Euro 2020 - Gareth Southgate has big headache - he didn't expect Bukayo Saka and Jack Grealish to be so good!
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Updated 23/06/2021 at 13:30 GMT
In the latest Eurosport x The Beautiful Game podcast, Buj and Dot are joined by Eurosport's very own Pete Sharland. The team break down Gareth Southgate’s tactics in England's victory over Czech Republic and provide answers as to what he should do for the last-16 encounter on Tuesday evening. Also, let's appreciate Luka Modric some more, shall we?
Southgate has big headache - he didn't expect Saka and Grealish to be so good!
England boss Gareth Southgate now has a "big headache" ahead of the last 16 after the performances from Bukayo Saka and Jack Grealish to close out their group stage at Euro 2020.
In the latest Eurosport x The Beautiful Game podcast, Buj and Dot are joined by Eurosport's very own Pete Sharland to react to and tell Southgate what he should do next.
Saka and Grealish were both given starts against the Czechs at Wembley Stadium - very surprisingly in the case of the former - and the pair rewarded their manager with impressive displays.
Now, according to Dot, Southgate has a bit of a dilemma as he also seeks to bring back Phil Foden and maybe Mason Mount while juggling other selection issues.
"I think Gareth Southgate has a big headache after yesterday if I'm being totally honest," Dot said on the podcast.
Because I don't think he expected Jack Grealish and Bukayo Saka to be so good!
"Going forward, I would probably say that they are the two players that I want to support Raheem Sterling and Harry Kane, if I'm being honest.
"Phil Foden didn't really take his chances. I was expecting him to really light up this tournament and be one of the players of the tournament. Mason Mount offers a lot of energy and a lot of quality, but I do not think he dictates the pace of the game.
"With Jack Grealish, every time he got the ball, you could see that the other players were so confident that he would retain possession, keep it ticking, play the game at his own tempo, and at international level you need a player like that."
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'Southgate continues to baffle us there' - Why no Sancho for England?
Sharland added: "I think we all expected Jack Grealish to come into the starting line up but I don't think anyone saw Bukayo Saka starting.
I think everyone thought, if there was going to be a change in the attacking positions, that the universal call for Jadon Sancho would finally be answered. But Southgate continues to baffle and elude us there.
"The decision to start Saka was a really good one because he brought that energy and creativity that we've seen when he plays further forward for Arsenal. So stop trying to guess Gareth Southgate's teams, because you are not going to be able to do it!"
Sharland also paid tribute to Luka Modric after his "masterful" goalscoring performance against Scotland to send Croatia through to the last 16.
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'Croatia can cause damage now' - Modric 'masterful' against Scotland
"Everything was going through him, and he could not have had more time. Scotland could not get anywhere near him. The goal was obviously a thing of beauty, but the whole performance was masterful."
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