- Gareth Southgate suffers national team headache after England’s victory over Bosnia
- Several fringe players impressed and bid for a place at Euro 2024
- Sunday league, grassroots football, pub football… how Pep’s influence has trickled down the pyramid – Listen to the podcast Everything is Beginning
Gareth Southgate admits his fringe stars have presented him with a selection dilemma following England’s 3-0 win over Bosnia last night.
Cole Palmer scored his first international goal from the penalty spot to increase clamor for the Chelsea striker to be part of the final 26-man Euro 2024 squad announced on Saturday before Trent Alexander-Arnold and Harry Kane scored .
But Eberechi Eze, Conor Gallagher and Adam Wharton were among England’s peripheral players to impress on a positive night.
“Of course, it’s a difficult decision for us,” Southgate responded when asked if the performances of his non-starters had given him any doubts ahead of his final announcement about the team.
“A team that didn’t have many caps when we started showed that people were comfortable in the England shirt quite quickly, which was lovely to see.”
Gareth Southgate has big decisions to make after seeing his fringe players impress
Eberechi Eze was one of the standout stars during England’s 3-0 victory over Bosnia Herzegovina.
Cole Palmer scored his first goal for England in an impressive performance from the striker.
‘It is a decision in which we understand the importance for all players. That is why we are giving him the respect and consideration he deserves to make fair and correct decisions.
“Of course, it’s always going to be subjective and we have to balance what we need in each area of the pitch, so that’s an added complication.”
‘It’s not just about bringing in the best individuals, but there’s also a positional element to it. But we have very good options and we overcame the game without any physical problems.
“Clearly, I imagine Eberechi has caught the eye with the way he started the game, the way he slides between people and the power he displays. Conor Gallagher was an important performance for us given how important the role is. by Declan (Rice).
“We know what he can do without the ball, but his work with the ball has improved. He played with real maturity.
‘A first goal for Cole Palmer. He showed moments what it’s all about. It was his first start for us and there is more to come as he becomes more comfortable with the group and we give him the ball when he needs it.
“He can play a couple more positions and he’s had a big impact with us. There’s no reason he can’t have a big impact.”
Southgate praised debutant Adam Wharton after comfortable cameo at St James’ Park
Conor Gallagher vindicated his midfield birth with a solid performance during the win.
‘Adam Wharton showed what he has been doing at the end of the season and in training. He sees footage early and can play forward. It is very early for him, but it is wonderful that he seemed as comfortable as he was.”
Regarding the excellent performance of his team, the England coach added: “I am satisfied with the intensity of the match, first of all, it was an important match in terms of the physical aspect and also for playing against five defenders, which is what we were able to do well. “. play against in the first two games.
“We needed to find solutions to that against a team that had a counter-attacking threat, so we had to be alert to the way we played.”
‘The scoreboard reflected the performance, it was fair. Individual performances, there were many good ones.’