World Cup 2018: Gary Neville urges England to rest players in Group G decider with Belgium
England and Belgium are level on six points at the top of Group G
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.Gary Neville has advised England manager Gareth Southgate to make “three or four changes” in Thursday’s Group G top-spot decider against Belgium in order to avoid fatigue in the latter stages of the World Cup.
England and Belgium are both locked on six points each after winning their opening fixtures against Tunisia and Panama and having already qualified for the round of 16, the former Manchester United defender feels it is important to keep the squad fresh.
“I’ve seen England teams blow up at the quarter-final stage where they have run out of legs, where they have not been able to see the job through,” Neville, who won 85 international caps, told Sky Sports.
“I felt strongly that if we made more use of the squad we would have felt the effect of that later in the tournament.”
The 43-year-old also noted the importance of trusting the squad to perform against Belgium so that the players are ready if called upon during the knockout rounds.
“From an England view, it’s important to give the squad faith and trust,” Neville added.
“It’s conceivable that we will need [Eric] Dier at some point in the tournament, so why not give him a run out. It’s conceivable we would need to play another centre-forward and it’s important that they play well.”
Reuters
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments