This obsession with 2 holding midfielders🤷‍♂️

[Comeback_Kenwyne]

i like mount in there I think he’s busy. I’d go with Bellingham like you suggest and I’d drop rice out of the two holding midfielders. He is so anonymous. He’s like Henderson was when he first went to liverpool - he positions himself where they won’t pass to him and spends most of the game pointing at other players who should receive the ball instead of him. If my centre midfielder is spending all his time pointing at someone else im going to be asking what the fuck he thinks he’s doing out there!! Maddening as hell

He was absolutely brilliant against Croatia and completely exposed by bad management v Scotland. I think he's a better player than Phillips, personally. He does his job.

Tbf, Phillips played very well against Croatia too, man of the match. But he was woeful against Scotland. But again, I don't blame him much - he was exposed by bad management and is playing out of position anyway.

 

[WASTID]

I think, far more than all the bullshit people go on about re: central midfield, that easily the most negative thing Southgate does is discourage his full backs from overlapping. Scotland played a back five, three in the middle and two up front: they had overloads galore in the centre of the pitch. Only way we could counteract that would have been to overload down the flanks, but Southgate stops the full backs. Shite.

Totally agree.

Personally, I'd have had Chilwell and Trippier as our full backs from the get go and be telling them to just play as they always do. They're comfortable pushing on and giving width whilst defensively still strong enough as well.
By doing that it means that the likes of Foden, Sterling, Grealish, Sancho or whoever can have a bit more freedom to drift as the width is still there.

We're set up to face better sides basically. Once we face those better teams then we may well see the fruits of the attacking players if they have a bit more space to get in behind teams. And if that happens, we will see Southgate get lavished with praise!

 

[Teejay]

I can almost, almost, see the benefit of 2 DMs if you’re playing with wing backs. But not with 4 at the back. It’s nuts.