Panama manager Hernán Darío Gómez has dismissed the controversy surrounding an apparent England team sheet leak, insisting it offers his side no advantage. A photograph of England assistant Steve Holland holding training notes, suggesting Raheem Sterling would be dropped for Marcus Rashford and Ruben Loftus-Cheek would replace the injured Dele Alli, was widely circulated. However, Gómez remained unfazed, stating he would stick with the same starting XI that lost 3-0 to Belgium in Panama's opening World Cup match.
“It doesn’t give me or afford me any advantage,” Gómez said. “Each and every coach needs to make sure they’re 100% prepared and ready regardless of the opposition. It doesn’t matter who plays, because if one doesn’t play the other is just as good.”
Gómez, leading a team at his third World Cup after managing Colombia and Ecuador, acknowledged that England presents a tougher challenge than Belgium. “This is going to be our hardest match by far,” he said. “Against England we could get the same score or even worse. If we are distracted for only a millisecond, we are going to suffer. England don’t have a lot of individual stars like Belgium but they work great as a team, particularly when it comes to ball recovery. They will be a tough nut to crack; they play beautiful, organised football.”
The Panama boss struck a realistic tone, suggesting that an “honourable loss” would be a satisfactory outcome. “We need to be fortunate, have a good day, and get off on the right foot for our players to shine,” he said. “We know full well that people are supportive back home despite the 3-0 loss. But just as the country is pleased right now, tomorrow or the day after they could hate us. Ninety minutes of football can change your life.”
When asked if his downbeat assessment might discourage his players, Gómez bristled. “Have you heard me talk to my players? Have you?” he retorted, adding that Panama would defend stoutly and look to counterattack. “If we play in an organised way and play the way we can, we can give them a hard time.”
Gómez also reflected on personal tragedies, including the murder of Colombia defender Andrés Escobar after the 1994 World Cup and the assassination of Panama midfielder Amílcar Henríquez during World Cup qualifying. “He was a leader within our team,” Gómez said of Henríquez. “Remembering him helps to bring us together. The team still talks about him a lot but we have a lot of pain. Whenever you lose a loved one, we feel it in our hearts.”
