South Coast RoyalBRO_BOT Post up your first elevens! There's a worry of shoehorning attackers in rather than having a balanced team (the old Lampard/Gerrard shizzle)
It is very difficult to pick an eleven when there is only one left-back in the squad who, even by Southgate's admission in interview, comes with major fitness concerns.
I heard a caller on Talksport being laughed at by Durham & Co for suggesting that Saka plays at left-back-they have readily forgotten that Wenger played him there on a number of occasions.
If we wanted to accommodate both Foden and Palmer in a starting eleven it strikes me as not the craziest suggestion when all other options in the squad are right-footed.
Regardless of how Gomez or even Trippier have "filled in" at club level with some success a right-footer playing alongside the erratic right-footer Maguire playing at left centre-back is fraught with problems IMHO.
The more I look at the squad I feel that we will struggle unless Southgate breaks with his known cautious approach and goes for broke hoping to outscore the opposition.
Unfortunately big competitions are so often won by teams with the best defence.
BTW France and Portugal look to have the best squads IMHO.
Would agree, England's best approach IMO is to take up the "attack is the best form of defence" mantra and just go for trying to outscore the opposition. There should be enough pace and trickery in the attackers to earn set pieces and break down even the most stubborn defence.
If nothing else it would make for entertaining games and at least show England going down fighting, but we all know GS is an "over cautious safety first nancy" so won't hold out too much hope, but if he pulls it off, despite that, he will be deserving of a knighthood.
