Manager Thomas Tuchel will be considering changes ahead of England’s match against Panama after a difficult World Cup second leg against Ghana.
Manager Thomas Tuchel has been told to drop Anthony Gordon and Noni Madueke (Image: Richard Sellers/Sportsphoto/Allstar via Getty Images)
Manager Thomas Tuchel has reportedly been told by former England manager Sam Allardyce to leave Barcelona’s Anthony Gordon and Arsenal’s Noni Madueke out. The former Bolton boss has called on the Three Lions head coach to take decisive action following the pair’s performances so far.
England head into their final World Cup group match with one win and one draw from their first two matches against Croatia and Ghana. Against the latter, England’s forwards struggled to break down the opponent’s backline.
Marcus Rashford and Bukayo Saka have both proved their worth coming off the bench, with the latter joining the scoring list against Croatia. And Allardyce believes the duo showed they deserve a place in Tuchel’s starting XI against Panama on Saturday.
Appearing on BOYLE Sports and Footy Accumulators’ No Tippy Tappy Football podcast, Allardyce called on Tuchel to “spice things up”.
“The performance of Anthony Gordon and Noni Madueke is well below par for me so I would like to leave them out against Panama,” he said.
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“Thomas Tuchel needs to liven things up and the players who have performed well off the bench can shake up the starting team and play better than the players they replace.
“It’s very important as a manager to have the confidence to change the team, maybe strengthen the team and perform better than the previous team.
“I think we’ll have Jordan Pickford, Jed Spence, Ezri Konsa, Mark Guehi, Nico O’Reilly, Declan Rice, Morgan Rodgers, Jude Bellingham, Bukayo Saka, Marcus Rashford and Harry Kane in a 4-1-4-1 formation.
Sam Allardyce played one game for England (Image: Michael Regan – The FA/The FA via Getty Images)
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“It gives the team stability in possession and an extra midfielder gives us extra options when attacking rather than having two midfielders sitting behind us.
“I very much doubt that he will make that many changes, but for me it would improve the atmosphere and balance of the team and allow the team to be more creative.”
Arsenal and England star Eberechi Eze praises Saka’s talent. The former Crystal Palace midfielder believes the understanding of his team-mates is a real asset.
“It’s true, he’s an incredibly talented player,” Eze said. “His level of understanding of the game is insane.
“He’s a player who often makes the right decisions and is very effective and efficient. He’s a lot of fun to play with because you know what you’re going to get from him and you can always work with him. He’s certainly a fun player to play with.”
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