12 September 2023 , 23:00
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Graeme Souness had reservations with Gareth Southgate's decision to start with two holding midfielders against Scotland.
England won the friendly at Hampden Park, with Phil Foden, Jude Bellingham and Harry Kane netting in their 3-1 victory. It was a first defeat of 2023 for Steve Clarke's hosts, who had won their previous five games in the calendar year.
Bellingham, who delivered a scene-stealing performance, was the furthest advanced of England's three central midfielders. However, Souness was banging the drum for James Maddison to start as well as the Real Madrid man, as opposed to Southgate's preference for Declan Rice and Kalvin Phillips in deeper-lying roles.
“There’s no reason that those two [Maddison and Bellingham] couldn’t play together,” Souness said during Channel 4's coverage of the game. “I said this before the game and I used the term ‘handbrake’, when I watch England play - like against France - and it was all cautious, cautious.
"There comes a time in a game of football where you have to start off extremely positive and lay the ground rules for the team you are playing against: ‘We are better than you and are going to take you on in a game of football’. Instead of giving them encouragement by being negative.
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“I can see how Gareth sees it, he was a defender first and foremost ‘we’ll be cautious and see how the game pans out’. I think England now have so much talent in the forward areas, that they can be more adventurous, even against the better teams."
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Gareth Southgate led England to a 3-1 win against Scotland (David Young/Action Plus/REX/Shutterstock)After a quiet opening half-hour, England struck twice in a matter of minutes through Foden and Bellingham. A Harry Maguire own goal gave Scotland some hope, but that was dashed when Bellingham found space in the home side's penalty area and fed captain Kane to make victory secure.
Clarke's team had been in fine form going into the meeting, having won at home to Spain and away to Norway earlier in the year. Even so, Souness - who played for Scotland at three World Cups - suggested his country aren't at the standard to demand such a 'handbrake' approach from opponents who went into the game as favourites on paper.
“They [England[ were playing Scotland tonight, they didn’t need two sitting players against Scotland tonight," he continued. "I’m sorry, they didn’t. Scotland didn’t have a shot on target, they had seven efforts all wide. England dominated the play, they had 11 shots with seven on target.
“You can’t have all that good play and not pepper the goal. I’m sorry, you need something else as well as what you’ve already got. It sticks hard in my throat when I have to pay the kind of compliments I’m paying to England. But they are the real deal.”