You can’t move for those telling the England manager who ‘has to start’ when the truth is that all of those attacking players are brilliant and vital…
“He has to start for England, three goals at the tournament, playing the way he is, I don’t see how you don’t start Marcus Rashford if you’re a manager.”
Those quotes are from Jermaine Jenas – presenter of The One Show and very much not a manager – but it would be unfair to linger too long on him because the sentiment is being repeated on TV screens and websites by legions of fans and pundits. From Alan Shearer to Brian that works in the butcher’s and has ‘never liked Raheem Sterling’, the equation is simple: Phil Foden and Marcus Rashford must start against Senegal because Phil Foden and Marcus Rashford scored against Wales.
If you’re David James, the equation gets more complicated because you advocate for Harry Kane to be dropped too, but that’s why goalkeepers do not generally make great pundits. They do not generally make great managers either, and neither do presenters of The One Show, who don’t even marry great managers.
Do you know who has been a great manager for England? The man who has taken them to a World Cup semi-final and a European Championship final, that’s who. Nobody here is arguing that Southgate is a master tactician but what he has mastered is the art of taking an England team far into a tournament and man-managing a squad of players who feel appreciated, involved and ready to make an impact whether they are a starter or a finisher. By now, we really should be happy for him to decide.
“I would keep those two in at the moment but I love Raheem Sterling and I love Saka as well, so I couldn’t really complain if any of them were in,” said Gary Neville, who is a little more sensible than some of his pundit counterparts, though perhaps not quite as sensible as Jamie Carragher, who wrote: ‘Southgate’s changes reflected England’s security in the group. To go deep in the competition it is imperative players are rested, especially those who play in the positions demanding most intensity. Raheem Sterling and Bukayo Saka will have had over a week off by the time they meet Senegal on Sunday.’
He knows. Rashford and Foden impressing against Wales does not override or overwrite Saka and Sterling playing well against Iran just over a week ago. There is no league table of England’s wide forwards pinned up on Southgate’s ‘Live, laugh, love’…
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