“It’s a World Cup and it is not about giving caps out,’ says England manager Gareth Southgate when asked about keeping his fringe players happy

England are top of the Group B with four points and the Three Lions need only a solitary point against Wales in their penultimate group game to qualify for the knockouts at the FIFA World Cup in Qatar. While Gareth Southgate’s men pumped Iran six goals, they were poor and wasteful against the United States. So it will be interesting to see which side turns up for the Wales match.

While fans are calling out for rotation in the starting eleven Southgate has hinted that there won’t be too many drastic changes in the lineup as he believes in continuity. Liverpool midfielder Jordan Henderson accompanied Southgate forthe press conference and he is supposed to be one of the changes in the match against Wales. Many feel that would be the only chance to the lineup for England going into the penultimate group game.

The English manager was asked about keeping the unit happy but he highlighted how a World Cup is not a tournament where one can give caps out. He feels there are other ways to keep them happy than just fielding them in the starting eleven on a fine day.

“That’s always a challenge and we [do] have 26 players,” Southgate said when asked about keeping the fringe players happy. “But we are at a major tournament, it’s not about giving caps out. We want to go as far as we possibly can. Players support each other and some will be disappointed if they’re not playing.

He points out how the back up players should support the ones playing and push them to the limit and also be ready when their time comes. He feels England’s strength is in their squad depth and hence they have done well in the last World Cup and Euros. “The [back-up] job is to train well, support the guys and be ready for your moment when it comes. That’s been part of our story in the previous two tournaments when the squad have been ready and supported themselves throughout,” Southgate explained.

Despite all the calculations, the Three Lions would like to enter the knockout stage with a comprehensive win over Wales and Southgate will make sure he does everything to get them back in rhythm ahead of the business end of the tournament.