"England are going to have a really tough game" - Andros Townsend sends strong warning to Three Lions ahead of FIFA World Cup clash with Senegal
Everton winger Andros Townsend has picked his England XI to face Senegal in the FIFA World Cup Round of 16.
The Three Lions qualified for the knockouts as the top-placed team in Group B following wins over Iran and Wales and a goalless draw with the USA. They will now face Senegal in the last 16, who finished second in Group A behind the Netherlands.
Writing about England's team composition for the Senegal match on Mirror, Townsend opined that Gareth Southgate should drop Phil Foden in favor of a 'fresher' Bukayo Saka. He insisted Marcus Rashford should be kept on the left wing.
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"To be honest, I don’t envy Gareth Southgate on Sunday. He has to leave out some seriously good players for Sunday’s win-or-go-home game against Senegal. And it is too close to call.
"With a heavy heart, I’d stick with Marcus Rashford and Bukayo Saka. Before you come for me, I agree - Phil Foden is a superb player. He came in, grabbed his goal and was every inch what you expect from him.
"But Saka was sensational against Iran, he’ll be fresher after sitting out the Wales win and Foden can take advantage of tired legs late on. Raheem Sterling has also done nothing wrong but I’d mix it up for this one. We can afford to - we have one of the best squads in the tournament," he wrote.
He further added that Jude Bellingham should be moved into the No. 10 position behind Harry Kane, with Jordan Henderson and Declan Rice manning the midfield. Townsend wrote:
"As I’ve said before - in tournament football it is not about the best players, it is about the players best suited to the way England play.
"Right now that is Marcus on the left, Bukayo on the right and Jude Bellingham instead of Mason Mount in behind Harry. Largely because I would have the leadership of Jordan Henderson alongside Declan Rice."
He also warned England of a 'really tough' game against Senegal.
"I covered Senegal’s win over Ecuador and let me tell you - England are going to have a really tough game on Sunday. Even allowing for the fact that the African champions have Idrissa Gueye suspended and Sadio Mane, of course, not part of the squad in Qatar, they have shown they can be a problem," he added.
Here's the XI Townsend picked for the FIFA World Cup Round-of-16 encounter:
(4-2-3-1): Pickford; Walker, Stones, Maguire, Shaw; Henderson, Rice; Rashford, Bellingham, Saka; Kane.
“It was the same in the Euros with Harry" - England boss Gareth Southgate on Harry Kane's lack of goals in FIFA World Cup
While Harry Kane finished as the top-scorer in the 2018 FIFA World Cup, he is yet to open his account in the ongoing edition of the tournament.
No player has more assists at the 2022 World Cup so far than Harry Kane (3).
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But Southgate isn't worried about that. He pointed out that the Tottenham Hotspur attacker has provided three assists and with other forwards scoring freely, it has taken some pressure off Kane.
“It was the same in the Euros with Harry. He has three assists now, three important assists from moments of real quality. We’ve been saying for a couple of years now we need to share the goals around and we’re starting to do that,” Southgate told the media at the FIFA World Cup in Qatar.
England and Senegal face off in the FIFA World Cup on Sunday, December 4.