Gareth Southgate has some major issues to solve (Picture: Getty)
If Gareth Southgate and his England squad weren’t already feeling the pressure at Euro 2024, they certainly must be now.
England have topped their group, are still to lose a game and have seen the draw open up for them after results elsewhere, and yet little of that seems to matter in the aftermath of another limp display, this time drawing 0-0 with Slovenia.
Perhaps more concerning than the manner of performances in England’s last two games is the fact that Southgate’s England have now won just twice in their last eight games, a run that stretches back to a 1-1 draw with North Macedonia in November last year.
Now, faced with a five-day break until their last-16 encounter, Southgate has some much-needed time to mull over some immediate remedies to his disjointed squad. Here’s where he could start…
Roll the dice again in central midfield
Adam Wharton or Kobbie Mainoo could come in to start for England (Picture: Getty)
Starting Conor Gallagher on Tuesday night felt like the final nail in the coffin for the Trent Alexander-Arnold ‘experiment’.
And yet, the Chelsea midfielder’s subsequent withdrawal at half-time suggested that Southgate is still wrangling with the puzzle of how to jumpstart England’s midfield.
Gallagher’s non-stop energy and all-action qualities could have been the springboard for a more energetic England display, but the 24-year-old was surprisingly subdued and had just 24 touches of the ball before the break.
His replacement, Kobbie Mainoo, offered an immediate spark of impetus into England’s midfield, taking up more advanced positions and seeking to get on the ball with regularity.
The display may well warrant a start in England’s last-16 tie but, perhaps, Southgate could be wise to look at his other, final option: Adam Wharton.
The Crystal Palace midfielder is perhaps the squad’s only natural tempo-setter in midfielder and could be parachuted into the starting XI to provide some much-needed guile and help set the pace of play.
Kobbie Mainoo impressed off the bench in Cologne (Picture: Getty)
The move could also allow Declan Rice to take off the handbrake that has inhibited him so far this tournament and maraud forward into the kind of positions Arsenal fans saw him thrive in at the end of last season.
Both Mainoo and Wharton come with some risk – they have just two England starts between them, after all – but Southgate may have been left with little other choice.
Start Cole Palmer
Calls for Cole Palmer to start have only intensified (Picture: Getty)
It was at this tournament three years ago that Bukayo Saka first announced himself on the international scene.
The Arsenal star enjoyed a breakthrough tournament, virtually becoming one of the first names on the teamsheet as England went all the way to the final at Wembley.
Now, though, after another disappointing display in England’s front three, the calls for him to be replaced will only intensify. That is, in large part, down to the impressive cameo of …read more
Source:: Metro
