Former England defender Rio Ferdinand has said that the Three Lions need to play with more freedom in attack and that there is valuable experience of young players going to big tournaments even if they do not get a chance to play.
England started their Euro 2020 campaign with a hard-fought 1-0 victory against Croatia at Wembley, before a dull 0-0 draw with rivals Scotland.
Manager Gareth Southgate has come in for criticism over his team choice, with his decision not to start Jack Grealish in any of the games, especially under the microscope.
Before 90 minutes before the tournament, Ferdinand admitted that he would like to see the Three Lions’ wide range of attacking talents get the license to express themselves.
“I want to see the attacking players given that freedom, I think they like it [Jadon] Sancho, [Phil] The foot, Grealish, players who run with the ball and can make mistakes, draw people, you sometimes need more than one player to stop them and that gives other people space, “he said. I would like to see the players get that license to be able to continue and maintain. “
Are any of England’s troops in the euro mainly just to gain experience? ? @ rioferdy5 told @benhainess that the experience he got even though he did not play for a minute helped him in his next tournament.
????? # EURO2020 ?? @BBCSport ???? ??????. pic.twitter.com/gGrMv1UlTI
– 90min (@ 90min_Football) 22 June 2021
Ferdinand was widely revered as a defender before his time, comfortable on the ball and breaking the lines. He trained with the England squad as a 16-year-old before Euro 96 and after spending time rubbing shoulders with some of the greats, it is easy to see where his appreciation for attacking talent comes from.
“It’s crazy, because when I was that age I still played midfielder, but I was much more focused on skill, I took on people, I took the striker on,” Ferdinand pointed out.
“I never used to think about defending so much when I was that age, I was more interested in watching what Gazza would do, or a Paul Ince, or players who [Steve] McManaman, [Darren] Anderton. Then you watch [Alan] Shearer and they stop … if you asked me who I watched the most in training, it would be the attackers. “
The three men Ferdinand are happy to see the tip of England’s accusation / Catherine Ivill / Getty Images
While never participating in a European Championship, Ferdinand was included in England’s World Cup squads in 1998, 2002 and 2006. He did not participate in the first of the three, but explained that there is value in young players joining the experience.
“I went to the 1998 World Cup, did not play a minute,” he recalls. “Michael Owen broke out on stage, but I went and I think [Glenn] Hoddle basically took me for experience because he knew the next tournament would be ready to go, ready to rock and roll, and that experience would be crucial.
“When I played in the next World Cup, the value of the experience I had was by going to a tournament before and not even playing huge for me. I did not have to work on things or train how to prepare for games, how to recover from games and such because I had seen it, I had been a part of it before. “
Rio Ferdinand is an expert on BBC Sport – where you can watch Euro 2020 this summer.
