‌But even after losing to the Ivory Coast on Merseyside, Steve Clarke will look at the bigger picture. Ivory Coast will take on Germany, Ecuador and Curacao at the World Cup and will fancy their chances of going deep into the knock-out phase. ‌System switchClarke doesn’t usually spring surprises but not too many people were expecting him to go with a back three against the Ivory Coast. In both of these World Cup warm-up games against Japan and Ivory Coast, Clarke’s team struggled to carve-out gilt-edged chances - and take at least one of them. Even at this stage, it looks certain that he’ll be one of Clarke’s World Cup strikers.

Source: Express March 31, 2026 21:18 UTC