With England limping into the Euro 2024 Last 16 via a 1st-placed finish in Group C, Paddy ambassador Phil Thompson’s back to offer more sage advice to Gareth Southgate ahead of Sunday’s showdown with Slovakia.
Will he listen? We can only hope.
The former Liverpool and Three Lions man thinks a reshuffle is much needed with Cole Palmer and Anthony Gordon coming into the starting XI with Jude Bellingham dropping a little deeper to get more involved.
He’s also had his say on Harry Kane’s struggles and thinks the Bayern Munich hitman needs more support from his wide men if England are going to break down another defensive team with 11 behind the ball. Here’s Thommo’s musings on England’s Last 16 clash.
Slovakia game will be more of the same
When you look at it, we played three similar teams in the group, teams who played five at the back, and we couldn’t break them down.
They’ve been employing man-to-man marking on Phil Foden and Bukayo Saka so it’s hard to get going. For me there’s not been enough movement.
We’ve not moved the ball quick enough
The Trent Alexander Arnold experiment didn’t seem to work and if we look at the personnel, we need more attacking players.
I’d rather have been playing the Netherlands than Slovakia because to Slovakians will be exactly the same as the three group games so don’t expect this game on Sunday to be any different.
They’ll sit back, we saw Georgia against Portugal, they’re in a block about 15 yards outside their own box. It’s hard to get through, you’ve got to pass and pass to try and move them but then you’ve got to get people to take them on.
I would go for the more creative players. I’d start with Declan Rice, Jude Bellingham and Cole Palmer in the middle with Anthony Gordon on the left and Bukayo Saka on the right.
I’d shoehorn Palmer into that midfield because he gives you goals and creativity. They’re happier with the ball between the lines of the opposition and it’s going to be same old, same old against Slovakia I’m afraid.
Jude Bellingham needs to play deeper
We started with Bellingham playing off Harry Kane in a 4-2-3-1 but he’s now moved. I’d keep him on the right of a three in the middle with Palmer.
Against these teams, all they want to do is counter attack and Jordan Pickford’s not had to face too many shots. I would certainly go and put the more attacking players in there and let them do their thing.
Bellingham has not been good since the start of that first game, his energy levels have dropped. I’d play him a bit deeper and let him boss it from further back.
Kane isn’t the problem, it’s those around him
Dropping deep is Harry Kane’s thing. He’s done it for years and he’s not one to the run the channels or anything like that, but it’s been successful for him and England.
Where it’s fallen down is against that five at the back. There’s not enough movement from the wide players and if it’s too static. They should be making runs across the back five with the full back attacking around the outside.
They’ve got nobody to mark so the full backs should be pushing forward and filling in for the wide players who’ve gone if Kane can drag somebody out of the backline.
It’s been too predictable and we’ve not caused enough problems for the opposition. If the wide guys start making the runs across and the full backs are up high, making an overload, it will help.
We don’t seem to have any movement, if Harry Kane drops deep someone needs to be making those runs in behind because the back fives we’ve played against have had a cigar on.
They’ve had nothing to do
Tables have turned on the top pundits
Opinions are what football’s all about. It’s what social media is all about. Obviously it’s been difficult for Gareth Southgate because we should have beaten three teams we played, though Denmark have a little more street cred than the others.
Whatever the circumstances, they’re games we should win. I understand, I’ve been in that position. Some of the pundits have been over the top in my opinion.
Some of the ex-players criticising complained about criticism from the older players turned pundits like myself and I’m thinking, ‘How the tables have turned!’
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- Euro 2024 fixtures, results and schedule for this summer’s big tournament
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