Roy Keane Was Not Having Neville’s Take On Recurring England Problem | Balls.ie

Ahead of their last 16 tie with Slovakia, there are question marks about how (or rather if) Gareth Southgate can get his misfiring England attack clicking.

Even though they topped their group, EURO 2024 thus far has not been what one would describe as “fun” for England.

Their three group games were comfortably among the worst games of the tournament thus far, with little to no invention in their attack and an exceedingly cagey setup from Gareth Southgate

As they prepare for Slovakia on Sunday night, the debate in England has centred around what needs to change to get the side clicking.

There is widespread agreement that Kobbie Mainoo should come into the centre of midfield, with neither Trent Alexander-Arnold nor Conor Gallagher having thrived in the position. It is further up the pitch that things get complicated.

It is clear that there are issues with the front four of Phil Foden, Jude Bellingham, Bukayo Saka and Harry Kane, as talented as those four players may be on their own merits.

As the pair debated who should start up front for England in the last 16, Roy Keane shut down one argument from Gary Neville which was reminiscent of English problems dating back to the 2000s.

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Roy Keane shuts down Gary Neville’s take on England team selection

During the noughties, the great question for England was whether Frank Lampard and Steven Gerrard could play together in the centre of midfield.

Though the two were among the greatest midfielders of their generation, there was an obvious imbalance to the team when both started.

A similar issue now appears clear with Jude Bellingham and Phil Foden, with both players seeking to fulfil the same role in England’s attack.

Roy Keane and Gary Neville debated the England team selection from Berlin, on a EUROs special episode of Stick to Football in association with Sky Bet.

After Neville said that he felt uneasy considering the potential removal of players such as Bukayo Saka, Keane shut down the argument immediately.

The Irishman had his finger on the pulse, questioning Neville on an issue which has been prevalent with the England national team for decades – the unwillingness to drop big names in the name of balance.

Why [would Neville feel uneasy dropping Saka]?

Absolutely, he’s a brilliant player. But that doesn’t mean you still play him.

You’re on about the start of the tournament, we all agreed you’d start him…I’d like Palmer.

What I don’t get is when you talk about players like, ‘Oh, you can’t leave Foden out.’

I like Foden, Bellingham has been amazing, but it doesn’t mean you get to sit there and go, ‘No, I can’t.’ Sometimes you have to make them big decisions.

That’s Gareth’s job, to make the big decisions. What these players did two or three weeks ago is irrelevant, there’s different dynamics to a tournament.

You might have to say, first, to get over the line. You’re doing whatever but you have to take out some brilliant players.

After England’s dour draw with Slovenia, Didi Hamann made a similar point on RTÉ.

The German said that he did not trust manager Gareth Southgate to make a ruthless call to drop one of his big names, saying he felt that the manager had lost the respect of his players.

England will be expected to progress to the quarter-finals regardless of the team they pick against Slovakia but, if tough calls are not made to get the likes of Cole Palmer into the team, they may not go much deeper into the tournament.

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