Jamie Carragher wants Gareth Southgate to ‘sacrifice’ Trent Alexander-Arnold and Phil Foden for England’s sake

Jamie Carragher suggested England to come up with a system that worked and complemented each player at the Euros.

Jamie Carragher wants Gareth Southgate to ‘sacrifice’ Trent Alexander-Arnold and Phil Foden for England’s sake

Jamie Carragher has suggested Gareth Southgate to drop Foden and Alexander-Arnold. (via IMAGO)

Liverpool legend Jamie Carragher urged England manager Gareth Southgate to give up Trent Alexander Arnold and Phil Foden from the team’s starting XI. These changes, he feels, are necessary owing to the team’s poor performance in their first two Euro matches.

The England manager has come under fire, as fans and pundits have questioned his team selection. The 53-year old had surprisingly named an unchanged side against Denmark. However, he was forced to replace Trent Alexander-Arnold after just 54 minutes as England’s midfield struggled to get a foothold in the game. Other than the Reds’ full-back, EPL Player of the Season Phil Foden has also failed to impress in the initial matches.

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Sports pundit Carragher, writing for the Telegraph, suggested dropping Alexander-Arnold and Foden for the upcoming match against Slovenia. Rather, the ex-Liverpool defender recommended Conor Gallagher and Anthony Gordon to start instead. He argued that the current setup was not working, and Alexander-Arnold’s transition to midfield hadn’t been successful, clashing with Jude Bellingham and Harry Kane‘s roles up front.

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Unfortunately, two of the best Premier League footballers – Trent Alexander-Arnold and Phil Foden – will have to be sacrificed now. The team’s set-up is not getting the best from them, or their team-mates.
Jamie Carragher’s suggestion to Gareth Southgate (via The Telegraph)

Moreover, he criticized Southgate for starting Alexander-Arnold out of position, claiming that a big tournament put a lot of pressure on any player and was a risk. He therefore urged England to opt for a 4-3-3 formation, providing more opportunities to youngsters Kobbie Mainoo and Adam Wharton.

Jamie Carragher claims that Arsenal midfielder Declan Rice looks ‘exhausted’ at the Euros

Sky Sports pundit Jamie Carragher recently claimed that Arsenal midfielder, Declan Rice, is looking ‘exhausted’ at the 2024 Euros. This comment came after the English midfielder’s poor display against Denmark, leading to some calling Rice as ‘overrated’.

Jamie Carragher on Declan Rice
Jamie Carragher feels that Declan Rice is exhausted. (via IMAGO)

Rice has been England’s first choice defensive midfielder, and had performed well in the Three Lions’ first match against Serbia. But, he was unimpressive against Denmark, which prompted Carragher to claim that the midfielder is ‘exhausted’. He was overrun on multiple occasions, and was criticized for his sloppy passing and work rate.

Rice is the only proven and high-class holding midfielder Southgate has, but in the first two games he has been overworked and, at times, overrun. He has never looked so exhausted.
Jamie Carragher on Declan Rice (via The Daily Mail)

All of these have raised serious questions regarding England’s midfield, and as Carragher pointed out should be solved in order to boost England’s chances to win the tournament.

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