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Uninspiring displays in 1-0 wins over Slovenia
and Lithuania have led to plenty of criticism of Gareth
Southgate's team and former England winger Chris Waddle believes
the dullness of the national side has deep roots.
Waddle, part of the England team who reached the 1990 World Cup
semi-finals blames club academies and over-coaching for the lack
of entertainment provided by the national team.
"Academies are crammed with coaches, it's too organised,
regimented, all bibs and cones and two-touch football. Let them
dribble," Waddle, a great dribbler himself, told the Daily Mail
on Monday.
The former Tottenham Hotspur and Marseilles winger says it is
not fitness that is the problem but the approach to the game.
"They all have immaculate physiques. There's not a fat, lazy,
luxury player in sight.
"And they are passing it 10 yards to someone who passes it 10
yards to someone who passes it 10 yards to someone who goes
backwards. They're over-coached and scared to give it away and
you are screaming: 'Where are you going?'"
Waddle, who made 62 appearances for England between 1985 and
1991, thinks Southgate is limited by the kind of players that
English clubs are producing.
"You need all sorts for a successful team — you need dogs and
water-carriers — but we've got 11 players who are basically
similar.
"I don't blame Gareth Southgate. Coaching has been taking us
this way for years. Nothing is off the cuff. We need creativity
and we're not producing those players," he said.
However, Waddle sees some hope in the attacking England players
who are enjoying success at club level.
"Harry Kane, who was on the scoresheet again in Lithuania, is in
such good form, thank goodness, and Dele Alli is a bright spark,
although he needs to learn some manners judging by what we have
seen in recent times.
"Marcus Rashford looks very confident, playing without fear or
pressure and he's our big hope. I hope he doesn't find fear.
"We can play with more flair and take risks. We've never got the
best out of flair players, never thrown the shackles off,"
Waddle said.
England finished top of Group F with 26 points, eight clear of
second-placed Slovakia. (Reporting by Simon Evans, editing by Ed
Osmond)
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