So we may aswell say, Kanes in bad form, Fodens in bad form. Walkers in bad form and so on… all the England players except maybe 1/2 have been very bad. Can’t string a few passes together. You saying all them players aren’t in form? I put it down to the tactics/system.
37
Season Average Rating
- Appearances
- 32
- Goals
- 5
- Assists
- 1
- Yellow cards
- 4
You seem to think that these are either/or situations? I think they affect each other.
Really wish ex-United pundits would stop talking about him as if he's the second coming of Christ for England.
Irrespective of his talent, he's 19, and he doesn't need the added pressure from the media.
They should know better.
Irrespective of his talent, he's 19, and he doesn't need the added pressure from the media.
They should know better.
Agreed but that's not gonna happen. Their favourite sport (even more than football) is building players up quickly and knocking them down.
I don’t get this way of thinking. If he’s going to make it he needs to get used to the pressure of playing for a big club like United and England, and that comes with a lot of negativity unfortunately.
If he’s good enough to start and win us the FA cup final against the best team in club football he’s good enough to play for England.
If anything the state of England this tournament will help him because even if he doesn’t perform to his best I feel that how shit everyone else has been and Southgate being pilloried will take the heat of him.
They'll never know better. Its how the media works - the old build them up to knock them down.
I've heard Fergie say he was always tougher with youngsters because they'd never hear any negatives about themselves anywhere else as all youngsters hear is praise and their faults overlooked. That's until they reach a certain age, then it's reversed while the next generation of youngsters get raved about.
All top players have to learn how to deal with that - the ones that don't might well be the ones that fail to kick on the most. Hopefully Kobbie will be one who deals well with the initial overhype before the inevitable OTT criticism further down the line.
it's alreay starting with Bellingham. A couple of average games and the critics have started.
Changed the game for England by the mere fact that he was being man marked for the first 10-15 minutes of the second half, which meant Slovenia could no longer surround Rice and cut him off from the attacking mid trio. Absolutely nuts for a 19 year old in his first appearance in a major international tournament. It's not a coincidence the second half was the first time in this tournament England looked anywhere near controlling a match. It really does defy belief how good he is right now.
He could impose himself on the match more, but it's a lot to ask of a 19 year old after his very first season of senior football. What he did do was pretty much impeccable, and the few occasions he got the ball in dangerous situations he created openings.
Meanwhile, his teammates should learn to trust him more. Yesterday he was asking for the ball in tight spaces a lot in the middle third, but he doesn't receive the pass because they're not used to players being comfortable receiving the ball under that kind of pressure. But no-one ever broke through a defensive block by receiving the ball in space. You need your midfielders to turn and half-turn their opponents. Receiving it with the opponent close to you is how you do it.
Meanwhile, his teammates should learn to trust him more. Yesterday he was asking for the ball in tight spaces a lot in the middle third, but he doesn't receive the pass because they're not used to players being comfortable receiving the ball under that kind of pressure. But no-one ever broke through a defensive block by receiving the ball in space. You need your midfielders to turn and half-turn their opponents. Receiving it with the opponent close to you is how you do it.
Should be one of the starting midfielders
Figure some won't see this in other areas of the site:
I wanna see Bellingham do this
This was Luka Modric-like finish. Quaresmaesque... Love this kid.
(1) ’
on X: "Kobbie… you are HIM. https://t.co/CgBzjshgZ0" / X
(1) ’
on X: "Kobbie… you are HIM. https://t.co/CgBzjshgZ0" / X