This is why GHod and Tel were so good in my opinion with Christmas tree formations and tactics, even Gary Neville was made to look like a competent wing back under them!
Nothing wrong with crouchy at England level, 22 in 42 for him, thought he got binned off a bit sooner than what he should have been as no one knew how to deal with him!
Easy decision. A lot of people lamenting that Harry Redknapp never got the job, but why have the main, when you can have the pudding.
I love crouchy but he was nowhere near the level required to be winning international tournaments. He got 4 England goals away from home, and scored very few against top opposition (his last England goal was a friendly vs France, other than that he had one against Croatia then his next toughest was Ukraine). He’s not exactly harry kane is he?
If we play Bellingham alongside Rice then we have to hope that he can take the ball in tight spaces, control the game from that position and also get forward to make things happen. I know he's a world class 10 but I don't know if he can play deeper and still shine. It might be a waste of his talent. However, that's where he would have to play in order to get Foden in the team as a 10. Foden is a bit wasted out wide. I'm not even sure Rice is really a world class sic who can receive the ball in tight spaces etc. to the level of Modric or Xavi for example. Mainoo should have got more minutes. Barkley may even have been worth a try as a deep lying playmaker. Gallagher can press but doesn't have enough quality. Henderson may be past it. So yes, we have issues in central midfield - not to mention central defence! Southgate seems to have ambled towards this situation (along with what to do if Kane is injured). It's quitel late to be sorting out the spine of a team!
Bowen?
He's worth a try, deserves to be in the squad and should have started the friendly.
The problem is Southgate is a 'structure' first kind of coach.
LOL.
Well considering he's only really been played as an out and out 10 since the start of this season, I think it's fair to say he can play as an 8 as that was his always his position and the one that saw him burst onto the scene and make Madrid come in for him in the first place.
And that's why Southgate needed to change things up a while ago, instead of sticking with the likes of Henderson and Phillips he needed to adapt to the young talent we have pushing through.
Yes, but is that position going to make the most of his talent? Lack of positive planning from Southgate and an unwillingness to use or coach Foden in a more central position has left us in a bit of a pickle. I'm all for picking a team rather than players who are individually better but options such as Gallagher are a bit of a step down. I realise fluid, attacking football is difficult to achieve at international level but I struggle to recall a time when the team didn't play with itself. I'd like to see them let off the leash a bit.
Historically one of England's biggest problems, especially during the 2000's was focusing more about fitting in individuals and not about what was best for the team. Personally I don't give a monkey's whether it gets the very best out of Bellingham as long as the team as a whole benefits from it. Bellingham is 100% better in that 8 role than anything else we have available. IMO the step up from Gallagher or Henderson to Bellingham as an 8 is far greater the drop off from Bellingham to Maddison or Foden as a 10. I don't think it's even debatable to be honest.
