Wes Brown thinks Gareth Southgate must ditch his cautious tactics if England are going to win the Euros.
The Three Lions have scored just twice so far at Euro 2024 despite their group not posing too many major hurdles. A front four of Harry Kane, Jude Bellingham, Phil Foden and Bukayo Saka hasn’t quite clicked either, with England only managing two goals in three matches so far.
Ex-Manchester United and England ace Brown, who knows a thing or two about winning, reckons it’s time for Southgate to let the team off the leash, especially ahead of their first knockout clash with Slovakia on Sunday. With expectations of reaching another Euros final high, the former defender thinks a more adventurous approach would prove pivotal.
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Speaking on the latest episode of our podcast Euro Thrash, which you can find on Apple, Spotify and YouTube, Brown didn’t mince his words: “With the team we’ve got, we’ve not scored any goals.”
He continued, dissecting England’s performances so far: “We’re watching it, we’re looking at the group I went into this tournament thinking about who’s going to be top goalscorer in our team. We had a strategy that he’s had coming into the tournament to get us where we are, which it’s done. In the next few games, you might see changes or a bit more positive play.”
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Brown also critiqued the current style of play, adding: “For me, it’s been a bit side to side and let’s keep the ball, let’s not panic, let’s not get counter-attacked. It’s been a bit calculated. I do think we’re still going to see it open up a little bit more, but we’ve expected probably a bit more excitement.”
Premier League Player of the Season Foden, who dashed back to England for the birth of his child this week, has left fans wondering if he’ll make it back to Germany in time for Sunday’s showdown. Brown reckons that if Foden is back in time, he should be given a different position after not quite hitting the mark out wide on the left.
“Phil for me is still one of our outstanding players who we need,” Brown said, suggesting a tactical tweak could be beneficial. “It worked a little bit better what him and Jude were doing in the last game where they were swapping sides, Jude going out to the left. But I still think Phil’s our best player in that hole.”
Brown also noted that squad depth isn’t an issue, saying: “But if he doesn’t come back in time, we’ve got changes there who have made an impact that have come on. Looking at the last game, even Gordon coming on made a big impact. I don’t think that’s a problem.”
Watch and listen to Euro Thrash on YouTube, Apple Podcasts and Spotify with regular new episodes throughout Euro 2024