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The Southgate bluff

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Our Gareth. What a sneaky chap he is. He gave it the big chat about "momentum" and "will to win", before fielding a full b-side and laughing his way into the easy side of the draw. The big giveaway was in his post match interview, where he stumbled through the expressions of disappointment before knowingly declaring that "England fans know what is important".

Fair play to him. The game was a friendly. I don't for a minute think we went out to lose. Neither do I think we specifically intended to win. The match looked like a training exercise where each player was briefed to get used to the system. Rashford specifically was tasked with shanking any chances wide; for fear of a QF clash with Brazil.

Job done.

Not only this, but we get a nice extra day's rest, and we all get to have a jolly good few lagers on a Tuesday night, which is much less naughty than doing so on a Monday.

Kudos Gareth.

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