England kickstarted their Euro 2024 campaign in less than convincing circumstances last Sunday in Gelsenkirchen.
The Three Lions are among the favourites to claim continental glory this summer but could only come away from their opening clash against Serbia with a dreary 1-0 win.
Jude Bellingham was the scorer – of course he was – nodding home a vicious header inside the opening quarter of the game.
Besides Harry Kane hitting the bar that was about as good as it got for Gareth Southgate's men.
The England boss has already taken a barrage of criticism. Why can't he get more from Phil Foden? Why do they seem to play so negatively? Why leave, X, Y and Z at home?
Quite. This wasn't the most exciting of starts to a major competition but there is plenty of time to grow into things. That starts with their clash against Denmark on Thursday evening.
So, what does Teddy Sheringham make make of all of it? Well, thankfully we have the answer.
What Teddy Sheringham said about Phil Foden
The Euro 2020 finalists looked like the real deal in the early exchanges of the game but couldn't match the same tempo and energy the longer the game went on. The second half was certainly a slog with Serbia penning their opposition back and enjoying a lot more possession.
So, what went wrong? Speaking exclusively to Football FanCast on behalf of Poker Sites, Sheringham said:
"I thought it was quite disjointed. There seemed to be square pegs in round holes – I don’t like it. However, with that in mind, I thought it was quite a comfortable performance. We didn’t really look like we were going to concede, and we mostly controlled the game – even if it got a bit hairy in the final 20 minutes. I thought we were kind of comfortable throughout, really."
England were forced back deep late in the match but ultimately the Serbs struggled to carve out many chances of note. For a defence missing Harry Maguire and Co, it was a very solid display at the back.
That said, the attacking performance left much to be desired, largely due to the efforts of the aforementioned Foden.
The Manchester City star won the Premier League's Player of the Season award for 2023/24 but has struggled to get going for his country. That was evident on Sunday evening.
Sheringham, the winner of 51 England caps, was keen to voice his feelings on the City man. Speaking about what Southgate should do to improve the attacking midfielder, he commented: "You need to bring Phil Foden inside and let him have the freedom to go where the likes of Jude Bellingham and Declan Rice do, and let those three alternate in midfield.
"You’ve got three very clever midfield players there. I don’t like him out on the left wing – he could perform on the right wing at a push, but Bukayo Saka’s got that position nailed down, for me. I would play Foden inside and let someone else go wider."
The 24-year-old started on the left flank in England's opening clash but that didn't work. What could the solution be? Well, other options in Germany include Newcastle's Anthony Gordon and Crystal Palace sensation Ebereche Eze.
However, is there an option at home who could have solved the problem? Sheringham seems to think so.
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ByMatt DawsonJun 16, 2024 Sheringham thinks Jack Grealish should be there
The biggest surprise when Southgate named his squad for this summer were the ommissions of Jack Grealish and Marcus Rashford.
Both have been hugely important parts of recent campaigns, Rashford notably now in possession of 60 caps for his country and Grealish in possession of 36.
That said, neither enjoyed the best of seasons for their respective Manchester clubs. The United forward contributed just seven league goals while the effervescent City winger only found the net on three occasions.
Despite that, could you still make a case for either being there? Sheringham was certainly surprised the latter wasn't on the plane.
Telling FFC, the former Man United and Spurs striker noted: "I would say they’ll regret leaving Jack Grealish out of the squad – more so than Rashford for me."
Why? The former attacker continued: "I think Grealish does a job – he retains possession in the final third, he takes people on, he draws players to him and players want to kick him and foul him. He realises when they do that, and he then releases the ball well. If there’s two or three players on him then there must be teammates spare on the other side of the pitch. I think he is really clever in realising that, so I’m quite surprised that he’s not there."
Whether Southgate's decisions pre-tournament come back to bite him, time will tell. For now, however, he will be content with the crop of players at his disposal.
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