England were woeful as they lost to the Czech Republic on Friday, and only two midfielders’ stock rose as a result – Newcastle pair Isaac Hayden and Sean Longstaff.
The defeat for Gareth Southgate’s side has been a long time coming after a raft of poor performances, but the way they surrendered in the game was almost embarrassing.
They had no answer or creativity in midfield, and were completely dominated throughout most of the game.
So surely now the time has come for Southgate to move away from his trusted – but failing – favourite selections, and look for a different approach?
Hayden has been in fantastic form for all of 2019, while Longstaff was similarly outstanding last season, and having had a shaky start to this campaign after his injury, he looked back to his very best against Manchester United last week.
Declan Rice was very poor in Prague, while Jordan Henderson and Mason Mount struggled to make any impact.
Either of the Newcastle pair would breathe life back into that England midfield, while protecting a back four that looked abject on Friday.
Newcastle is not a popular destination for Gareth Southgate
For some reason, Southgate is reluctant to take a chance by selecting either Hayden or Longstaff, but he is at a stage where he needs to do something drastic.
While the latest defeat may have been the first defeat in a European Championship qualifier since 2007, in all honesty, they have flattered to deceive in recent games.
Failure to win well against Bulgaria would see huge pressure put on Southgate’s shoulders, and there would likely be calls for big changes for future squads.
In a time where England caps seem to be thrown out like confetti, it is time for Southgate to give the Newcastle duo their opportunity. They can certainly be no worse than the current midfield crop.
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