On the way to Euro 2020, all England fans on the planet were well aware of how good Jack Grealish was, but after playing only 27 minutes of football, he somehow seems to have become twice as big as the player he was before.
Obviously that is not true, but given that he is more involved, you would think that was the case.
There is no doubt about the Aston Villa man’s ability and after coming off the bench against Scotland he definitely made a difference, but England’s faulty front line problems extend much deeper than Grealish.
Their midfield is far too passive and awkward, and the praise directed at Kalvin Phillips after his fantastic performance against Croatia already seems to be massively premature.
The Leeds man was given space and time on the ball against a Croatian midfielder who was not known for his intense work frequency and high pressure, which meant that he had time to lift his head and spray the ball.
Against the much more belligerent Scottish midfield, however, he became troubled and pressured, which meant that he soon returned to writing and started playing backwards and sideways passes that were met with a bigger moan from England fans with each passing minute.
Jude Bellingham could be key to England’s chances in Euro 2020 / Chloe Knott – Danehouse / Getty Images
It seems difficult to exclude Phillips because he really was not the only guilty party, but as England advance in the tournament they will face much more physical sides than the two they have already played and they desperately need a midfielder who is strong enough and cute enough to hold out players before selecting forward balls.
This is where Jude Bellingham comes in.
Only 17 years old, the Dortmund man looks like a physical specimen and he proved during England’s warm-up game to have the talent and vision to play on the front foot with driving and progressive passing.
Even in his short come at the end of England’s opening game over Croatia, he saw a monster in midfield and was praised by many fans despite being first introduced in the 82nd minute.
Kalvin Phillips was too negative on the ball against Scotland / Laurence Griffiths / Getty Images
Thousands of columns have already written this tournament about England’s blunt attack – and with some of the quality at Southgate’s disposal, it’s hard to argue with the aforementioned critics after scoring just once in 180 minutes of football – yet superstar frontman Harry Kane has taken brown off the debt.
The England captain looks beyond the pace and has been picked up in both sides’ matches at Euro 2020 so far, but it feels really unfair to direct such criticism at him given that his midfield colleagues seem desperate to keep the ball in their own half to ensure he has no more than three touch-per-play.
Adding Grealish to England’s front line would definitely make Gareth Southgate’s side more of a threat, but if their midfield and defense are content to just hit the ball between them for most of the game without any rush, you can keep Lionel Messi ahead and still get nowhere. Quickly.
The modern fascination with beautiful structure and appropriate statistics is a little strange to be honest. Soccer is a simple game, and if you have a plethora of attacking talent in your squad along with a random defense that always looks like a mistake, you get the ball in your forwards and keep it away from Jordan Pickford and co., Right?
Jude Bellingham’s forward pass can be a great asset for England / Robin Jones / Getty Images
You really do not have to be a football expert to find out.
The addition of Bellingham to midfield would not only add more of a physical presence that could break up the game as England eventually face one of the tournament’s big boys who will dominate the ball, more importantly it will look urgent and run in midfield.
Anyone who knows anything about football knows how good Kane and the rest of England’s forward options are, but if Southgate continues to play midfielder with a negative mindset, we will never see said forwards show off their talents.
