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I know they've said there isn't anything in it and I was listening to FA the other day. I think she was on with um White and Jordan. She mentioned there's nothing in the shirt numbers, but I believe there is something in the shirt numbers cuz I think one when you look at the 1 to1 shirt numbers Jude starts and everyone starts if that makes any sense. I think it's the shirts that have given it away for me. But surely you start Jude. You think he likes things, isn't it? Is that what you He likes Morgan Rogers. And weirdly and again I don't agree with this. I would always start Marcus Rashford. I think Marcus Rashford is a far better player than Anthony Gordon.
Agreed. But I feel like Tul likes Gordon. I feel like Tul prefers Rogers to Bellingham. Like that doesn't make sense to me. I think Bellingham is twice the player Rogers. People don't agree with me on this. By the way, Rogers had a lot of love, a lot of support, but I think Jude Bellingham is a is an icon. Different level, isn't it? I agree. I think so. As brilliant as Rogers for Real Madrid and was like in balance conversation. Yeah. So I think there's some jeopardy there. I also think maybe in the back line like I would start Jon Stones. I really would. And I think overz over if John Stones is fit, he starts for me. If he's 90% fit, he starts.
Surely Jon Stones has got to get a run out against New Zealand. So we know and Costa Rica or do you just kind of guess the argument in the reverse of that would be you know what he's going to give you. Don't doesn't need a run. Doesn't need the one the last thing he ever needs is to play non-meaning football. Like you know when Ledley King was at Tottenham. Yeah, I know you. You just deploy him when it most matters. Don't you don't waste him in five or sides in training. You play him when it most matters. Maybe we don't waste Jon Stones against New Zealand. We deploy him against Croatia
when we're potentially up against it. Yeah. I guess the biggest I guess the player that's maybe succeeded most under Thomas Tukos Ellison, hasn't he? I mean Anderson definitely when you think of where he was 12 months ago, no disrespect. I mean not many people would have named him. He walked past you. M Newcastle got rid of him, Forest, and all of a sudden now he's potentially on a move to Man City for 100 million. It is almost the one player that's come in. It's like, okay, we found the problem here. Some people thought it could be Kobe Mayu. Some people thought it could be Henderson in that position. It could
have been Walton. Now it's Elliot Anderson's and that's locked for me. Elliot Anderson is 100% in the England team. And that is correct. Should he? Okay. Oh god. Yeah. Okay. Like you know when people talk about Elliot Anderson maybe being overpriced they talk about the money and how much it will cost to get him out of Nottingham Forest. He's looking like he's going to end up at Man City. Feels like it's the worst kept secret in football that he's destined for City. They've been already, haven't they? Got rejected.
Yeah, but I think this is just a process and ultimately that's where he ends up. I completely understand why Man City are ready to spend a huge amount of money on him. I think he's fantastic at everything. You know, one of those it's it's very rare that we say this now. you know, the genuine box-to-box all round central midfielder. So, he's not an attacking midfielder. He's not a defensive midfielder. He is a boxto-box midfielder capable of being man of the match because of his defensive properties against a great team. So, when you say box to box, you're you're basically saying obviously you're not saying he's like this player, but when I think of boxer, I think of Gerard.
Yeah. You think he's Well, he's in that mold of box to box like that. Gerard Gerald's difficult. That's the box to I don't like invoking the memory of Steven Gerard or anyone that you'd think of here because Gerard was so good and so unique and if I start trying to draw parallels between Elliot Anderson and Steven Gerard ultimately I'll look foolish and I'll lose the fight. It's a very difficult but you know in the way that Steven Gerald was a genuine boxto-box midfielder in the way that Paul Lince was a genuine box to boxer. Paul Lince was capable of scoring a goal or preventing a goal. I feel like Elliot Anderson is that. I think on the ball he's as good as anyone. I think his pass range passing range short passing
excellent first time passing excellent long range passing excellent both feet excellent phenomenal win in a tackle big game player when it most matters shines I think he's a brilliant player and there would have been a top I rate Kobe Mayo so highly and I thought he was ludicrous like I didn't like Ruben Amarim I thought he was a fraud complete fraud and actually a bit of a joke you know when someone like Ruben Amarim is at Manchester United. I feel like the earth isn't spinning on his axis properly. It's like why is this fraud in charge of one of the most recognizable and brilliant institutions in football speaking and when he didn't play it like Kobe Mayo is so basic put him on the team
but I think now it's correct there'll be an occasion where Kobe Mayo is the right person for England but first game Croatia Elliot Anderson's in the suit. Okay. All right let's let's do this then instead let's say is Elliot and let's say it's what we want which is Elliot Jude and Declan. Right. That's the free one. Compare it to that Portuguese midfield which we just said is almost cheat code. Yeah. Portugal the Portugal midfield. Different type of player, aren't they? When I look at Vatinia and Nez, dimminimative Bernardo Silva, there's different, aren't they? Ours is just strong and 6'2 and theirs is so much different. I
I can make a case here though. I don't think we should be too self-deprecating about our own midfield and the talent of Declan Rice, Elliot Anderson, and in my opinion, Jude Bellingham. No, that's a great midfield. It's a great midfield. What I think whilst I would admit and be on the same side of you here Neves is one of the best players in the world at the moment. Yeah, Vitinia, you get Vitin on the ball, you win the game. It's simple as that, right? If Virginia is on the ball, you will win the game.
Imagine that he goes in and out of Wolves this side. I can't believe he's such a good player. He's so good on the ball. Every pass, the weight of every single pass, it's so incisive. It's always forward. Ne is the same. And then Bruno Fernandez is going to be player best player in the Premier League. their midfield is therefore better player for player. It's a better midfield. But that doesn't mean that if we were to come up against them that we don't find rhythm. It doesn't mean that we don't nullify them and win the game. It doesn't mean that our midfield on its day can't boss their midfield.
Yeah, of course. Agreed. It's a different type of midfield. They'll be fearful of our midfield as much as we look at their midfield as well. I just quickly go to the phone lines. Remember phone lines are open 03717234. We are talking England who play their uh first warm-up game of the World Cup against New Zealand uh tomorrow. Then obviously it is Costa Rica. Then it's Croatia 17th of June. All those games will be live on talk sport. Let's go to Clive in Ipsswitch. Clive confident going into this World Cup. Obviously look Thomas Tul's left a big a couple of big names at home but it still is a great squad of 26.
100% confident Harry Kane is gonna do a blinder for us at this World Cup. By the way, I'm actually calling from Denver, Colorado. Oh, wow. Okay, there you go. Look at that. We talk Sports Universal. We're all over the world. Um, if not Kane, isn't this the worry? And I look, we're we're always like this. I remember when it was Beckham and Rooney, everyone got injuries and there was always this fear about who's going to replace them. But isn't that the worry? Like if Kane does get a niggle, then what do we do?
Okay, you know, I want to bring in this subject of substance over style. Not to talk about Arsenal, that's not the thing. But when I hear these arguments about substance over style and all of that, one of the things that gets forgotten is what does the other team think about you? So, here's what I mean by that. See, a lot of people knew, and again, this isn't really about Arsenal, but a lot of people knew that Arsenal were going to come in and defend. Now, as a manager, Enrique, how do you think he felt about that? I bet he felt brilliant. I bet he felt like, okay, they're going to defend, we will go on the attack. And the old adage, attack is the best form of defense is so true.
Now, here's the thing. Harry Kane has been playing in Germany. We've got that German connection with Thomas Tukul. I think when Gareth Southgate, love him to bits, brilliant, did as good as he could, but I never ever felt like, okay, are we really worrying the other team that we're playing against this time? I really believe and I bet you there's a lot of England fans out there who believe nobody wants to play us this time because Harry Kane is going to slither and dice every single team. Watch us go, baby. I love it. You know, he's got a point as well because we do this, don't we? I don't know if it's just because we felt like we've always lost the big ones, but we Oh, Spain and Portugal and France and always worry about them.
No, no, there should be a flip to that. Yeah, I think Clive's Clive's point there is accurate because he bought up Gareth Southgate. Now Gareth Southgate did some good stuff for the nation. No doubt about it, right? And I think that his his time with England should be framed in a fairly successful way. But where he didn't necessarily shine was give them something to think about. Give them a problem. Make a change to affect the game to preempt a problem. And sometimes just be bold, be daring, go for it. And we didn't do enough of that. What Thomas Tukul I think will do is more is he will make decisions before it is necessary. He won't be a reactive manager and yeah do exactly what Clive was saying there. You do something to
give them something to worry about. Don't just worry about what they can do. Put them on the back foot. Yeah. And we've got the best forward in the world I think in order to do that.
