MyBettingSites had the pleasure of sitting down with former England and Liverpool winger John Barnes who had a lot to say about the current England struggles at the Euro 2024 Championships so far. Barnes discussed the impact of Kobbie Mainoo, the struggles of playing Bellingham and Foden together as well as the treatment of England manager Gareth Southgate.
In this article:
- Mainoo alongside Rice should be the midfield partnership
- Foden is a number ten not Bellingham
- Pundits need to be more supportive of Southgate and the England players
Mainoo alongside Rice should be the midfield partnership
When it was revealed that Conor Gallagher would be starting alongside Declan Rice for the group game against Slovenia, heads turned due to the previous midfield struggles. England had endured difficulties in retaining possession as well as progressing the ball into the final third. Southgate’s second midfield experiment with Gallagher only lasted 45 minutes as Kobbie Mainoo was brought on and it seemed to have an immediate impact on the England side. Barnes claims Mainoo should have been the player starting next to Rice and will bring ball retention when they face off against Slovenia on Sunday.
“Kobbie Mainoo is more of a technical midfield player than Conor Gallagher. Gallagher runs around. But I think when you’re looking at when Gareth Southgate said that they miss Kalvin Phillips, it’s not Kalvin Phillips himself, it’s a player like Kalvin Phillips, who is a proper midfield player.
“A player who gets the ball off the back four. He rotates the ball, he keeps the ball moving. He doesn’t just run around making tackles because as much as we’re talking about pressing where England have been disappointing it’s their retention of the ball and then being able to control possession of the ball.”
Mainoo has enjoyed a fine debut season at United despite his club’s struggles. Having scored a marvellous winner against Wolves and the second goal in United’s FA Cup final win against Manchester City, Mainoo earned himself a place in Southgate’s 26 man squad and according to Barnes it’s now time to throw Mainoo into the starting eleven.
“I think now Kobbie Mainoo alongside Declan Rice gives you a better balance in terms of just being able to get the ball from the back four, getting it into his feet, turning and giving the ball to the Foden’s.
“Rather than just being an energetic player who just runs around making tackles like Conor Gallagher. I think Mainoo is better on the ball and he’s better at keeping the ball, which is where England are falling down. People are talking about the pressing. It’s not about the pressing, it’s about us retaining possession of the ball and being able to get the ball from the back, moving into dangerous forward areas with 1 or 2 touches and Mainoo does that better than Gallagher.”
Southgate may have to choose between Foden and Bellingham for the number ten role
One of the discussions has been the use of Jude Bellingham and Phil Foden in the England side. Bellingham has been used in the number ten role under Southgate after a stunning debut season at Real Madrid and after a great first game against Serbia, he has flattered to deceive. Meanwhile, Foden who has been used on the left wing seems to prefer occupying central pockets that Bellingham also operates in and Barnes feels as though Southgate may be forced into picking between Bellingham and Foden for the sake of balance in the side.
“We have to stop thinking that a solution to the problem is to get the ball to player who can do something. Play Foden because he can do something. Get the ball to Saka and he can do something. Get the ball to Bellingham. We don’t have a system and a formation is not a system.
“We’re trying to fit round holes into square pegs. They have to find a way of playing that benefits the team, which doesn’t mean just putting all the best players on, and it doesn’t mean because Gordon came on and did well that he now has to play.”
Barnes is adamant that Bellingham doesn’t suit the number ten role and in playing them there it is stopping England from getting the best out of Foden.
“So for example, Jude Bellingham is not on number ten. Jude Bellingham is a number eight. He’s not a technical player like Phil Foden or Cole Palmer. But we’re playing him as a number ten. So therefore we’re not getting the best out of Phil Foden.
“Other teams don’t look to solve their problems by just changing the players. You have to look at the way you play, the pattern of play, the system you use, rather than just thinking to get the ball to an individual and hoping the individual does well.”
Pundits need to be more supportive of Southgate and the England players
We saw some unsavoury scenes of fans throwing objects at Gareth Southgate at the end of the Slovenia game and whilst it wasn’t the majority such scenes remain unacceptable. However, the tide also seems to be shifting in the media with Southgate and the England players under huge scrutiny after a slow start to the tournament. Barnes feels as though pundits, especially former players, have a duty of being careful with their words.
“It’s disgraceful. It’s disgraceful. I understand the media have a job to do, but those guys in the media know how difficult it is. Particularly the players who’ve played and they’ve been through the situation whereby they’ve been criticised when they played. And as much as much as they say they’re just giving an opinion, when they were playing other people were just giving their opinion.
“So if they’re supportive and they understand how difficult it is you have to be constructively critical. Whereas I think some have been overly critical. We’ve not lost yet. We’ve gone through. Yes, we want to play better. But, in the past at tournaments we’ve not done well in the early stages and we’ve gone through to do well. So I think that they can be more supportive for sure.”
