"He's gonna have to upset a couple of the big names" | Gary Neville analyses England's team problems

delighted to say we can now speak to another former ex England International Gary Neville is with us hello Gary we've all had a chance to sleep on it now and mul it over a little bit what's your reaction to last night's England performance yeah I think just same as it was last night that um you know these Lads have been outstanding for a number of years and um the way in which G's molded them into a team in the last few Tournaments has been exceptional and just for the first time I think for a few tournaments there is a an embarrassment of riches in talent but there that has created an imbalance along with obviously a couple of injuries in key positions I think not having a left back um as well as Kieran trippier is sort of uh getting on with doing his job there and doing it quite well not having the balance at left back I don't think we've got a balance in Midfield and we haven't got the right balance on upfront yet in respect of um what's happening there whether it be the right player to play alongside Phil fold and the right players to run past Harry Kane and I think Gareth Southgate as much as he would have liked to have tried to be stable and um and continuous in his selection through this group to not create what would be a sense of panic I think he is going to have to interfere um with the team selection and potential system as well because I think we've seen now that in the first game that would definitely can be put down to first game of any tournament is tough getting over the line is really important but I think the idea that then it becomes a pattern in the second game means that you do have to act because I I don't think it will end well if you continue to play as we are with the same team it's it's a bit of a concern that the performance levels the standards that they've set themselves um over last few years are obviously becoming something that we're using against them now because it's unusual to see them such a what would be I don't know I don't know how you describe the performance it was it was lacking in balance it was lacking in energy um and the big thing is obviously the the control of the game and and that's been a challenge for England teams over 20 30 years that I've been part of but after to this team I think have taken control of games and look positive they don't look that way in this tournament up to now and that's going to need to be dealt with the trend so far that we've seen from England Gary is that they score a goal they go ahead and then they drop off there was a graphic shown on the TV last night that before the goal and after the goal they were about 10 yards deeper why is that happening um I wish I had the answer to that because that happened to me um and teams that I was part of or was part of the coaching team in for eight tournaments where we found ourselves going back into what's now described as a low block basically sitting at the edge of your box parking the bus thinking that we would get through game games and that we could keep a clean sheet relying Upon A Counterattack and moment to be able to go and move forward I generally believe over this last three tournaments that this team and this manager that we've got G Southgate um have broken that mold and that they've been positive and that they've dominated games at times accepting that they've been driven back obviously against Italy in the final they scored a goal and then were driven back but that can happen sometimes in matches but it wouldn't normally happen in the games that we've seen um you know the opponents that we've seen in the first two games so I would ordinarily say with England teams it's mentality because that's what I think we've experienced over a number of years one second I've got a fire engine something outside um you you I would ordinarily say it's mentality um lack of lack of ability with coaching lack of technical ability with players to be able to get on the half turn and sort of get combinations built up through the back and bravery but with this team they have proven that they can do those things so I'm not quite sure why we've regressed and that's why I think Gareth is going to have to interfere with it um and do something quite Stark than what he's done in you know from what he would ordinarily want to do having obviously play two matches in the tournament I want to pick up on a couple of things that Southgate said last night he described the uh Trent Alexander Arnold situation playing in Midfield as an experiment how do you assess the way that experiment has gone um yeah I was surprised that he used the word experiment um I was I was also surprised he referred to Calvin Phillips I mean we've referred to him in the last couple of weeks but talking about a player that's not played for a couple of years hardly that's not been in the best of form and also um the talent of the players that are currently there um I I don't think will particularly go down well with the other players in the group and you know you've got cobby Manu there you've got Warton um TR Trent Alexander Arnold um I'm torn in some ways because I do believe we've got a generational Talent we've got a worldclass player um and the England should be finding a way to make it work for him um I do believe the reason that Trent Alexander Arnold is not a Midfield player for his Club um and that hasn't been a Midfield player for England for the last five years he because he hasn't got the talent to play in Midfield that's the reason we're called fullbacks um if you if you're a full back it's because you've ordinarily been moved back from being a Winger or a Midfield player and you've not been good enough to receive the ball on the half turn and have the subtlety in your game and the ability and awareness to look over your shoulder and know where you are um it's a very difficult position to play it's different than fullback and what Trent does for Liverpool where he comes in from Midfield and comes onto the game he's facing the game is perfect but actually International Football um which is more difficult to play I think than than Club football because of the familiarity of lack of familiarity we have with the players you don't play as often with them I think it's doubly difficult I think that um two games in now I just saw Trent's face when he was walking off last night there was a sort of a resigned look on his face and a feeling of real disappointment and I think probably that will be the last we see of it I actually don't think it's just down to him though I think the balance of the whole team in terms of how we play isn't right and it it wouldn't be fair just to say that the Tren Alexander Arnold experiment as G called it is the reason for how we've played in the last two games yeah to pick up on the other comment that you actually alluded to that the comment that England don't have a natural replacement for Calvin Phillips Southgate said he's got two players in his Squad they're very young Adam Warton kobby Mayu do they not fit that bill um slightly different but they play the position they know how to play the role um kobby Mayu can get on the ball on the half turn wton can play they both can play but they're experienced at this level um and I think like said we we all knew what Gareth was saying let's be clear let's not sort of if you like jump on it and I was surprised he said it and I'm surprised he referred to it um but it it's also something that I think we all understand that balancing off in Midfield in a two is really important and understanding each other and Calvin Phillips and um deam rice had built a relationship that was successful for England and worked well and it provided a platform and base of the team to be able to go and attack with confidence and they could sustain attacks we haven't got that anymore John lenderson obviously isn't there um who potentially could sort of if you like he would play further four but he could drop back in and play that role alongside Dean rice I've mentioned enough times now about Dean rice himself I don't think it's ideal for him to be sat back there and receive the ball with his back to play so I think we've got a situation now where by I would expect to see kobby Manu or won come into the team um just because of their natural ability in that position to get the ball off the back four and get us playing every great team and I've said this I don't know how many times the reason I named Paul skoles as the best player that I ever played with he because he got us playing and if you're gonna win trophies and you're gonna win trophies regularly which is what we did you need someone who can do that on a regular basis you need to control football matches and control football matches yes when you're drawing control football matches when you're losing but importantly control football matches when you're winning and control football matches in the opposition half of the pitch and that's what these types of players enable you to do because they're brave enough to take the ball and move you up the pitch uh and we haven't got that at this moment in time yeah so it's not quite clicking it's not completely negative top of the group Four Points we'll go through with a point against Slovenia on Tuesday but what changes would you want to see for that game Gary um yeah I mean on the group position um I we should put this into perspective Ive there are many times I mean Euro 96 which was deemed a great tournament for England we drew our first game against Switzerland and we're slightly fortunate in the end to beat Scotland in the second game so This Is Not Unusual by the way for England to have a difficult T time in the first couple of games of a tournament I just think this group have set themselves such high standards that the warning signs and the problems that England have had in tournaments where it's not gone as well I think are actually appearing here and that's why I'm slightly more concerned for the first time we're all asking the questions well how would you get him in where would you play him and gareth's never really had that in the last four or five years there've been bits of it but he's never had it with this Talent of player you know where' you get Palmer and where didd you get Bellingham folden in the same team and Trent Alexander Arnold and how' you get sacker in along like it's it's just it's like an embarrassment of riches and what I would like to see on uh Tuesday is as if you like somehow forget about reputation forget about talent and pick team that's balanced that actually can go out there that actually in in in good form and good Fitness I think there a couple of them actually playing at the moment that don't look like they're actually sharp um and get the best players out there on the pitch in respect of the team rather than the individuals and gareth's always done that really well so this is not me suggesting that G's never done that before he's been probably the best at it in the last 50 60 70 years he's ignored whether you play for Aston Villa or Manchester United or Manchester City or Southampton you know he's basically dep pick you based upon what you do and he's proven that with this squad and I think he's going to have to upset a couple of the big names and I think that started last night by him taking off three big names all at once in sacka folden and Kane that was a big move by gett that was him stood on the touchline speaking to Steve Holland and saying I'm gonna have to do something to interfere with this because this is not right and I need to change it and I think those changes will move into Tuesday what he will specifically do I do think if Luke sha is semi fit and I'm saying semi fit then we have to try and get him in at left back because of the fact that the balance not because kieren trippy is playing badly I don't know if he is fit Luke Shaw if he's not then obviously that's gone I do think we have to now change the Midfield I really like Connor Gallagher but I think actually the role that Conor Gallagher has been brought into to do last night is the role that Declan rice plays best where he can run onto the game and press high and Conor gallaga does that really well he dispossesses people high up the pitch but I'd like to see Manu or Warton come in probably play a little bit deeper and let rice be that one that can marro forward a little bit but then also he's got the power and strength and energy to get back in um Bellingham will obviously stay in the team the big question mark is obviously around Phil forden and there is something instinctly so there's something that instinctively inside me feels very uncomfortable leaving Phil Fen out of an England team purely because if we can't make Phil Fen and Trent Alexander Arnold International football players for England then we've got a real problem and we other nations wouldn't do that and we would regret it in years if you like to come so I don't know whether there's a change of system to get them all in um whether that's to go three at the back to get Trent Alexander Arnold in at right wing back um to do something quite Stark and then that allows maybe to have a little bit less protection in Midfield because you've got three at the back and then you've got maybe Dean rice in front um you know with Mania or something like that we did that in Euros against Italy but at the moment I we I was on tell with Roy Keane and I right last night and we were trying to write the England team down for Tuesday and even we were finding it difficult and it takes me back to 2004 when we had skulls Lampard Gerard Beckham and we were trying to squeeze them in to this Midfield with balance and it was impossible to try and get them in so you TR you then left with the situation do you play them out of position or do you upset one of them and I think that's where gareth's going to be at one name that we've not mentioned is the captain Harry Kane he played up front he scored the goal but then he was dropping deep gave the ball away for the Denmark goal is he an auto starter without doubt I I think he's an automatic stter for Gareth it would be a huge call for I bringing him off last night was a huge call I think the only other time he's ever done that in a meaningful game was against Scotland in the Euros um a few years ago at Wembley um so it's unusual for Gareth to take off Harry Kane when we need a goal so what he did last night was already um a sort of rare move leaving him on the the bench though is going to a different level uh and I don't think that'll happen [Music]

Channel: Sky Sports News

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Keywords: England, England Euros, England Euro 2024, Euros, Euro 2024, European Championship, Fußball-Europameisterschaft, Fußball-Europameisterschaft 2024, UEFA Euro 2024, UEFA, Germany, Deutschland, Sky Sports News, Sky Sports, Sky Sports Football, Sky Sports Premier League, News, Sport News, Breaking News, Football News, Transfer News, Jude Bellingham, Harry Kane, Phil Foden, Gary Neville, Neville, Gary Neville Euros, Gary Neville Sky Sports, Gary Neville England

Id: dAJxmSDBo4I

Length: 13min 38sec (818 seconds)

Published: Fri Jun 21 2024