'That midfield is the major concern' | Gary Neville reacts to England's win over Serbia

Good morning, Gary, thank you very much for joining us. Well, after last night, where there seem to be two camps. It was not a good imp performance. Or it's great to get a win and let's discuss which one you're on. I'm in both um no, I think if you told me um as a player as a coach or even now as a fan that you would get a clean sheet, you would win the first game and you would have three points um and you would sit there. at the top of the board it would rip your hand off.

I think I have been part of many tournaments where it is very difficult and the teams are very well prepared. In fact, I don't think some of the underdog teams are. They were very well prepared in the first part of this tournament, but I thought Serbia was prepared and they were strong and they were compact in defense. And you know, there's no doubt we're a little underprepared, it's just that obviously the players haven't played for a long time. In a few weeks maybe it will be the first time that team goes out and plays together and I think they will improve, on the other hand there were some imbalances in the team, they seemed a little slow and it's all part of growing in a tournament, but I think The most important thing I have to say is to win and make sure I get over the line.

There are times in the past where I have been a part of teams that would have conceded late and would have ended that game one one, yes you. I've been in England teams in

major

tournaments that are won, lost and drawn in the first game of those tournaments, so that feeling of getting a win and maybe building momentum, they can go back to the training ground now and do well. These are things we have to work on, but we got the three points, yes, I mean, they are an experienced group of players, it is the most successful group of players and coach in England in 50 or 60 years and they know what they are doing. in tournaments and me.

I think we have to trust them, there is a bit of a worry about balance and having a good group of players who are very talented, but you know, are we that good as a team? I think last night you started thinking about the impact and influence of Jordan Henderson and Calvin Phillips. I know Calvin Phillips was around at times when he played alongside Declan Rice. It was suggested to him that he needed to go out and be a more offensive option, but you know, Be the Blessed players don't do that. Sometimes we make the best team and there is only one element in England's

midfield

, obviously the left back we are aware of the fact that Kieran Trippier has that right foot and he is playing there because of all the injuries in that position which creates a greater imbalance, but in the

midfield

somehow I have to try to do well and Gareth, I think we are more than aware of that, you know that having that partner next to Dean Rice is important because I don't really think Dean Rice is at his best moment when He sat there covering other advancing players.

Mikel Aretta discovered that at Arsenal and discovered that it was better to be able to advance in that channel where he played and Georgin came in or had a party at the end of the season, so for me. I think the midfield is the main

concern

and the fluidity of the game that occurs there is something that I think we have to try to work on in these group stages because when we play against a good team we will have to do well, yes, because obviously it was an experiment who has played there before, but the idea of ​​putting Trent Alexander Arnold in that midfield and also at right back, how much faster the game is in that central position, maybe sometimes that Do you know what you made of his performance there?

I can't relate to playing right back and then moving into midfield. It's something that would be completely foreign to me. I mean the idea that a defender normally receives the ball with his Back to play is difficult, that's why they aren't midfielders to begin with, that's why they are called full backs or centre-backs, because if you are good enough to receive the ball with your back , you can play, which I think is one of the hardest things to do in football in the half turn, look over your shoulder, know where you are, you're a very, very good player and you're a different level player. , with a different level of competition in terms of technical ability than a full-back.

So Trent coming in, we know he can do it when he moves there from midfield and then he can make those crosses and those passes, but there were times last night where he obviously found himself with his back to play and that's I think it's a different story. , but I don't really want to focus on it like it's some kind of problem there. I think for me it was the balance of the whole midfield and I include Dean Rice in that too and what England did. needs to have there in order to advance in this tournament, all eyes will be on Trent Alexander Arnold.

His best position is right back and then having the ability to advance on that right side or come in and qualify. to play that type of quarterback role um it doesn't look like we're going to do that um it looks like we're going to stick with Kyle Walker at right back, which I think is absolutely the right decision um and Trent will have to fight for his role in midfield along with obviously the W man and Connor Gallagher, yes Jude Bellingham was superb as we expected, but is there an idea then that you first put Jude Bellingham in there and work out where you're going? playing him either as a number 10 and then building everything around that is where we are with England at the moment and then that throws question marks over Foden Sacka K Palmer, maybe where they all fit into that. mathematical puzzle and what he just said is the question that all the England fans have been asking themselves for the last 10 days and two weeks and are still wondering after the first match and one thing that, um, you never know, the fans of football, the experts, the journalists, the announcers, us.

He's not easy to fool, you know, we have knowledge in the sense of knowing what we see in front of our eyes and Gareth will understand it himself and know that he has a problem with these talented players now that he puts them all in the team, but Mo Most importantly, it has the right balance and there is an imbalance right now that may need to be addressed now. An imbalance may have been created last night, not because of the wrong personnel, maybe they just didn't play together enough and all. It may be that when you see that team playing together for three games in the group and that may be the way Gareth behaves, sometimes we all think it's okay.

Fen did not work on the left. Trent did not work in midfield. For them to go out and put two others in may be Gareth's way of doing it, actually I know what I need them to do is be good together and play together because that's what I believe in and I actually have three games in the group. games where they build that rhythm with each other because there's some familiarity and actually throwing out, if you will, the baby with the bathwater, may not be the thing to do here and I think ultimately, I think Gareth has great experience. of how to manage tournament football and it might be the opposite of what we all think, which is good, let's get someone else in midfield alongside Dean Rice, they might need to play together a bit more.

I listen to what you say however you want. You know better than me that we have been having debates like this for years and years, Gerard Lampard, how can we include you all? and no one could really find the solution for that one and they gave it a pretty good number. of attempts, right? Yes, and last night I realized what people used to say about Gerard, Lampard and Skols. It may actually be that Michael Carrick was the right person to play. You know, I think well, it wasn't something I did. I only thought about last night, but you start talking about which of the three should play.

Gerard Lampard's goals probably probably Michael Carrick with another because the reality is you need balance and every team I played for won. great balance in the team and they had players who were subservient and did the job for the team and you see players at the best clubs who allow the best players and the most talented players to shine because they play those roles in the team which means that actually, each, each type, if you want, yes, almost as if the collective type is more important than the individual and what we have at the moment with England is that we have a real shortage of experienced central midfielders who can play in that position because I actually think the problem isn't just Trent Alexander Arnold.

I'll say it again. I don't think we're making the most of Declan Rice in that starting role, so Calvin Phillips played him and it worked because he allowed Declan Rice. Who is one of our best players? Know? I was sitting last night watching the game with Roy Keane. I think Roy Keane could play in midfield, but you would be stupid to stop Roy Keane from running forward with his power, strength and ability. To influence the game in the final third, what we are doing at the moment is we have a player with that kind of power in Dean Rice and we are asking him to sit there in midfield and bar.

He's not a Rodri, he's not a Roder, he's not a buett other than Dean Rice Melat, he's figured it out this season, so we just have to look at it collectively and figure out how to figure it out and, you know, Henderson and Calvin Phillips have played those roles for years. They are not fashionable players, they are not necessarily the first players that fans want to see on the field, they want to see Bellingham and Palmer and retire, but to win a tournament, I said this the other day that Real Madrid had Cros Valde and Kaminga behind J Bellingham in a Champions League final that Manchester City often plays with Kovic and Rodri and very often Arsenal at the end of the season plays with Georgino and Dean Rice.

You know the idea that England are different and they can go out with this Cavalier approach and play with all these talented players that I've never accepted, so out of the team they have, who would you select for that position? So I guess Wharton is one that comes to mind, but he would be a great bet. For a youngster playing for Blackburn in January, yes, but the theory behind bringing in someone who is naturally able to get the ball out of the back four and start the real moves through the middle third of the pitch, whether Mania. or won, that's the real solution, probably now the problem with that is that you have those inexperienced players at this level, um, so it's a case, is does Gareth really want to be able to go down that path, but in terms of Los The players we have are the ones who naturally fit into the role of receiving the ball on their backs to play against the back four and can trigger attacks and make sure you hit that type of transition if you like transition through the middle. from the field, I think it will always be difficult with Rice, Trent Alexander Arnold and Bellingham to get that fluidity in that midfield and get those combinations that will then mean that you don't bring Harri Kanane into the game and you don't bring Fen. in the game and that's an even bigger problem, so if you like the fluidity in the midfield, the ability of someone to be able to catch the ball, that's why I said quite regularly that Paul Skols is the best football player that has never played. because he did what really completely united the team in possession