Improving Ross Barkley should strive to be England’s Kevin De Bruyne
Only two competitive fixtures stand between England and their opening Euro 2020 match at Wembley next summer, yet Gareth Southgate’s jigsaw is still missing a piece.
The one glaring weakness is the midfield combination and, specifically, the lack of someone to take a hold of games when the chips are down. A midfield general, in other words.
Between now and the European Championship finals England’s midfield wannabes must look to become must-haves. That is where positions are probably still most up for grabs.
Read more: England win in Bulgaria overshadowed by racist abuse
And while Declan Rice is still learning how to dominate games for West Ham, let alone at international level, and Jordan Henderson is hard-working and organised, that leaves Ross Barkley looking like the player most likely to become the midfield focal point.
Barkley has always had fantastic ability and currently looks stronger and fitter than ever.
The drawback is his decision making, which remains questionable. He is still trying flicks in England games, and that is not what is required on the world stage.
When I think of the type of player Southgate needs, it is someone like a Steven Gerrard.
Germany, whose players have a similar skill set to ours, have a long line of them, from Lothar Matthaus to Michael Ballack and, more recently, Toni Kroos.
Perhaps the best role model for Barkley is in the Premier League.
Kevin De Bruyne both gets into the opposition box and provides final balls that lay on goalscoring chances for Manchester City’s forwards.
That is what England need and if Barkley wants to go to the next level he should study De Bruyne.
Dominating matches
I thought Barkley grew a lot in England’s 6-0 win over Bulgaria on Monday, in which he scored twice.
Getting into the box is key because Harry Kane is most effective when he drops deep to receive the ball, allowing the wide forwards and midfielders to fill the space he has left.
A performance like that can help Barkley learn how to dominate matches. He will want to do it again now, against better opposition.
Barkley’s decision-making does seem to be getting better, and Southgate will hope that trend continues.
Eight months is a fairly long time in a footballer’s career, so he has scope to develop significantly before next summer’s tournament.
Games are won and lost in midfield, though. If England have a commanding midfield presence in their ranks, they will be able to go into Euro 2020 with much more confidence.
Exceptional Mings
One other positive to come out of a difficult night marred by racism from the stands was the performance of Tyrone Mings on his England debut.
It’s the only time I can remember a team lining up with two left-footed centre-backs, but he was exceptional.
Everything Mings did was assured and he looked as comfortable if not more so than his defensive partner Harry Maguire.
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