Gary Lineker was surprised by one element of Gareth Southgate’s set-up (Picture: Getty)
Gary Lineker pinpointed the ‘strange’ tactical decision from Gareth Southgate that confused him during England’s disappointing 0-0 draw with Slovenia.
England progressed to the knockout stages as Group C winners but turned in another underwhelming display in a dull stalemate on Tuesday evening.
A familiar pattern bore out in Cologne, with England enjoying plenty of position but lacking the attacking thrust to create clear-cut chances on goal.
One slight tweak from the first two games saw Phil Foden and Jude Bellingham switch positions throughout the game, perhaps in an effort to get the Manchester City midfielder in more central positions where he thrived last year.
However, Bellingham, who scored England’s opening goal of the tournament, often cut an awkward figure out on the left wing, leaving Lineker uncertain as to whether the set-up was worthwhile.
‘I think he’s spoken to Bellingham and Foden and said, “Right, OK, you keep swapping. One goes left and then one goes in the 10”,’ he said on The Rest is Football podcast.
‘But that’s a strange thing to do, isn’t it, throughout the whole game?
Jude Bellingham struggled against Slovenia (Picture: Getty)
‘First half, and even in the second half, I saw sometimes Bellingham’s on the left-hand side. Jude, he’s had a bad night. Having had a great opening game, he’s struggled since.
‘I think he chases lost causes a lot. Sometimes, you can see him sprinting. I understand why because he’s so determined to help the team, but I think sometimes you’ve got to reserve your energy a little bit.
‘But that’s experience. He’s only 20.’
Lineker, however, did seem encouraged by aspects of England’s second-half display, in particular their willingness to press higher up the pitch.
‘In the second half, I thought you could see that if this team continue to play a high press, chances will come,’ he added.
‘And we may have been playing that way because Slovenia knew that a draw would get them through. So, they were cautious and sat back a little bit. I understand that. But I saw enough to suggest that England are improving slightly.’
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Source:: Metro
