A ring of steel and three at the back for England at Wembley
Security will be tight for Sunday's World Cup qualifier as pundits look forward to more experimentation from Gareth Southgate
In the wake of this week's terror attack on Parliament, security will be ramped up at Wembley when England take on Lithuania on Sunday.
There will be armed police on patrol and extensive searches of fans as they enter the ground, reports the Daily Mirror.
"Match organisers have moved to ensure that a ring of steel is in place around the stadium to ensure that supporter safety is guaranteed," says the paper.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
"It is believed the operation will likely be a repeat of when France visited Wembley following the Paris attacks in November 2015."
On the field, Gareth Southgate will be hoping his side can build on their performance against Germany on Wednesday night.
His side were beaten but there were plenty of positives to take from the game, says Goal.com, as "a new formation and number of new faces enjoyed a successful runout against the world champions".
There is little to fear from the visitors, who have won only one of their last 17 matches away from home – against San Marino – and have scored only six goals in that time.
This should give Southgate licence to continue with his new 3-4-3 formation, which was unveiled midweek, as he attempts to reinvent England as a modern side capable of competing against the big nations.
"While it's natural that an England manager might tend towards conservatism, to do one's best to avoid being the guy who failed to even qualify, you hope that Southgate might continue with a little experimentation against Lithuania," says Nick Miller of The Guardian. "Anything to make England games interesting."
However, Oliver Kay of The Times warns that Southgate may revert to a back four for the game on Sunday, but he declares himself a fan of the three-man central defence.
It's a formation "in which the national team has tended to look surprisingly comfortable on the rare occasions that it has been tried", he says.
"It suits a squad with energetic, attack-minded wing-backs and with the feeling, encouraged by Southgate, that the attack should be built around clever players such as Lallana and Alli, drifting infield between the lines, rather than orthodox wing play."
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
-
Today's political cartoons - November 2, 2024
Cartoons Saturday's cartoons - anti-fascism, early voter turnout, and more
By The Week US Published
-
Geoff Capes obituary: shot-putter who became the World’s Strongest Man
In the Spotlight The 'mighty figure' was a two-time Commonwealth Champion and world-record holder
By The Week UK Published
-
Israel attacks Iran: a 'limited' retaliation
Talking Point Iran's humiliated leaders must decide how to respond to Netanyahu's measured strike
By The Week UK Published
-
The wit and wisdom of Sven-Göran Eriksson
In Depth The first foreign coach to manage England on football, life and death
By The Week Staff Published
-
Gareth Southgate's England: a bittersweet swan song
In Depth History books will favour football manager who transformed culture of football in England
By The Week UK Published
-
Can England's Euros team hold their nerve?
Today's Big Question Three Lions' 'lopsided' opening win over Serbia raises more questions than it answers
By The Week UK Published
-
The England kit: a furore over the flag
Why everyone's talking about Nike's redesign of the St George's Cross on the collar of the English national team's shirt has caused controversy
By The Week UK Published
-
Lionesses will have regrets but their legacy can be ‘incredible’
feature England stars return home after heartbreaking Women’s World Cup final loss to Spain
By Mike Starling Published
-
How English women’s football could become a billion pound industry
feature Building on the success of the Lionesses won’t be easy but it is eminently possible
By The Week Staff Published
-
Lionesses dig deep after Lauren James’s ‘Beckham-esque’ red card
feature England reach the Women’s World Cup quarter-finals after a 4-2 win on penalties against Nigeria
By Mike Starling Published
-
Curse of the Lionesses: what’s causing spate of England women’s football injuries?
Under the Radar Several key players are out of the World Cup, raising concerns about hectic schedules, sub-par pitches and sexism
By Harriet Marsden Published