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How Do England Keep Their Starboys happy?
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How Do England Keep Their Starboys happy?

14/10/24 09:13

How Do England Keep Their Starboys Happy?

While certainly not an entirely new scenario for the Men’s England Football team, who have almost always had a conveyor belt of exciting talent pushing for first team minutes, it is certainly the first significant instance in a long while; England’s squad is actively overloaded with talent.

For some nations, this would be looked upon as a blessing by a divine entity, but it became clear over this most recent international break that it could be an equally effective curse on a team more than accustomed to unfortunate twists of fate, even in their recent past.

The crux of the issue is this: how do England fit Cole Palmer, Jude Bellingham, Buyako Saka, Phil Foden and Anthony Gordon into the starting eleven while still striking a balance that creates a complete football team?

And should the first question have a correct answer, then which other players worthy of a start would miss out?

It appears to be an impossible riddle, particularly for a man who may or may not be in the England driving seat in two matches. Lee Carsley’s job as interim head coach is attractive in so many different ways, but after the events in the Nations League over the last week, his position has suddenly become unenviable.

England’s Most Exciting Players

To understand the issue at hand, we first need to look at the club form of England’s most formidable attacking prospects.

First comes Cole Palmer, arguably one of the best players in world football on form. His other-worldly form at Chelsea has been a topic of much discussion over the last year or so, and his stunning equalizing goal in the Euro 2024 final against Spain showed the country that he was ready for international responsibility.

Next comes Real Madrid’s Jude Bellingham, England’s savior twice at the Euro’s, and almost again against Greece at Wembley. While not in the same goal scoring vein of form as he was in for much of last season, Bellingham is one of the most developed young talents in world football, and he is impossible to leave out at this stage.

Bukayo Saka is also undroppable due to his form at Arsenal, where in 10 games this season he has scored three and assisted seven more. With this exciting form coming on top of 34 goal contributions last campaign, an England team without him would be a far less intimidating side.

Premier League young player of the year Phil Foden also has a significant part to play in England’s future, and while he has been out injured for much of early season and is yet to find his best form again, his unbelievable level last season will surely convince any manager that he deserves to be on the pitch from the outset.

And then comes England’s newest breakthrough talent in Anthony Gordon. After a stellar season with Newcastle last season in which he contributed 12 goals and 10 assists, Gordon earned himself his first international call up in March this year, playing against football titans Brazil on his debut.

Anyone new to football would read this and think we were insane if we didn’t fit them all into the same starting lineup. However, England fans will be having unpleasant flashbacks to the mid-2000’s, a time where fitting Paul Scholes, Frank Lampard and Steven Gerrard into the same midfield appeared to be an impossible task for even the world’s best coaches.

This new crop of players provide the same dilemma; while they may be the MVP’s for the respective clubs, is it possible to put them all on the pitch together and still retain some resemblance to a team, as opposed to a squad of 11 individuals?

How do England Fit their Starlets into the Same Team?

One key issue that Lee Carsley faces with the players listed above is that there is significant crossover between their strongest positions. Saka, Palmer and Foden are all at home on the right wing, while Bellingham, Palmer and Foden can also have significant influence sitting behind the striker in the number 10 role.

Prior to the Euro’s starting, I would have said that Anthony Gordon’s left wing position was the only secure spot on the team, but throughout the Euro's Gareth Southgate played Foden there instead, deeming that position as up for grabs as well.

So, how does Lee Carsley fit them all in the same side while still maintaining a cohesive unit? Well, he found that it was a tricker task than expected when Greece visited Wembley last Thursday.

Carsley played a 4-2-4 formation, with Rice and Palmer in the midfield two, Saka and Gordon on the right and left flanks respectively, and Bellingham and Foden in a double false nine up top.

On paper, this was arguably the strongest team England could field without the unfit Harry Kane. In practice though, it was a disorganized, disjointed, overcrowded mess that wasted possession and consistently gave Greece the opportunity to counter-attack, an opportunity that they grasped with both hands.

During the 2-1 loss, there were certainly moments where England’s “next golden generation” showed their quality, but for the majority of the game they failed to live up to the pre-match hype. Palmer skyed a golden opportunity from 8 yards in the first half, while Foden and Saka went unnoticed for 20 minute periods at a time.

Palmer, though impressive on the ball, drifted from his deeper than usual role to get involved in attacks, and left Declan Rice isolated in midfield, making it almost impossible to smother attacks in the middle third of the pitch.

Rice did the best he could with the tools he was given, but he was sometimes dealing with 2 or 3 Greek players breaking at lightning speed, and he could only sprint back and help out center backs Levi Colwill and John Stones.

Gordon showed flashes of skill and glimpses of his electric pace, but for the most part was effectively dealt with by Greek right-back Lazaros Rota.

Bellingham was the silver lining, as he had both of England's two shots on target, set up the chance for Palmer, and scored their only goal of the game with a side footed finish dripping in technique.

However, even though Bellingham impressed, playing him in a false-nine role should not be necessary. Firstly, he thrives in deeper positions or in the number 10 role, and secondly, with the likes of strikers Ollie Watkins and Dominic Solanke on the bench, he shouldn’t need to play there in the first place.

The 2-1 defeat even seemed generous to England by the end of the game, as Greece had the ball in the net a further three times illegally, while also seeing a lob over Pickford magnificently cleared off the line by Colwill. A four of five goal defeat would not have been unfair.

Carsley learnt his lesson and made significant changes for the game against Finland, keeping just Palmer and Bellingham in the starting lineup and changing to a 4-2-3-1 formation, with Harry Kane returning up front.

England won the game 3-1 in far from convincing fashion, but they will be buoyed by the fact a traditional starting lineup which saw players used in their natural position got them the desired result.

Who Misses Out if England Play Their Attacking Stars?

I can think of just one lineup that could field all of the fabulous five in their correct positions, while still maintaining some form of defensive balance. In a 3-2-3-2 formation, it would look something like this:

Jordan Pickford; Levi Colwill, Marc Guehi, John Stones; Jude Bellingham, Declan Rice; Anthony Gordon, Phil Foden, Bukayo Saka; Cole Palmer, Harry Kane.

The lineup would see Bellingham, more suited to central midfield roles, drop alongside Rice and be given license to roam from deep, while Rice would protect a talented and fast back three. Gordon and Saka would be played on their favored flanks, while Foden would play the number 10 role that he is more than accustomed to playing at Manchester City.

Palmer, with his playmaking skills and deft touches, would play as a striker alongside Kane, but would play as more of a deep-lying forward than an out and out goalscorer, helping Foden link the attack and midfield.

However, this would see players such Trent Alexander-Arnold, Jack Grealish, Kyle Walker and exciting talent Rico Lewis miss out on the starting eleven. Bar Lewis, these players, who have been such effective servants for England over the years, would struggle to get a look in, and would likely have to settle for cameos off the bench.

In-form players such as Watkins, Solanke, Noni Madueke and even Conor Gallagher would also receive just a handful of minutes, and suddenly the new coach, whether it be Lee Carsley or some other as of yet unknown individual, would come under fire for failing to keep other talented prospects properly.

It’s a catch 22 situation for the England head coach: damned if you do, damned if you don’t. However, simply by having these five players in the squad, England become a formidable opposition, and very few sides will want to face them when they finally find a system that clicks.

Whether it involves all five, or sees two or three of them start and make way for the other later in the game, these players could take England to great things. The future is bright for England’s mens’ team … if the right decisions are made in the present.

Benji Kosartiyer
Journalist
Harry Pascoe

Lead Writer

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14/10/24 18:45
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