England vs Slovakia: Sam Allardyce 'very nervous' ahead of opening 2018 World Cup qualifier

By James Olley3 September 2016

Sam Allardyce admits he feels “very nervous” on the eve of his first match as England manager and warned defensive solidarity will be required to beat Slovakia tomorrow night.

England begin their 2018 World Cup qualifying campaign here in Trnava against a side they failed to beat just over two months ago at Euro 2016.

Allardyce has made just three changes to the team that subsequently lost to Iceland in France with John Stones, Jordan Henderson and Adam Lallana all incorporated into what is expected to be a 4-2-3-1 system.

The 61-year-old has long coveted the top job in English football and with England desperate to put their summer disappointment behind them, Allardyce said: “I think there will be nerves, yeah. Every new job you get, you feel nervous.

"You are hoping the players will do the talking for you and when they walk over the white line they deliver what we all want.

“That’s the big thing. I’ll be very nervous in the early part of the build-up to the game but once the game starts the focus on the match comes in.

"I don’t hear the crowd around me, see what the team is doing and see what I made need to do.”

Stones’ inclusion is perhaps the most exciting given he is viewed in many quarters as a possible England captain and the 22-year-old has made a promising start to life at Manchester City following his £47.5million move from Everton.

The centre-back has been criticised for taking too many risks with the ball in defence and Allardyce had a warning for Stones after confirming he would partner Gary Cahill at the heart of England’s defence.

“Nobody is going to stop John Stones playing from the back but every centre-half is judged on his defending first and foremost,” he said. “If anybody tells you different they're not telling the truth.

“John plays as a defender and he can use his ability when we're in possession. He's got a dual role, to be creative when we've got ball.

"If he can come out and make a killer pass or help with an assist we will cover that by other players filling in.

"When he gets back in position and Slovakia have the ball - make the right decisions defensively.

“He's a young man who had a great time, then a little bit of a problem. Now he has got a big move and is looking very comfortable again.

“I just hope for all that experience in such a short period of time he's now a better player than he was a couple of years ago. Certainly he's a very big talent.”

Joe Hart will start in goal despite being forced to seek a loan move away from City.

He joined Torino shortly before the transfer window closed earlier this week and Allardyce is confident the 29-year-old will be in the right frame of mind for tomorrow night’s game.

“He missed one day, the president of Torino sent a plane over for him, picked him up, dropped him off, gave him a medical and sent him back,” said Allardyce.

“The good thing is it's sorted Joe's future out. The big thing for me is his future is sorted.

"He's playing in Italy for this year. That's got his focus back on England and that's the main thing.”

Allardyce also revealed Luke Shaw was sent back to Manchester United as a precaution after “not feeling right” and insisted he has not suffered a fresh setback despite only recently returning from a broken leg.

Slovakia may have held England in Saint-Etienne but that did not stop their kit-man underlining their admiration for the visitors, having posted a message in the away dressing room asking for a shirt after the match.

“I think we might be able to oblige,” added Allardyce.

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