England, who have been demoted and mediocre in the group stages, are living in anguish and stupor at the insignificance of their great attacking individualities. Jude Bellingham’s attempt to be an all-rounder who doesn’t respect space and also chirps everything, Harry Kane’s weariness with his gestures because there is no one to assist him and Phil Foden’s exacerbated individualism have become a problem that torments Garet Southgate in the run-up to this Saturday’s round of 16 match (18.00, TVE) against Slovakia in the factory-like Gelsenkirchen.
The England manager, who is very committed to his first-choice players, is careful to take careful steps in his decision-making so as not to undermine his stars. The man struggled in the first two games to declare the experiment, so named by himself, of playing Liverpool right-back Trend Alexander-Arnold as a second midfielder a failure. Southgate is now faced with the dilemma of taking Gallagher out of the starting eleven to make way for Mainoo, Bellinghan or Foden to give way to Gordon or Palmer.
The trio of candidates for the English starting eleven have given proof of their personality. Mainoo, fundamental in the FA Cup final that United beat City and improved England against Slovenia when he came on. Palmer, to whom Southgate gave the first twenty minutes of the tournament, left a string of flashes of the quality of the left leg that Guardiola praised so much before letting him leave for Chelsea. And Gordon, with scratches still on his face from a crash he suffered while riding a bicycle, became emboldened in the press room: “When I play I always do things.” “We have had players who have had a great impact from the bench in every game. We are aware that people are pushing for positions and we need that strength. It is possible that we need five or six changes during the game, it is important that they are ready”, Southgate justified himself in the face of the immobility that he manifests. The tests that Southgate has carried out only point to Mainoo’s entry as a central midfielder as viable.
Brilliant in his debut with a goal against Serbia, but inconsequential in the following two games, Bellinghamn is untouchable for a coach who this Saturday maintained his faith in the Madrid player. “When you come off the field and you’ve given everything, you feel a certain way, physically and emotionally. “Jude missed a period at the end of the season due to an ankle injury and did not play other games thinking about the Champions League final, so he will have benefited from the games he has played,” declared the English coach. . Southgate clings to Bellingham, although he declared after the match against Slovenia (0-0) that he was exhausted. “I’m not worried about Jude’s condition, today is a big day for him (he turns 21) and it’s a reminder of how well he handles the expectations surrounding him at a remarkably young age.” Bellingham’s pervasive attitude and repeated protests have inspired an article by Wayne Rooney in The Times The latter warns him that he seems very nervous and that this attitude could lead to his expulsion.
“Confidence is growing, the players know that much of the performance against Slovenia was a step in the right direction. We have the players to do it, we will stick to the plan and make sure we show composure to withstand their attacks,” Southgate highlighted in the preview of this Sunday’s game.
Likewise, asked about the criticism that England has received, he stressed that his team is neither as bad nor as good “as people may think”, so we must ignore the advice that comes from abroad and have confidence in what is learned. does every day.” That, so far, has not worked.
You can follow EL PAÍS Sports on Facebook and xor sign up here to receive our weekly newsletter.
