I honestly might consider him not starting, unless he’s been doing that unique thing in the Portugal second division.
My reasoning would be straight forward- Randall came on, bumped off his defender which wasn’t the easiest task and buried his shot. I can’t think of anyone with that composure. We need results in tournaments.
I also think Sarpreet’s frustration to rediscover his magic may rub off on the team. Marco too is capable in ways no other player is. Do we put him in as a starter?
In Garbett and Singh we have two talents who can potentially win games. IMO Singh’s shooting is mixed and sometimes weak. But neither are playing or showing their talents regularly and that’s risky for me. We want players who can execute on a counter.
I know it’s a kind of heresy, but when did you last see a Singh masterclass? Against Ireland?
I feel concerned about starting players who haven’t been earning their place. Even Singh.
If he’s in a forward position, then there’s only Old making runs in behind for him to hit. Maybe Wood, but not over more than a short distance. That also reduces his usefulness, and as a direct winger he’s not as good as others.
In that last formation for example if we were starting Singh I’d drop him and Old into the midfield, pushing Thomas into the forward line. That means Singh can aim for Payne, Cacace, Old or Stamenic making runs from deep, Thomas making runs higher up and Wood dropping deep on occasion to get a touch and move the ball around. Then you can get Boxy stepping out into the space behind Stamenic if necessary, with Bindon and Surman behind.
My reasoning would be straight forward- Randall came on, bumped off his defender which wasn’t the easiest task and buried his shot. I can’t think of anyone with that composure. We need results in tournaments.
I also think Sarpreet’s frustration to rediscover his magic may rub off on the team. Marco too is capable in ways no other player is. Do we put him in as a starter?
In Garbett and Singh we have two talents who can potentially win games. IMO Singh’s shooting is mixed and sometimes weak. But neither are playing or showing their talents regularly and that’s risky for me. We want players who can execute on a counter.
I know it’s a kind of heresy, but when did you last see a Singh masterclass? Against Ireland?
I feel concerned about starting players who haven’t been earning their place. Even Singh.
If he’s in a forward position, then there’s only Old making runs in behind for him to hit. Maybe Wood, but not over more than a short distance. That also reduces his usefulness, and as a direct winger he’s not as good as others.
In that last formation for example if we were starting Singh I’d drop him and Old into the midfield, pushing Thomas into the forward line. That means Singh can aim for Payne, Cacace, Old or Stamenic making runs from deep, Thomas making runs higher up and Wood dropping deep on occasion to get a touch and move the ball around. Then you can get Boxy stepping out into the space behind Stamenic if necessary, with Bindon and Surman behind.