"Are these players great, or are they playing with great players?!" | Football's Greatest: Euros

[@footballsgreatestpod]

What changes would you make to England ahead of the final group game vs Slovenia? ⚽👑

[@Istanbully23]

The flights home 🤢😢

[@comedychannels]

Cole Palmer must play , drop Trent , Harry, Stones looked slow unfit , Bellingham looked lethargic , Rice looked off ........ so it needs major changes in my opinion, consistency of selection shouldn't come into it if you've been so poor for 3 + games on the trot.

[@Footieheritage]

Trent has been awful Southgate silly to play him there n phillips is crap too Kobbie Mainoo is our BEST option in double pivot with Rice👌

[@Damaskianos_Kaliva]

Nothing will work without a proper left footed left sided full back or left wing back….Mitchell from Palace was the obvious choice…4-2-3-1 Rice with Gomez, attacking midfielders much like the Germans: Eze(or Gordon), Kane and Foden..Kane as central striker but Bellingham’s movement should be ‘keep as far away as possible from Kane’..Kane drops deep, Bellingham gets forward!

[@cheahhhh]

Klopp for Southgate

[@JLawls91]

Southgate bemoaning the loss of Kalvin Phillips when Bellingham can play alongside Rice then have Foden is his natural position & Gordon on the left, its absolutely bonkers

[@66kaisersoza]

It's too offensive for safegate

[@Bumchats]

Exactly mate. Exactly.

[@CM-ss7yy]

He didn’t say Kalvin specifically, he said “a” Kalvin. I.e., someone who *only* sits back. I think these are important distinctions

[@treble20]

It's ridiculous. Most people online have been criticising Gareth Southgate for years. The MSM luvvies are finally catching up with the nonsense.

[@AW-kr9fl]

Simple solution that can’t see why a highly paid manager like Southgate just refuses to do it

[@nickdatson7292]

Brilliant listening to Merse...the modern day Greavesie! Pauls first comment is one that I have always thought...The biggest issue with England teams since 1966 is managers not playing players in their club positions. Ramsey said he picked the best players for the game plan.....and they played where they played for their clubs. The other thing is two strikers....talked about now like its odd...crazy! Well done guys ...great show.

[@NorthernMigrationTravel]

We might have better players than Denmark but we definitely don’t have a better coaching staff… They tactically outclassed us in every area of the pitch

[@sanmateoflights]

Exactly.

[@UnboxRacing]

Yes, after the first game it was obvious to stop England. Mug Kane, stop Saka. Close them down, make them panic and go long.

[@kevinborland2090]

Absolutely brilliant podcast, really entertaining and some great one liners. Really good breakdown from Merse

[@tccandler]

The Premier League is not the most entertaining because of the English players. It is 73% foreign players... and that is why the teams are good quality. The English have been overrating England for 55+ years. The rest of the world are not afraid to play England.

[@luxorora5370]

@@LHBH8foreign media will always be politically correct…..remember when vdv called maguire bang average when he got his 80 mil transfer yet all the English were saying he’s a good defender……they never brought vdv back on tv

[@tccandler]

@@LHBH8 Born and raised in Hampstead. Couldn't be more English if I tried.

[@whodoyouratemore]

You can say the same about any league in the world 😂😂😂

[@tccandler]

@@whodoyouratemore England has by far the lowest percentage of home grown players under contract.

[@intenzityd3181]

Poor take. England dominated European football for like 9 years straight until Heysel and the ridiculous ban. English football clubs have only become less dominant the more foreigners joined the league.

[@MrKra888]

My team for the next game: Pickford; Saka, Guehi, Stones, Arnold, Rice, Bellingham, Gordon, Palmer, Kane, Watkins. Formation: 4-2-4. Balance: Saka is going to be my left-footed attacking wingback and Arnold my right-footed attacking wingback. Arnold and Saka will overlap on either side and will provide lots of crosses into the box. Gordon will stay wide on the left and cross the ball, also. Palmer can cut inside from the right and shot from distance or provide defense-spitting through balls. Forwards: Kane playing as a deep-lying forward and Watkins as an advanced forward. One coming short, linking the play and one stretching the pitch to run into space. Gameplan: - Press High. - Stretch the pitch by playing wide. - Play the ball forward quickly. - Play lots of through balls. - Attack the wings. - Get lots of first-time crosses into the box. - Have someone attack the near post, far post, the penalty area and one on the edge of the box. - Defend with five players all the time. - Attack with five players all the time. - Have four players in the opponent's half of the field on all occasions.

[@Completeangler2]

The Problem is Southgate! The warning signs were there at the last World Cup...but what does he get? a new Contract. Merson analysis so awesome

[@jejmoss11]

The warning signs were anytime we played a decent side.

[@DEEDUBZ]

If Southgate loses this Tournament, the English FA are gonna let him stay decide whether he wants to stay onto the Next World Cup smh! No ambition whatsoever. How to waste a generation of talent.

[@giovannidasilvere3179]

That’s what you get when you’re a yes man & don’t stick up for yourself when confronting the FA.

[@giovannidasilvere3179]

totally agree! Bring in Pep if decides to leaves Man City. He will definitely win us the Euros and the World Cup. 🙌🙌🙌

[@sparkhenzza9111]

Great stories, Jeff. This is what makes these tournaments so memorable. The Scots, Serbs and Albanians story reminds of an occasion at an airport when a stern lady volunteer with a school group was stopped by an official. She calmly said, "let us through now or I will release these 15 delinquent children on your airport". They all passed through customs without delay 😂

[@simonwood6008]

Very good Merse. Great takes and great conversation. ❤

[@digitalspa1932]

Merse is a great football observer. One of the best breakdowns of Englands problems ive heard so far

[@visalvimal6968]

The same guy who said kdb is a 60 mil flop for city when they signed him ?😂

[@r3lentl3sGaming1]

@@visalvimal6968Nout wrong with that

[@dazamanday]

​​@@visalvimal6968 ah you're one of those people that get unnecessarily upset when someone gets a score prediction wrong aren't you 😅

[@JJbyo]

The same guy who said has the best players in each position

[@Klinsmann1985]

The best take I've heard is from Barry Glendenning: "Foden's best position is to be never more than 30 yeards from Kevin de Bruyne". Edit: this is not supposed to be taken literally 😅

[@ps5andstuffhere]

Pretty funny but very wrong. He dominated every match without De Bruyne even playing. Was injured most of season

[@TotalllFootball]

Except, KDB was injured last season....

[@ps5andstuffhere]

Foden should be in Midfield areas or on bench. Simple as that

[@Klinsmann1985]

I don't think you're supposed to take it literally. The point is England's great players are all great alongside a completely different set of players. I think the full quote mentioned Rodri and maybe Bernardo Silva too

[@ps5andstuffhere]

This is true but England also have a shit manager. When they had Terry Venables they were fantastic

[@Bumchats]

Would love to see a 3 at the back with walker, guehi and stones and then TAA and Saka as wing backs either side.

[@christopherconcannon7247]

Saka at wing back? You need to be sectioned.

[@jonreed6448]

Should play 352, walker, stones, guehi, Trent, Bellingham, rice, foden Gordon, kane and Watkins.

[@Bumchats]

Certainly better than what we have been doing mate

[@jamesburke2094]

Walker Guehi stones Bowen Henderson rice saka Palmer grealish Kane

[@RFHYLAND]

Where’s hendo coming from James?

[@RFHYLAND]

Where’s hendo coming from James?

[@crazyaboutfooty]

First time I've seen that idea suggested, love the look of that!

[@2Bobbitz]

Our players were knackered at the end due to ‘nervous exhaustion’…Stones and Trippier collapsed onto the floor at the end of that Denmark game completely shattered but they hadn’t even crossed the halfway line all game….fear is draining their energy

[@BigDome1]

Saka and Ben White have an amazing partnership at Arsenal, thay would objectively thrive as a partnership regardless of who was around them.

[@christopherconcannon7247]

When will Southgate learn we need more right backs!!!!! 3 isn’t enough!!!!

[@nigelnyoni8265]

11:44 "He'll do what it says on the tin" I like this idiomatic expression 11:57 "There's horses for courses" Is also pretty cool

[@kennethburridge862]

Don't know why people are so surprised. The last four matches against Denmark (regular time) have ended with three draws and a loss to England. But as always we believe that we are superior. Reality check needed. And the excuses were bollocks , the pitch was terrible (it was) , the heat was terrible (yeap) , but Denmark is not an exotic country and there players played on the same pitch and really they are pro players so it is not better for them than England. And even though England has got the star players , the danish team has players from Barcelona, Roma , Anderlecht, Man U, Benfica, Tottenham, Brentford, Leicester, Milan etc etc and my point is that a team of pro good players playing as a team and with a game plan will almost always beat a star team with no game plan.

[@willie549]

Denmark are 💩

[@mesolithicman164]

The foolishness of Gareth's thinking is obvious. We will not beat the Germans, Spain or France by defending for 90 minutes, they have too much quality. We can only beat them by outscoring them, which means these three group games were the ideal opportunity to sharpen the tools and get everything right before the really big games begin. But he's squandered the opportunity by experimenting with unworkable ideas that should have been tested pre the tournament. Gareth is meant to be an intelligent guy but I think he's indecisive, he has great attackers but his mindset is caution, intellectually he knows that we will have to score 3 or 4 to offset our imperfect defence set up, but he can't bring himself to throw all his cards on the table and say "toujours l'attaque". The game between France and Netherlands looked like a Premier League game, constant action, yet English players who play that way week in, week out are being encouraged to play a weird style of safety first football that is totally alien to them. The problem is Gareth. But more broadly we have to look at, and drastically improve, the tactical education aspiring English managers are offered by the FA. At the moment, Eddie Howe is the only English manager that could deal with English superstars and get their attention. They will not respect Potter, O'Neill or any other mediocre England manager. Thats our BIG problem. Poor quality English managers.

[@Zizoosworld]

To be fair, we've been weak in the back when Southgate took over so i can understand why the FA took him on. Our players have now evolved and we need to play in a modern way that has pressing and attacking football and this is what a Manager needs to use effectively. Southgate needs to make way for a modern manager

[@scottheritage4545]

Excellent opinion from Merse.Jeff Stelling is right up there with Des Lynam as the most compelling host. Brilliant Jeff.

[@DEEDUBZ]

Unbelievable Jeff

[@Razormiller]

Merse rightly says how playing out of position is like a car driver driving a truck but then 5mins later he says he wants to drop Foden and play Kane as attacking midfielder. Lol classic Merse!!

[@Damaskianos_Kaliva]

It’s a lifelong problem with English football…trying to fit ‘every star’ in the starting lineup…Can’t have Foden and Saka in the same team! Bellingham wants to do everything, keep him away from Kane, a bit like Dele Alli and Kane at Spurs when Pochettino was boss…Late runs into the box!

[@whodoyouratemore]

That's where he plays 90% of the time anyway

[@AW-kr9fl]

Agree with Merse. I wouldn’t drop Kane

[@Uratube25]

He had them winning it last week because of the talent we have, now there all shit and playing out of position, never take gambling advice from Merse haha

[@bernardmcgowan4129]

Love these two together great entertainment!

[@ps5andstuffhere]

Didn't Southgate learn anything from Terry Venables?

[@laniganabstract9081]

How to dress

[@Bumchats]

Would kill for Venables or Hoddle to be in charge now

[@bepsolo]

@@Bumchats What did they win ??

[@Bumchats]

@@bepsolo nothing Mourinho 😂 but at least it wasn't without so much as a whimper

[@bepsolo]

@@Bumchats They are all in the same boat, all these great coaches you are talking about had a chance or chances to win something but they too failed despite all their greatness. They are all part of the catastrophical failure of 60yrs and counting, there is nothing positive about all this.

[@EmptyGlass99]

I had no idea Merse is a cricket fan! Anyway, he's always passionate and spot on here. Agree 100%

[@briancollinson1838]

Brilliant chat and I fully agree with Merse. I know we haven’t a left sided defender but I think we should revert back to a back 3 with Wing backs like we played in 2021 we were way more fluid and pressing much higher. If not I agree with Merse, most defenders these days have only played against a lone striker so play two and give em something to work out.

[@tdmprofit3708]

Southgate is so defensive, english players sleep in a wall formation.

[@connormcleod9595]

Wears a helmet in a lift

[@DEEDUBZ]

Wears a raincoat to bed

[@DEEDUBZ]

Bit a both Jeff. But I'll say this; Southgate is the biggest problem. The way he sets up his starting 11's are terrible. And his Substitutions are just as bad. The National Team won't Win any European Championships and World Cups until the English FA get a proper Manager in; and let's that Manager decide on everything. Southgate is a hireling appointment. Might be a nice fella, but the aim of a Head Coach/Manager at this level is to Win Trophies.

[@somniyogi7614]

England will not win any trophies with Southgate in charge. It is as simple as that. Germany, Spain, France, Italy and Portugal have all managers who are tactically far astute than Southgate. He will get outsmarted by anyone of them.

[@kailashpatel1706]

Merson said he could not see beyond England..!...As for dominating Serbia, the Serbs laying off for 30 mins and taking out Tadic was folly on their part..

[@dondamon4669]

Merson is by far speaking the most sense as a pundit and making others look stupid! Special player as well

[@matthewdoyle3877]

Souness better

[@stuanderson808]

Every man and his dog knows that Rice should play as the DM, Bellingham as a box to box number 8 and Foden as CAM. Only Southgate doesn’t know this. Kane’s got no legs so get Gordon on the left, Saka on the right and instruct them to make runs beyond him.

[@12Hydrocarbon]

Why are you saying Gallagher is ahead of Kobie Mainoo?? The natural selection is Kobie or Wharton alongside Rice. I would love Kobie because of his big game experiences.

[@leonleon2276]

Kane is a great striker , can’t knock that. Bellingham has potential to be a great. If Trent was playing in his right position , he be an England great….as he is a Liverpool great.

[@willie549]

And what is his right position?

[@hamonryechinaski180]

Gordon on for the width and running forward. Rice and Jude, Foden at 10 and Kane starts with Watkins and Palmer told theyre definitely getting significant minutes...

[@SuperMarc281]

Cracking show from the lads here. Keep up the good work 👍

[@footballsgreatestpod]

Much appreciated Marc 👍

[@jamesjohnson7556]

Headline spot on !! Truth and simple fact !!

[@giovannidasilvere3179]

I get the impression Southgate wants to play it safe. He isn’t that inventive or brave enough to change players to give others a chance. We don’t seem to have the confidence to play dominating football. If a player isn’t having a good game, doing his job, any decent manager would take him off & put on a player that can change the game. When Southgate does take off a player or players, the subs don’t get 15-20 mins game time to massively change the game.

[@gjbell3127]

There is a reason why Kane was sold! He's had the ball put on a plate for him all season in a league of only 2 teams. He needs benching!

[@mathewdixon4009]

Merson trying to pick his team sounds like he's ordering a takeaway

[@BelfastManUtdTherapy]

I wrote a piece on this in the week and Im sticking to it, English players are over-hyped. Kane isn't playing against Panama, Hoffenheim under 21, North Macedonia or had any penalties to falsely increase his contribution. Southgate took him off alot in euro 202 for poor performances, but the english forget that. Bellingham doesnt have Kross, Rice doesnt have Saliba behind him, Foden doesnt have kevin debruyne etc etc. World class players can pass and control the ball, whether their manager puts them in a different position or the best position.

[@BrixtonTone]

Hate to say it BUT ! if it means we finally get rid of Southgate I won't complain if we fail to progress any further in the competition. As for making changes ? 🤕 Southgate doesn't have the nous to change a tire !

[@Klinsmann1985]

I'd rather we just won the Euros

[@BrixtonTone]

@@Klinsmann1985 😆, Yeah but we know that's not going to happen.

[@connormcleod9595]

Ivory Coast sacked their manager mid tournament and won. Bring in hoddle, big Sam or rednapp

[@BrixtonTone]

@@connormcleod9595 Forget Big Sam but imo Hoddle should never have been let go and Harry Redknap is possibly one of the best managers England never had .

[@ny4471]

Been saying Southgate out since the Itlay final. That was unforgivable to lose to that old Italy team, we went out with 5 at the back. 5 ! Against two old defenders. In a final we LET them win. he is not a winner, not tactically clever enough, not brave enough and that's the difference. We gave him another world cup and another euros, which is a waste of 2 tournaments and harry kane in his prime. shocking from the F.A. When people say " who would you have " , honestly you could put anyone in there. Klopp, Emery, Eddie Howe, Ruben Amorim, anyone who plays on teh front foot with the ball. rob Edwards would do a better job .

[@nigelnyoni8265]

18:05 this is a strange concern 😂😂😂

[@DanielKew-u7j]

Trent def shouldnt be playing from what ive seen constantly giving the ball away terrible dead balls but hes not the only 1 underperforming

[@palle0412]

Last 4 games between England and Denmark have aften 90 min. resultet in 3 draws and 1 victory to Denmark. How can you be surpriced?

[@Naren25]

I just came up with the answer. Drop Trent for Gordon. Only change needed Walker and Trippier both tuck in a Stones steps out into the holding midfield spot. You build up in a 3-2-4-1 shape with Gordon and Saka holding the width and Bellingham and Foden as a pair of 8s

[@tarquinbullocks1703]

Hang on. Did Merse not complain that Gareth will play safe with his changes? But in HIS eleven Merson's only change is Watkins. Anyway, always great to listen to Merse's take on all things football. I'm Scottish so I don't care too much but for me Anthony Gordon would make all the difference if Kane will get in the box. Joe Gomez at left back if Shaw still isn't fit and Kobbie Mainoo in for Rice.

[@danielbuxton4493]

These two are forgetting that even if you were a champion boxer, you couldn't beat a paper bag if you had one leg and one arm tied up; there are some fundamentals to football - for all our superstars to function, we need some workhorses in there. Wharton in!!!

[@roy9816]

It started to go wrong before the tournament started. The players were so shocked that Grealish was sent home that they sent the captain to ask Southgate what he was doing.

[@tayzk5929]

Grealish is class So ofcourse he's left at home

[@mark.lawrence]

100% holland knows best... he scored 18 times for northwich victoria...

[@dgoodall]

He’s not had the best end of season, but Grealish would at least take on defenders on the left, for sure worth bringing on for 20 mins.

[@TomBartram-b1c]

Chilwell was the worst omission. Takes Trent whose only role is back-up for Walks.

[@dravendean8710]

​@@tayzk5929absolutely an awful decision what is it about Southgate when it comes to grealish i really want to know how he isn't good enough to be in this England team utter madness

[@jakhaughton1800]

Why doesn’t Bellingham play for England like he plays for Real Madrid?

[@FredericFreedom]

Coaching

[@harrisonmonte-carlo8779]

So for 60 years it's the managers fault yes. The players trick you once they're in The Premier League surrounded by players from around The World. England have always had very talented players but 'together' they are not World Beaters.......

[@Lioness_UTV]

With respect your comment makes little sense as its an all or nothing premise; either its all the Manager's fault or its the players. Firstly it always starts at the top, a good coach brings out the best in their players, is a leader and sets them up for success with clear direction and expectations laid out. Each player whether they start or on the bench shd know what their role is within the overall tactical strategy objectives. They then practice that on the training field including Plan B what IF scenarios like going down to 10 men. So are the player bang average? I would say no, but I do think there is a level of inexperience at an international level. These players are used to receiving tactical info and working in training drills to refine how they are going to play and contain Denmark etc they didn't and not so surprisingly they almost lost the match. ❤ BUT this inexperience, I do think if anything that they are far too passive and respectful around Southgate, maybe even fearful. The training facilities and set up is so comfortable and fun that it's more like a summer camp and they have also lost a competitive edge. I also think they are all aware that anyone that truly questions Southgate is inevitably dropped either to the bench or out completely. So when players are asked as Southgate asked you to drop back once you score, its true he hasn't. But what he has drilled into them constantly i to maintain possession, don't lose the ball. He has instilled that fear in them and fear breeds mistakes and it forces you back on your heels and once your opponent senses that, more pressure is applied. It's a catch22 and it's a mess. It will be very interesting to see the next match, the changes etc.

[@harrisonmonte-carlo8779]

@@Lioness_UTV with respect England will be coming Home soon and They will not win The World Cup in 2026 either.....but there is a saying "Hope Springs Eternal"

[@insanebe1]

@@legionnairegonk4425 well Pep couldn't even win the FA Cup gainst Man United and Tenn Hagg so... no Klopp couldn't even win at home against Atalanta in the Europa League ...so..... no And Jose's main tactic is the same as Southgate's... park the bus and wait for the opponent to make a mistake ... so ... no This is what i think, Kane can't press and is unfit and hasn't played a full 90 minutes for months, Foden is ineffective, Rice is overrun in midfield because Bellingham doesn't want to track back and Alexander Arnold is out of his depth, Southgate can get the blame for playing this squad but the players have to take the blame for being unable to execute whatever game plan he gave them because there aren't good enough to do it. what needs to happen is this, change formation to 4-4-2, Foden needs to be dropped or played on the right instead of Saka, Kane needs to be a 45 minute player, Alexander Arnold needs to be out of midfield and on the subs bench as a right back. On the right Walker and Foden play together for Man City, know each other, can player well together. on the left Trippier and Gordon, play together for Newcastle, know each other, can player well together. Kane is the striker furthest forward and Bellingham is just behind. Starting 11 from left to right Pickford Trippier -Guehi - Stones - Walker Gordon - Rice - Mainoo (or Gallagher)- Foden Bellinghaham Kane

[@harrisonmonte-carlo8779]

@@legionnairegonk4425 listen, The English manager has to be English. Remember The Furore??? Brexit means Brexit too No? 🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣 Seriously though, all Top Nations have their own. Years ago when Jose was in his hey day in London, I remember him being interviewed and the fella was literally begging him to just consider the job one day soon....Jose said "how can I be manager of England and go HOME to Portugal"

[@harrisonmonte-carlo8779]

@@insanebe1 well said 👏 The media say with a straight face Kane is tired 🥱🤔 It's only Kane who plays 40 + games then yeah 🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣 Excuses Excuses Excuses It's all very predictable if you're not emotionally involved. Emmanuel Petit said on TalkSport "I don't recognise Declan Rice" 🤦 England will be going to the airport soon.

[@marineboy1964]

How about managers that don't look like managers, I could name one

[@carlaspinall7418]

Attack attack attack give klopp the england job with paul merson as his number two😡☹️

[@shubhamgoyal5545]

Lots of criticism in opening minutes but when put on the spot to pick xi, he played Trippier and Foden in the same position..Southgate making 1 change, he made 2.. Pundits don’t have guts.. only complaints, no solution..

[@henry7696]

thank fuck someone else has brought it up. every single fucking interview...."these players are the best in the world!!! whats wrong?!". now is the time to ask are they actually the best, or at they being propped up by foreign talent in the EPL. weve seen this for decades now. its always "the golden age" of uk talent yet we cant win a single tournament. got to ask questions about the tactical ability of these players that just fold under the slightest pressure.

[@davidmiller1354]

Well done for being honest. The media build these young idiots up

[@BigDome1]

What about Kane and Bellingham?

[@plato2030]

Safegate do not comprehend this much tactics

[@LittleBobbleProductions]

If you're going to play 4-2-3-1, think of the great Liverpool midfield that had Alonso, Mascerano and Gerrard. You place a deeper lying playmaker next to Rice (Wharton of course) and you have the makings of an excellent partnership.

[@nigelnyoni8265]

17:00 ruthless winner, JM

[@bigbernie7260]

Who is Bellinham?

[@stephenpodeschi6052]

Kane scored our only goal against Denmark ...........Why T F... would you drop him ? Adjust the team around him simple. Also Kane is reliable for penalties which could be crucial in a close game. There are plenty of legs in these young players , its psychological as Paul says...... Declan was obviously worried about keeping an eye on Trent , Stones was worried about pushing up , Trippier was not linking with the wing as there was not one much of the time. Others were also below par as we all saw.

[@nigelnyoni8265]

13:15 ooh this is a bit on the nasty side 😅

[@tonypritchard1345]

well said merse they are playing with great players

[@igg3937]

How can the entire English footballing system not produce two quality left backs?

[@RFHYLAND]

I hear you mate but at the end of the day Tripps hasn’t been bad. He’s caught out of position because of the guy in front of him drifting inside far too much. He’s immediately coming up and containing when the ball gets to the final third. Multiple times the other night it was 2v1 out there.

[@sparkitus1988]

they are all injured, or coming back from long term injuries

[@stephentaylor2597]

Exactly 2 footed is the minimum skill of a footballer

[@willie549]

​@@RFHYLANDHe looks lost. That is worse than bad..

[@ArchefluxxMusic]

I can't believe Merson called it perfectly. Gallagher in. Trent out. Shambles.

[@original.dwornboy]

Be great to see Matthew Le Tissier on this channel.

[@tareqtoyne2737]

personally, i dont see why people are worried about the defence to start guehi and stones are a solid pair guehi had a amazing season, we need wharton on to give rice the freedom to move up the pitch that or stick bellingham next to rice and have foden as a 10, gordon on the left saka on the right the team plays its self we just need to be confident its like watching a bunch of mees on the pitch on sunday league

[@TheSpaceWomble]

Kane/Foden up front Whoever you like on the left and Saka on the right Rice/Bellingham in midfield Back four as you like OR Three at the back, with Gordan as a wingback and Arnold at right back three in the middle and two up front simple really

[@bigbernie7260]

Who is Bellinam?

[@graeme7twice]

Regardless of formations and players, if you can't keep the ball for more than a few minutes, how can you play?

[@RobertJones-xq1si]

The defining moment of this conversation was when Merse stopped talking and started thinking... The reality of how difficult it is to balance a squad of brilliant players, average players, inexperienced players players covering others due to injuries. And for the record, Trippier has played left back in tournaments without an issue before. Foden has played on the left many times for City... And the amount of people shouting for Trent to find a place in the team over the last few months who've suddenly gone very quiet is hilarious. Regardless of positions, tactics, form etc, the amount of bad performances against Denmark says that some of these players aren't as good as we like to think. If you really are a top player, you shouldn't need spoonfeeding through games. France reached a World Cup final in 2006 where everyone had fallen out with the manager.

[@stevegill5540]

Paul Merson - absolutely spot on!

[@nigelnyoni8265]

15:26 yeah those French lads get on their bikes PROPER

[@SuperStreaky]

Kane isn't fit and hence needs to be dropped . Exactly the same situation as for the Champions League Final when Poch played him for Spurs when he was nowhere near fit - so obviously the wrong decision.

[@derekking5386]

I hear you saying southgate was a defender and knows nothing else. I get that.the thing is, big jock stein was a rough and tumble defender, the ball use to bounce of his knee, yet he created at celtic, young men who played fast, controlled , exciting football, that won games. Its all about phylosophy and british coaches are negative, play for clean sheets. They dont have the mentality or will to change. How many times over the last 30 years have people complained about the same thing. You can still win by playing in the other teams box. Is that too difficulr to get into peoples heads

[@exitthelemming145]

What you say is true of Jock Stein (but also Frenchman Arsene Wenger, a somewhat mediocre defender for Strasbourg) That said, being risk averse never hurt any of the Italian national or club sides who won so many trophies over the years. Greece practically created the template for grinding out one nil wins on their way to winning the Euros in 2004. I like Merse as an individual but when he says the reason for England's players tiredness is lack of confidence he's talking bollocks. The tournament favorites squad contains 3 serial Premier League winners, LA Liga player of the year, the Premier League's player of the year and top Bundesliga scorer in their debut season. Do rank outsiders Georgia therefore have more confidence?

[@derekking5386]

@@exitthelemming145 i know mate, but defensive teams in the past could kick the legs of you. It doesnt matter how good the english players are if they are shackled. You need to let them play. How can you keep good midfielders at home and play a fullback in midfield. I actually stopped watching football over 20 years ago, when i got bored with the so called entertainment. Balls kicked out the park to waste time, players writhing on the ground, managers saying it wasnt their job to entertain and fans cheering when their team won a corner. Maybe the british teams arent as good as what we think. What would happen to the teams if all the foreign players were removed from them. I played for football teams from 7 years old, 4 games a week, trained the other days. I loved it. I havnt missed it. The same arguments about the english team were being said over 20 years ago

[@stephencampbell3639]

Jeff a little disrespectful when he said Denmark lost on qualifying to Kazakhstan and Northern Ireland.

[@bepsolo]

Superstar players?? who are they??

[@jonathanfox5773]

Could we not revert to a three and put Trent and Saka as wing backs? Merse is right about Kane but I think my idea keeps Foden at 10. 3-5-2 going forward and 5-3-2 defending. Either that or drop Trent, keep the 4-3-3 and put Gordon on the left. Merse is such a great reader of the game.

[@stephenpodeschi6052]

Pickford is the best English goalkeeper with the most clean sheets in the premier league last season , only arsenal had more and he is not English..........

[@ntuthukomjsikhosana8915]

How did he get the job at the first place?

[@hhc1000]

Charity football match! Merse, what a legend! Coolest guy in the world!

[@Lioness_UTV]

We all know a good coach will elevate a player and will structure a team, set them up for success. Having gone thru the debacle of Gerrard at Villa who stripped our squad of confidence in their own capabilities while being unclear of their role match to match that they weren't allowed to question. Do as I say... So yes a coach plays a huge influence on a player and team as they rely on their manager to let them know what their role is, if there is confusion, unclear expectations and tactics it shows. It all stops at Southgates door, no tactics, he relies on moments of brilliance to score. Then there is no plan b, Southgate stands passively on the sidelines and replaces the front 3 like for like, so again no real tactics, waiting for a moment of brilliance. Its utterly ridiculous that we are so one dimensional with little pre-game tactics from training ground to match...And we have nothing...

[@anthonymcnamee6297]

Like a team playing with wellies on the wrong feet

[@thaoandtony]

Southgate is the worst manager I have ever seen

[@Bedrinonen]

"I'm loathe to criticise Southgate" Why? What has he achieved as a manager? When has England played anywhere near the talent of their players? Southgate has an incredible generation to choose from and every game I've seen it looks like, in the general flow of the game, England don't have a cohesive idea what they're doing. That's down to Southgate. And Southgate's down to the FA. You have to sacrifice a great player here and there in certain positions, for a better tactical approach to the team's play. It's Scholes, Gerard and Lampard on the pitch together over and over again with England's mindset.

[@jpdorsethq1280]

Spot on Merse.Could look to create a Kane/Son type partnership which could be with Foden or Watkins.

[@garyowen4112]

if trippier is not a left back why not put walker at left back and trent at right back

[@paullacey748]

England Football has never grasped how football works. Alf Ramsey is the only manager that understood that you do not need super star players to win. What you do need is players that play as a team and not for themselves

[@MrChristopher]

"Are these players great, or are they playing with great players?!" I don't know Jeff!

[@mikeb9794]

Pickford Walker, Stones, Guehi Trent, Gallagher, Wharton, Gordon Bellingham Foden, Watkins

[@xpat73]

Kane keeping dropping off and collecting the ball with his back to goal 40 yards from goal and then falls over to milk a free kick. That is all he does for England in the last gig games for England.

[@arranmelaugh5606]

Yep! He does missing when it counts but scores 5 against San Marino

[@martinrosendahl7150]

Danmark played with maehle which is right footted on the left side of the field....

[@danh4859]

We need a different manager I’m afraid. Need to play 3-5-2 with Trent and Saka/Gordon as attacking wing-backs, Wharton/Rice/Bellingham in the middle

[@rosswalters9021]

You say Scotland got smashed, I thought Keeper was at fault for two, possibly three with the parry away which led to the penalty and sending off, and ten men against Germany what do you expect. I thought they did exceptionally well and showed character in second game.

[@Barri2207]

Merson is one of the best to listen to right now 👍🏻

[@seansilagy9835]

"Be careful what you wish for." Sound familiar?

[@trevorchapman9866]

Merson's team but putting Palmer and Gordon as the wide players would be very effective.

[@bobbypukes605]

Its very reminiscent of what Man United are about at club level (no footballing philosophy).

[@michaeldooley5398]

Man UTD players a lot of them are sub standard, it's not just philosophy , England have good players and a weak manager.

[@RichardJuukovsky]

Fantastic question. That is the big question Sterling answered when playing with England and almost singlehandedly dragging them to their first final in over 50 years which Rooney, Beckham, Gascoigne, Gerrard, Hoddle and many other recognised great players were not able to do. Yet that one player that proved he was not just playing with great players is not in the squad, let alone the first eleven team and the team is suffering for it. Saying his club form is poor is not correct as in the last 3 games of Chelsea's season he was responsible for 2 of their victories and that excuse is weak anyway as it was used by the media before the last Euros demanding he should be dropped only for him to almost singlehandedly drag England to the final when selected. Interesting how Merson picks out Saka, probably the consistently best performing England player. I would say those are racist instincts to always pick out a black player when discussing negatives. Peace and love

[@TheAlleycat0909]

What an idea kane behind Watkins. Love it

[@massford2767]

For an Arsenalman, Paul is bang on the nail.......with affection from a Spursman. :)