Cody Gakpo of the Netherlands, with 3 goals. Rashford is also the first Man Utd player to hit three goals in a major tournament for England, after Bobby Charlton at the 1966 World Cup.
"Last season was challenging for Rashford," added Southgate. "Through a long conversation over the summer, I saw that Rashford knows what he needs to think and do. You can see the joy in Rashford's performances at club level. That always shows on the training ground with the national team. Older brother".
Yesterday, Rashford started on the left and switched places for Phil Foden in the second half. This adjustment worked when Rashford opened the scoring with a classy free-kick in the 50th minute, then sealed the victory with a solo on the right wing 68 minutes. In between was Foden's cushion, from the team's cross line. Chief Harry Kane.
With Jack Grealish, Raheem Sterling, Bukayo Saka, James Maddison or Mason Mount on the bench, Southgate is having a headache to choose the optimal attack for England. The 52-year-old coach admits the players who are not playing feel disappointed, but the spirit in the dressing room is very positive. "I want to make those decisions. You need strength in terms of squad depth," added Southgate.
According to Southgate, the players are having higher confidence than the 2018 World Cup, the English tournament finished fourth. "There is a different mentality in the squad, with more conviction," he insisted. "In Russia, we only think about whether we can win in the knockout stage. Now the whole team is expected more, but more confident and has more experience in the big matches."
With the top spot of Group B, England will meet the second team of Group A, Senegal in the round of 16. This match takes place at 2:00 pm on December 5, Hanoi time, at Al Bayt Stadium.
For the first time, England finished the group stage of the 2006 World Cup in first place after Germany in 2006. At that time, the "Three Lions" defeated Paraguay, Trinidad & Tobago, drew Sweden in the group stage, and defeated Ecuador in the 1/8 round but lost to Portugal on penalties in the quarterfinals.
