There’s a big debate about whether Bellingham or Foden should play as the number 10. Personally, I think it should be Foden as the advanced playmaker and Bellingham as a box-to-box number 8 next to Rice if he plays 4-2-3-1 at the Euros. People can say Bellingham has played as a number 10 this season for Madrid and done brilliantly and I agree, but the way Ancelotti’s set up this year has been mostly out of necessity, not choice. He’s played a diamond this year with Vini Jr and Rordrygo as ‘false wingers’ up front and Bellingham just behind them. When Mbappé goes to Madrid in the summer and with Kroos and Modrić both getting on in years (even though they’ll both probably stay another year), I reckon Ancelotti will go back to a 4-3-3 with Bellingham and Valverde as number 8s and Tchouaméni/Camavinga as the holding midfielder. Bellingham played mostly as a number 8 at Dortmund too. Foden is more creative in an advanced role roaming in the final third. Bellingham is a more complete midfielder and can play a bit deeper in build-up and drive forward.
As long as we get both on the pitch, I’m not too concerned about who plays where, they’re both brilliant.
Interesting debate over Bellingham and Foden. Coupled with Rice and Saka has England ever had a better Midfield?
There’s a good case to be made it is. Unlike the so-called Golden Generation and debates about how to play Lampard, Gerrard and Scholes together, we can play Rice, Bellingham and Foden without the midfield being unbalanced and lacking defensive coverage. Right now, England have a world class defensive midfielder in Rice, a world class number 8/box-to-box midfielder in Bellingham and a world class number 10/advanced playmaker in Foden. We don’t have to shoehorn them all in like Lampard, Gerrard and Scholes. We can play Rice, Bellingham and Foden in their best positions whilst still having balance in midfield.
My concern about this is you're limiting what Rice can do. At Arsenal he's playing box to box - and they are better for it. With England, if he has Bellingham next to him - you don't get as much out of Rice. I'd prefer Bellingham and Foden as a rotating 10 and LW - in and out of possession.
True, Rice is also a very good box-to-box midfielder but he’s also a world class defensive midfielder first and foremost and England don’t have another defensive midfielder anywhere near as good as Rice. Arsenal have the benefit of having Partey or Jorginho to play deeper as a defensive midfielder so Rice can play box-to-box and further up. England don’t. Rodri is the best defensive midfielder in the world right now imo but the only reason he’s been given freedom to get further forward in the last two years is because Pep has a centre-back step into midfield or a full-back invert into midfield. Unless Southgate tries to copy Guardiola’s 3-2-4-1 and have Stones step up into midfield next to Rice or copy Klopp and have Alexander-Arnold invert into midfield next to Rice, I think Rice has to be the deepest and most defensive midfielder for England.
Arsenal score to make it 2-1, then West Ham pull it back to 3-2..Arsenal fans go crazy thinking its on, then VAR disallows the West Ham goal...Hahahahahaha....I love VAR.
I get this, but I think I’d rather have Foden/Kane/Saka/Bellingham and Rice supporting than someone else as LW/Kane/Saka/Foden and Bellingham supporting. I Think with Bellingham as the 10 you get your best players pushing forward more often than you do with him back in midfield. I guess it’s down to which position you want someone else coming in to them team - CM or LW. But I appreciate your point of the difficulty finding someone to partner Rice. Mainoo looked more likely a few weeks ago than now. Wonder if it’s worth re-looking at Dier?
