This is why even if he is inexperienced, I'd still go with Tomori. I'd say he's probably got the best blend of athleticism, defending and being able to hold his own on the ball. My ideal candidate would of course have been Gomez but unfortunately he's something of a non-starter( no pun intended) due to his situation at Liverpool and/or lack of confidence and form.
I hope Gomez hasn't taken the booing to heart. He seams like a great bloke by all accounts. Hes had a pretty sh*t year with injury and losing his place in the Liverpool team maybe its all got on top of him. Also when hes fit and playing regularly hes one hell of a player.
I don't agree that Tomori is decent on the ball. I actually think he's below average compared to the rest of the squad, and has exactly the kind of mistakes in him Keane does, even more so when passing back to his keeper.
It sounds harsh but I hope Mount doesn't start today. Maddison deserves a full debut. Ideally, Mount would have had a bit longer with the U21s. Also any two of Mings/Stones/Tomori should start as Maguire could do with a rest.
I don't think that's harsh at all in fairness. I've been underwhelmed by Mount in an England shirt and feel he has been unfairly somewhat favoured by Southgate up to this point. He is having a decent season of course, but he was given minutes ahead of Maddison in September as well despite the fact the latter had a full season of pl football at that point. I felt sorry for Maddison in many ways the other night. As ridiculous as it may sound given in theory coming on at 5-0 up against a team like Montenegro should be very easy, it's actually not that simple. Due to the fact the game was won, it almost makes it harder as players are playing in second gear and making few runs in behind etc which is crucial to Maddison's game which is about picking a pass and making things happen in the final third.
I'm catching up on posts from a few days ago, but this is the key point - the best players in the world all play first team football as teenagers. Players aren't developed at 18, or 21 - it is a continuous curve and there comes a time when first team football is the next step in the pathway, and Phil Foden has been there for too long now and it is now at the detriment to his career. I was happy with the 'training alongside top players line', but he has clearly outgrown that now. He needs to look at the CVs of the players he wants to emulate and see what he needs to do, and it is go somewhere and play.
Totally agree, Mount could have done with a rest or at the very least taken out of the spotlight and gone with the u21's. He is only 20 in his first season of pl football and has played a lot of football the last few months, understandably his form has been up and down. Maddison is definitely playing better and deserves a start.
Was looking forward to this game but now with maddison being possibly out it will be the usual mount no show.
Pope, Alexander-Arnold, Maguire, Mings, Chilwell, Rice, Winks, Oxlade-Chamberlain, Hudson-Odoi, Sterling, Kane.
The team is in! Here’s how the #ThreeLions line up for tonight’s #EURO2020 qualifier against Kosovo: pic.twitter.com/12vzg28nzT— England (@England) November 17, 2019
Why rice starts I have no idea. Limited player at best. I'm sure if Henderson was fit we would see the usual poor partnership of Henderson and rice
Well, got to say I’m disappointed Maddison isn’t starting but if he has some fitness issues then it’s understandable. Also would have liked to see Abraham get his first start along with Tomori. Not sure how many friendly games we play between this game and the start of the Euro’s but they need games to bed in and get used to International football.
Southgate has done an incredible job but sometimes its infuriating that hes always so conservative. Why the hell start maguire? We've won the group. Why doesn't he give abraham a start? Or tomori? I understand if Madison isn't 100 per cent fit. Looking forward to seeing odoi though
Can't believe that as somebody who was a defender himself, Southgate is naive enough to think that changing the personnel at CB every game is the right thing to do. We're never going to tighten up and develop any sort of solidity if he just keeps basically picking names out of the hat to decide who will partner Maguire every game. I don't rate Stones, but if he is still Southgate's first choice back there, then he should be playing today. If he isn't, then Southgate needs to decide who is/will be ASAP and stick with them. As for the midfield, extremely disappointing to see no start for Maddison yet again. Even more disappointing to see Rice back who has been really poor in an England shirt. I really thought this would be Maddison's moment at long last with all the injuries and unavailable players in midfield. Sadly, I am now resigned to him not being under serious consideration for Southgate next summer. I also don't buy that he's not fully fit, I reckon Southgate has said it just to take the criticism from overlooking him away.
If hes on the bench he must be fit. Mount has shown nothing so far to suggest hes ready to be an England player. Obviously it would have been too late to call up foden but I would have him ahead of mount ten times out of ten
TAA and CHO on the same side? Maybe we are playing Rice and Winks as the specific CM pairing. Maddison has a calf injury so probably would have started in Ox’s role if fully fit.
I think stones is a very good defender . Just takes unnecessary risks. I still would have tomori ahead of him though
Ironically, we played 2 defensive minded midfielders on that day anyway, did a fat lot of good. Even more ironically, Rice, who's probably in to give more protection, was the chief culprit behind allowing them so many chances due to an absolute stinker of a performance.
Rice again? How do some players seem to get endless chances despite never taking them and others just seem to be ignored? Its so frustrating, that said I think he will do better with Winks next to him. Maddison may be injured but I'm not convinced he would have started if fit. Also we all know what Kane can do, why can't he give Abraham some minutes to build on his goal? If Kane gets injured he is looking like the most likely replacement so he needs time to get used to international football.