WHERE ARE THE BOX-TO-BOX MIDFIELD GENERALS NOW?

SPURS, Liverpool, Manchester City, Manchester United, Arsenal and Chelsea all play with two wide players and a centre forward. The wide players are capable of playing narrow too with full backs then bombing on around them with an agenda to create width and deliver crosses. It’s the fashionable system of play. It means the priority for central midfielders in that formation is to protect the central defenders and offer a shield and so the Frank Lampard/Steven Gerrard (right) driving-into-the-box role is now limited. In our league, we do have Paul Pogba and Dele Alli who can do that but there are fewer and fewer. In my opinion, Alli could play that role for England and they could then play two strikers, Harry Kane and Marcus Rashford or Kane and Jamie Vardy.