I LOVE the fact that Gareth Southgate has identified a style of play for his side.
It’s all about possession for England, playing out from the back and being better on the ball.
England have lacked a clear identity for a long time so this is great.
And I know this team for the Germany match has been hit by withdrawals but there is also much to admire about the squad.
It’s young and getting lots of Champions League experience; has pace at full-back and on the wings in Danny Rose, Kyle Walker, Marcus Rashford and Raheem Sterling; a proven goalscorer in Harry Kane up top and the skill of Dele Alli.
The list goes on. But what we haven’t got is a playmaker. And that’s a huge problem. The playmaker is the one that can unlock games.
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In our qualifying group we scored just 18 goals in 10 games. Of group winners, only Iceland scored fewer. Germany scored 43!
All the top teams in the Premier League have a magician in that position.
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City have Kevin De Bruyne and David Silva, Tottenham have Christian Eriksen, Chelsea have Cesc Fabregas and Liverpool have Philippe Coutinho.
If you look at the chart for Prem assists last season, top was De Bruyne, second was Eriksen, third was Gylfi Sigurdsson, then it was Fabregas, then Mesut Ozil. All playmakers. None of them English.
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The only English player in the top 10 was Ross Barkley and he was 10th.
Playmakers rarely have raw pace but have great speed of thought. Paul Scholes is the most recent example for England.
I believe the best we have now is Jack Wilshere. Like the best playmakers he has a low centre of gravity, is good in tight spaces, can make something out of nothing and can see a pass.
So I was surprised to hear Southgate say he sees him as a deeper midfielder. Germany on the other hand have plenty of choice.
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The top five in the Bundesliga assists list this season are all German. Last season, Toni Kroos was second in Spain. Ozil was sixth over here. Their cupboard is well stocked.
England’s is not and they may have to think again.
The Three Lions should use the pace of their wide men as their attacking outlet, especially against lesser teams.
In the Prem assists list for this season the top Englishmen are full-backs Kieran Trippier and Walker.
So if England can’t uncover a playmaker before next summer, going wide might be the way forward.
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