Couple of ways to look at this, the players are actually managing England, Southgate isn't strong enough to tell Rice to push forward and give space to the CB, the same applies to Kane dropping too deep at times.Here is another thing. I have noted previously that when Rice plays he cramps Dunk's style and Dunk retreats to left back in no man's land. Rice is supposedly a top player. However he goes back too deep to needlessly fetch the ball then runs forward with it across the centre circle before looking for a pass. That is f***ing old fashioned play. Think Steven Gerrard but without the pace and raking runs towards the box.
The rest of the team are then all eyes on Rice as he Rolls Royces himself forward ("that player purrs with class"), and then, er passes it out to the wing where the winger has to face up to two defenders and so passes the ball back into midfield.
This is a long, long way from diZerbi ball, where a long high risk pass by Dink from inside his own half is met by a player already in the position where Rice is trying to dribble towards, and makes an incisive one touch pass to the wing and finds an unmarked player and the ball can move towards the box super fas, catching out the low block. Brighton don't have enough elite players for this to work well sufficiently often. England do. nd so?
It is as if Southgate has never seen such footballs, or considered such a wondrous marvel.
The other is Southgate is telling Rice to drop deeper and receive the ball as he deems a long ball / what you've described as too risky
I think your last paragraph nails he, he has no idea how to manage flair players, he's a defensive manager (which is fine) and that isn't suited to the squad we have.
I don't buy the friendly excuse either.
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