MY ACCOUNT
Ray Parlour has urged Gareth Southgate to start in-form duo Ben White and James Maddison in England’s World Cup opener with Iran.
Arsenal legend Parlour, who won 10 caps for the Three Lions, shared a dressing room with Southgate at Middlesbrough during their playing days — and he believes his old team-mate has some tough decisions to make in Qatar.
Speaking to LiveScore, the midfielder-turned-broadcaster picked his line-up for Monday’s encounter, with Gunners defender White and Leicester playmaker Maddison both getting the nod.
Parlour, 49, said: “I hope Gareth goes with a back four against Iran. I’d go for Jordan Pickford in goal, with Kieran Trippier and Luke Shaw as the full-backs.
“For me, John Stones has to play at centre-half, but Gareth then has a big decision to make with who plays next to him.
“Harry Maguire has had a tough time. And I don’t care who you are, if you’re not playing on a regular basis, it’s virtually impossible to be up to speed with the competitive side of the game.
“If it was me, I’d take a gamble and start White. He’s been brilliant for Arsenal, often playing out of position, but has never let them down.
“He’s in great form, he’s got pace and is very reliable in the middle of defence as well. He can play in a back three, if needed.
“In midfield, I think you have to try and get Maddison in there. Again, he’s a form player, full of confidence and scoring goals.
“I’d play Declan Rice and Jude Bellingham with Maddison just ahead of them in a midfield three. I’d put Harry Kane up front, then out wide I’d go for Phil Foden and Bukayo Saka.
“I’m not knocking Raheem Sterling, but compare how he and Saka have been playing in recent weeks. You’ve got to pick the men in form, in my opinion.”
Great expectations
Despite some shaky results in the build-up to the tournament, England are still considered among the leading contenders for glory in Qatar — and Parlour believes anything less than a quarter-final appearance would represent failure.
Assessing their prospects, he said: “Look, Iran are no mugs. They are a solid team in good form. But really, England should be beating them quite comfortably.
“I really fancy us to win the group. From there, I’ve tried to map it out and I think it’ll be Senegal or Ecuador in the last 16 because I expect Netherlands to win their group.
“Ecuador look a fairly decent side, while Senegal are going to be all on whether Sadio Mane is fit enough to feature — but it’s winnable for England either way.
“So I think quarter-final as a minimum really, where it could be a showdown with France. And that’s tough.”
While Southgate’s style of play has often come under intense scrutiny, Parlour claims that topic of conversation would vanish if the 52-year-old tactician leads England to glory.
He added: “Ultimately, it comes down to results. If we win every game 1-0 playing dour football and lift the World Cup, I’ll be delighted. But there’s a way to go out of a tournament, too.
“If you go too defensive and it doesn’t work out, it’s not a good look for the manager.”
World Cup fever
A first mid-season World Cup will be a unique experience for fans as much as players, which is why Parlour has teamed up with VoucherCodes.co.uk‘s On Tap promotion.
Alongside the Romford Pele, VoucherCodes will visit several London offices prior to kick-off on Monday afternoon, providing free pints to those working during England’s first Group B fixture.
Parlour said: “I think I was the obvious choice for this campaign! Everyone knows I love a beer and I’ll be down the pub with my mates trying to cheer England to victory.
“But it’s an awkward time for a World Cup. Normally we’d be enjoying beautiful sunshine when there’s a major tournament on.
“It’s great that we can go and put some smiles on a few faces on Monday.”
Backing Brazil
While Parlour would love to see England go all the way, he fears the trophy will be lifted by a South American nation.
The talkSPORT regular said: “Well, there’s no preparation coming into this one, which I think is huge.
“Normally teams have a couple of weeks to look at their players, tweak formations, so I think this year you’re looking for who has the best squad and who can hit the ground running.
“For me, that’s Brazil. They’ve got a great group and have managed to leave some great players out as well — the likes of Liverpool’s Roberto Firmino and Gabriel at Arsenal haven’t even made the cut.
“I think Argentina also look strong, so a South American winner looks likely. If I’m picking just one, I’d have to go for Brazil.”
Ray Parlour has teamed up with VoucherCodes.co.uk‘s On Tap service, which is delivering FREE pints to people working during England’s opening World Cup match against Iran on Monday.
