Moving from Saudi to Ajax is probably down to a number of reasons, not only England. He did it, but since then, didn’t play enough and was out for a while. If someone wants to laugh at Hendo for missing out, that’s because of other reasons. If we want to imagine Hendo expecting the call (hope is another thing) and now being in shock, that’s just fiction so far. Knowing him from the outside, he probably knew it was going to be difficult or tight at best considering how things went in past months.
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To be clear, I wasnt saying it was sad Hendo missed out on England as even for a side struggling with CMs, he doesnt deserve a spot. I was talking about Carra’s comments that in his personal interactions with him he seems to be affected as a person by the criticisms he’s received over the past 12 months (most of which by his own making)
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If you wanted to get your two best-attacking players (Foden and Bellingham) in their preferred positions, you could go with the formation that City played at the start of this year. A 4-1-4-1 out of possession but a 3-2-4-1 in possession. The problem area in the formation with the players you have is wide left. Really only Grealish and Gordon are a natural fit out there and I don’t think either are players you would put in your best XI just by form. Also Goalkeeper is a problem.
Out of possession:
T-Rex
Walker Stones Quansah Gomez
Rice
Saka Bellingham Foden Gordon
Kane
Walker Stones Quansah Gomez
Rice
Saka Bellingham Foden Gordon
Kane
In Possesion:
T-rex
Walker Quansah Gomez
Stones Rice
Saka Bellingham Foden Gordon
Kane
Walker Quansah Gomez
Stones Rice
Saka Bellingham Foden Gordon
Kane
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The problem as always with England is too many players who want the ball given to them in dangerous areas and not enough players (none) to reliably get it to them there. What that team is still missing is a Maca, or a Silva (or either variety).
One of the problems I think we have had in English football over the past 20 years or so is every time we find a good younger with ability on the ball who could be developed into that player we push them forward into roles closer to the goal, as we’ve seen now with both Bellingham and Foden. Scholes was probably the one player I can think of who had the reverse evolution and was often not used in that way for England anyway. There is some indication the newer generation are developing differently, but we don’t seem to have any in this squad yet at enough of a level of seniority to take that role…not least because picking them would probably require a media darling who scores goals having to be made to sit down.
Irritatingly it is inevitably either a shitty player or a manure one them and the BBC sports app
Do you reckon Trent could do a role like that? Take the ball and act as a playmaker, but also progress the ball further forward before releasing to the real attacking players?
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Yea I can certainly think of one young English lad who is pretty good at delivering the ball into dangerous areas. Trey? Trev? Something like that.
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It was in Southgate’s plan. Although he took a higher position against lower level opposition. Since then, Trent missed a few camps and England didn’t get the chance to build more cohesion with it. We’ll see, but Trent will surely be one of the options.
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Possibly, but its typically more a 8 role than a 6 role. Its less about the range of passes the player has and more about the ability to always find space to get on the ball in a crowded midfield.
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It’s very possible to try and build a midfield where Rice is at the base, Trent is a little bit more deeper at RCM and then a player like Belligham as the higher LCM (sort of the role Coutinho had when he played part of a midfield 3).
But with Rice’s season how it panned out at Arsenal, England might rather look to play a double-pivot midfield.
Then Saka to provide more width on his side ahead of Walker and (if Shaw is fit), the left winger comes inside more as the “2nd #10” (to create the box midfield and that’s without Stones stepping in from CB).
Sounds like Harvey Elliot is the type of player you are talking about.
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England has already a lot of quality in Elliott’s zone.
https://x.com/The_Forty_Four/status/1793996604934123718
Took me a while tbh, this is so scary
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This is scary, i really thought it was was Gareth and was so shocked when swore!!
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Trent starting in midfeild alongside Conor Gallagher for tonight’s friendly against Bosnia. Gomez, Quansah and Jones on the bench
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Unexpectedly, the game is being covered in the US. No more work for me this afternoon
England look frightening on paper.
On the pitch, they just look like England.
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Uh, fox just cut to commercials in the middle of the second half. When I was a kid there used to be a joke about football switching to 4 quarters to accommodate the tv ads Americans would need if they were going to cover football. Looks like American TV decided they could do the ad break’s even without the game stopping 
Been watching a good bit of the second half. Trent the best player on the pitch.
Annnd…two minutes later…BOOM!
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Just scored a lovely goal
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