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We argue that England manager Thomas Tuchel's biggest error isn't a tactical decision on the pitch, but a selection one off it. Discover why Arsenal's Max Dowman and Liverpool's Rio Ngumoha are ready for the senior squad now.
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00:00Thomas Tuchel has made mistakes as England boss, the second half performance against
00:03Argentina being one, but I think he's made another much more recently than the World
00:08Cup.
00:09Welcome back to the boys a bit special, a 4-4-2 series highlighting the best and most exciting
00:13young players that you need to be aware of.
00:15I believe what I'm about to say is Tuchel's biggest mistake with the current England squad,
00:19and bear with me, I have my reasons.
00:22About 12 months ago I went out on a limb and said Max Diamond and Rio Ngomoa were set for
00:26big breakout campaigns.
00:28I was right.
00:28In 12 months time we might even be talking about the 18 year old who starts on the wing
00:33for the back to back Premier League champs.
00:35Provided he stays injury free we can say quite confidently that the first team is where he's
00:40going to stay for the foreseeable.
00:42A year on they've gone from strength to strength, Rio is a genuine starting option at Liverpool
00:46and in the England squad.
00:47Listed as a right footed left winger, Rio is a straight line attacker and by that I mean
00:52he goes for goal.
00:53Comfortable on both feet, a fearless dribbler who will run at his man leaving defenders legs
00:57in a tangle.
00:58He's like a bowling ball making light work of remaining pins.
01:02He's seemingly leapfrogged Italy international Federico Chiesa in the Liverpool pecking order
01:06and there's even been suggestions that Cody Gakpo's spot on the left hand side could come
01:11under threat if Rio continues to impress.
01:14Max Daumann meanwhile is taking Premier League teams apart on his own despite having his minutes
01:18carefully managed.
01:19Just ask Ipswich.
01:20Daumann is a duck and weave player dodging challenges as best he can while making a beeline
01:25for the byline.
01:26From an output perspective Daumann has 20 goals and 10 assists in 25 appearances for
01:30Arsenal's 18s.
01:31He isn't just an athlete who can run and run at defences with little to show for it
01:35when it matters most.
01:36He's a footballer.
01:38And what about his record for the 21s?
01:39Does it translate?
01:41In all honesty no.
01:42Because he's skipped the age group altogether and he's already regarded a first team player.
01:46Now I'm going out on a limb again.
01:49I'm no oracle for predicting that Daumann and N'Gamoa have talent in abundance obviously.
01:54There'll be tons of scouts, coaches, analysts and probably parents who've watched on from
01:57the sidelines for years who knew these two were destined for the top.
02:01But they're not here.
02:02I am.
02:03So it's my responsibility to tell you and you know maybe look clever.
02:08What I'm deciding to do here is move the conversation on.
02:11Now before you point out the obvious yes I know Rio is in the England squad and made his
02:15debut in the pre-World Cup friendly against New Zealand but it was a friendly and b New
02:20Zealand.
02:21Now no offence Kiwis but he faces tougher opponents every week in the Premier League.
02:25What I'm talking about is Rio and Daumann getting a crash course in Tommy Tactics Tuchel
02:30over the next several international breaks.
02:32Not an internship.
02:33A three lines apprenticeship.
02:35An England graduate scheme if you will.
02:38If that means putting some established noses out of joint, so be it.
02:41I truly believe these two are the future of the England national team.
02:44You know what they say.
02:46Out with the old, in with the new.
02:47The best time to start was yesterday, the next best time to start is now and all that
02:51jazz.
02:52So who am I chucking from the current crop of England players to accommodate N'Gamoa and
02:56Daumann then?
02:57Well first on the chopping block and I think Tuchel agrees.
02:59Oli Watkins and Ivan Toney, you're playing Saudi Arabia lads, if you were that bothered
03:04about representing England, well, you wouldn't be playing your club football there.
03:07We all know why you're there, not saying I wouldn't do the same.
03:11Watkins and Toney are both 30 and before the third place playoff, sorry, the bronze final,
03:15they played a whopping seven World Cup minutes combined.
03:19And this time they've been left out of the squad.
03:22Ok, so I've got rid of two experienced back up strikers for a pair of teenage wingers.
03:26Bold, but yes, yes I have, and here's why.
03:29For at least another tournament it's going to be all Kane all the time, let's face it.
03:33No other striker, as good as they might be, is getting a look in.
03:37He's going to win the Ballon d'Or for crying out loud, even if he does miss the occasional
03:40penalty.
03:41Doesn't that leave England's squad woefully understaffed when it comes to centre forwards
03:44though?
03:45You're not going to play Daumann or Rio through the middle.
03:47No, of course not.
03:48I'm not stupid.
03:49Not that stupid.
03:50What we're going to do instead is use Jude Bellingham as the backup centre forward.
03:54If Harry Kane gets injured or drops off to an incredible degree, I think it's pretty
03:58safe to say that Jude has what it takes to lead the England line.
04:02He knows where the goal is, he gets into the box like his life depends on it, and he's
04:06got the right sort of I'm him character to be an England centre forward.
04:09Think about it.
04:10It just makes sense.
04:11Jude Bellingham, number nine at international level.
04:13I won't explain myself further.
04:15Ok, maybe a little bit further.
04:17Remember that season when Bellingham scored 19 goals in La Liga?
04:20Look at this shot map.
04:21That is a centre forward shot map.
04:24But since having to accommodate Kylian Mbappe, Bellingham has dropped a little deeper at Real
04:28Madrid, and so have his goal numbers.
04:30But don't be fooled.
04:31That aptitude for scoring hasn't exactly disappeared.
04:34Seven goals at the 2026 World Cup, anyone?
04:36Bellingham gets into positions of maximum opportunity.
04:39Sam Allardyce would stick him up front and have Yuri Jorkaev and Stelios Janakopoulos providing
04:44support and running off him.
04:45Bellingham and a big Sam team by the way, now that's a nice image.
04:48Right, so what's the hurry?
04:50Can we not let Dowman and Rio develop at their own pace?
04:52I hear you.
04:53I really hear you.
04:54Mikel Arteta hears you.
04:55I'll counter though.
04:57International football doesn't come around all that often, even if it sometimes feels
05:00that way.
05:01It's four times a year, if you're involved in every squad.
05:04And the idea wouldn't be for them to play every game right away.
05:07The cornerstone of this argument is that both players and the national team will be better
05:11served by them shadowing the senior pros in the senior squad, than instead of playing
05:16for the under-19s or the under-21s, which are levels they've clearly leapfrogged.
05:20And let's address the elephant in the room too.
05:23England's qualification for upcoming tournaments is basically a formality.
05:26Even if Tuchel somehow doesn't lead England to Euro 2028 via the qualification groups,
05:31which will be drawn in December, he's got the Nations League back door.
05:34And it's hard to see England mucking both routes up.
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06:10Right, back to the video.
06:12This next reason isn't justification alone to include Diamond and Gamora, but it does
06:16strengthen the case.
06:17Other countries are already doing it.
06:19Mauricio Pochettino hasn't included following Balogun or Christian Pulisic in his latest USA
06:24squad, but 16-year-old Calvin Sullivan is in.
06:27Admittedly, the US men's national team only have friendlies during this international break.
06:31Where else could you describe England's recent qualifiers against the likes of San Marino,
06:35Andorra and Latvia, other than glorified friendlies?
06:39And then there's Jurgen Klopp.
06:40He's named two separate squads for Germany's Four Nations League matches in September and
06:44October.
06:45Turns out, he can actually just do things.
06:47And you know what?
06:48Thomas Tuchel's never been the type to conform, has he?
06:50Have you not seen that video of him lying biking on the pavement without a helmet?
06:55It's coming home.
06:56It's coming home.
06:58Football's coming home.
07:00A real rebel without a cause.
07:02Dowman is with the under-19s this month, and I'd thoroughly recommend catching one of
07:06those games if you're able.
07:07In fact, by the time this video goes out, Dowman will probably have done something ridiculous
07:10against Ireland or Norway.
07:12So, look out for that.
07:13Tuchel deciding not to name him alongside Rio with the seniors this time isn't a mistake
07:18per se, despite what we've decided to title the video and what I said at the start.
07:22But sooner rather than later, I think it would be prudent to start thinking about succession
07:26planning England's forward line.
07:28Let us know what you think of this proposal in the comments below, and remember to stick
07:31a like on the video as well as subscribing if you're not doing so already.
07:34That way I can get my mug on your screens more often.
07:37By the way, I know it's the international break and I know it can be quite long and tiresome
07:41without club football, so in the background we've been working on a remedy.
07:45If you haven't checked out 4-4-2 goals yet, oh my word, get on it.
07:49It's the new game where you roll the dice and build a Premier League XI of players past
07:52and present whose goal tallies add up to 442.
07:56In a 4-4-2 formation of course.
07:58Caution, it's addictive.
08:00Bye for now.
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