This article is part of Football FanCast’s Pundit View series, which provides opinion and analysis on recent quotes from journalists, pundits, players and managers…
England may have lost to the Czech Republic on Friday but Charlie Nicholas believes they are all but through to Euro 2020 and, as a result, he expects to see changes to the side.
What did he say?
England have looked almost faultless for the majority of Gareth Southgate’s tenure but it is fair to say they are still recovering from a disappointing UEFA Nations League defeat to the Netherlands in the summer.
Since then, they have won three out of four games but have conceded five times in that period, including three against Kosovo.
Nicholas, though, is not too worried about the defence and instead believes that Southgate needs to begin experimenting before the Euros come around, in order to be prepared for a scenario in which players like Harry Kane and Raheem Sterling are unavailable.
In his England vs Bulgaria prediction for Sky Sports, he wrote: “England are through, so Gareth Southgate would like to introduce Tammy Abraham and Mason Mount to these situations and so you will see a change in the England set-up, in case players are ever out with injury or illness.”
From his comments, it appears that he believes the Chelsea pair could start against Bulgaria, but given Harry Kane’s SofaScore rating of 7.1 was the second-highest rating in the England side against the Czechs, it would be a bold decision for Southgate to bring in Abraham.
Accommodating Abraham
With captain Kane unlikely to be benched, the only scenario in which Nicholas’ prediction could come true is if the England boss decides to alter his set-up.
However, it is very possible he will seek to change things tactically, admitting that he may go back to using three centre-backs, a system that could allow the Chelsea man to partner Kane up-front, with Raheem Sterling playing just behind them.
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Abraham is bang in form in the Premier League with eight goals and eight games, and will likely feel frustrated at only getting five minutes against the Czech Republic, but could use that drive to his advantage if he gets the nod against Bulgaria.
A change in system would help England in terms of flexibility and as Nicholas alludes to it would be vital to preparing for an eventuality where Kane can’t play, with Callum Wilson and Marcus Rashford rarely starting matches under Southgate.
Although he has watched him play, Southgate will need to build up his understanding of Abraham’s game, and he will only learn the positives and negatives about him if he plays him, and that could influence his selection against Bulgaria.