I don't disagree with that but we still have the fundamental problem that the (non)challenges involved in qualification are entirely irrelevant to the challenges involved in actually winning a tournament.
How many goals Ollie Watkins (or Bowen or Carlton Morris) can score against Albania doesn't tell us anything about whether he can do it in a final against Argentina or France.
No, but multiple previous tournaments show us Sir Harry certainly can't.
But it would also give them a chance to build understandings with first-choice players/systems over a whole match, rather than appearing for the last 10 minutes when the key England starters (Rice, Bellingham etc) have usually already been hooked, leaving them playing alongside a much-changed, disjointed team just settling in.
There's a part of me that thinks we have enough quality 10's, wide players and midfielders, that id like to look at Bellingham as a nine.
But I don't want to say that out loud because Simon might shout at me that deadlegs has to play ninety minutes every game. And that it's stupid.
I can’t remember who scored in the Euro 2024 Semifinal against the Netherlands? And who missed the penalty vs France in the last World Cup? Can you help?
Not in the slightest. We should be experimenting. But we'll inevitably end up concluding Kane is the best option.
Who's this "we" rightmon?
The majority of observers.
Observers, as in people who actually watch Kane's overall performance and impact on the players around him, or those who just look at statistics?
And he's an even better option if he's a tiny bit fresher, by virtue of resting for some games. And we might have tried a different system to bring the best out of, say, Bellingham and Eze.
Maybe Tu can play that game?
(But three can't).
Got 50p on Estonia to beat Norway at 126/1. Cross your fingers for me. Looked like ridiculous odds so thought fuck it.
Oh well.
Was 0-0 at HT and I could have cashed out £6 on my 50p ... but I didn't of course.
When you've gone for a bet like that you're all in surely.
Always enjoy reading Barney Ronay's stuff. But he's surpassed himself here: "The midfield pivot is mobile and fit for purpose. If nobody has called Elliot Anderson and Declan Rice And and Dec yet, then why not?"
