Former England manager Sam Allardyce has called on Thomas Tuchel to drop Anthony Gordon and Noni Madueke from the starting lineup for England's final World Cup group match against Panama, following underwhelming performances against Ghana.
Allardyce demands changes after Ghana stalemate
England head into Saturday's clash with one win and one draw from their opening two group games, having beaten Croatia 2-1 before being held 0-0 by Ghana. Against Ghana, England's forwards struggled to break down a disciplined defence, prompting Allardyce to call for decisive action.
Speaking on the No Tippy Tappy Football podcast for BoyleSports and Footy Accumulators, Allardyce said: “Anthony Gordon and Noni Madueke’s performances have been well below par for me, so I’d drop them for the Panama match.”
Rashford and Saka offer proven quality
Marcus Rashford and Bukayo Saka have both impressed from the bench, with Saka scoring against Croatia. Allardyce believes they deserve starting roles. “Thomas Tuchel needs to spice things up, and the players who have performed well off the bench can come freshen up the starting team and be better than the players they have replaced,” he added.
Allardyce, who managed England for a single match in 2016, proposed a 4-1-4-1 formation: Jordan Pickford; Djed Spence, Ezri Konsa, Marc Guehi, Nico O’Reilly; Declan Rice; Morgan Rogers, Jude Bellingham, Bukayo Saka, Marcus Rashford; Harry Kane. He argued that out of possession the system provides stability, while in attack an extra midfielder offers more creativity.
Eze praises Saka's football intelligence
Arsenal and England teammate Eberechi Eze also lauded Saka's qualities. “It's true, he's an incredibly talented player. His level of understanding of the game is insane,” Eze said. “He's a player who makes the right decision a lot of the time, and he's so effective, so efficient. I enjoy playing with him a lot because you know what you're going to get from him, you can always link up with him. He's a fun player to play with, for sure.”
