No place for Foden in the team? Is he going to be one of those top quality players that we just can't seem to make fit in the England team. Like Scholes or Barnes.
I don't think he has.
I've said for years now, our team should be built around Foden and Bellingham (I add Saka into that argument now too). These are the future. They are incredible and would arguably walk into any other national side.
We were very very good tonight, I think if we’d left Rashford and saka on we’d have scored 10. Let’s make no mistake, they are a very decent side, they beat Italy last year and Germany the year before. They rarely get thrashed.
Luckily southgates the boss though. He recognises a team is better than the sun of its parts. England needed Maguire in defence the last 6 years. He has been great in that position. Do I think he’s the best player in the world in his position? No, but he’s experienced, organising and managing does the dirty work. Ultimately to take the next step forward, maybe we do need a layer a notch up in quality, but there isn’t a CB in England that has the experience and is better.
My only problem with Foden, is he’s very easily pushed off the ball despite being a superb player. He’s a player capable of game changing moments, but I’d like to see him take ownership of games a little more often, I feel he’s got more in his locker than he consistently shows.
I think there could be though.
Good player but his experiences at the top high pressure games are negligible. He has no European experience, no international experience. No tournament football experience I’d be happy with him in the squad but he’s way behind Maguire in those terms.
Agree. Experience can be vital.
We had the usual comments after the last World Cup......."I'm giving up on England, we always bottle it when it really matters".
Of course, Guehi is obviously getting some of that now, probably needs to get with a European qualified side to expand it. There’s no short cut to experience, he’ll be at the right experience level in 3 or 4 years.
Matt personal opinion is that a large quantity of people want Southgate to fail for being intelligent and ‘woke’. He’s a victim of the culture wars and it didn’t take long after the euros for the racist morons with no empathy to start their hate towards this squad. If we win the euros they’ll still wishing about perceived failures
Barnes played around 80 games for England, the problem were his performances.
Attacking absolutely yes. I do feel CM, LB and CB lack depth and to be honest the drop from Kane to Wilson or Toney is massive too
And Scholes played 66 games. Not necessarily saying they were underused just that we struggled to get the best out of their talents. Worry Foden might go the same way but hopefully Southgate can find a way of getting the best out of him
I feel it's always been the same with England during my lifetime though. Not sure whether a lot of fans became disillusioned when we had the likes of Ashley Cole, Terry and Rooney representing England, and found it difficult to get behind the team but this underlying resentment towards the national team is still there.
Agree, and ironically IMO the same needs to happen to Maguire as it did to those players Southgate initially inherited, if we want to improve.
This and also snobbery - He only managed Middlesbrough so he is in no way good enough to manage England. People's minds where made up before he was appointed.
Agree with this, and I'm braced for it this season. I have tended to defend managers on this board, and expect to be doing so yet again at some point during the coming season if Carrick doesn't continue with the same ppg or has us sitting outside of the play-off spots at any point.