Gareth Southgate urged to drop Bellingham and Foden

Former England midfielder Chris Waddle has called on manager Gareth Southgate to consider dropping Jude Bellingham and Phil Foden when they come up against Netherlands in the semifinals of the Euro 2024

The three Lions will face Netherlands in the highly-anticipated clash on Wednesday night seeking to book a date with Spain in the final.

Despite Bellingham’s last-minute goal securing England’s progression in the tournament, both he and his teammates have delivered underwhelming performances so far. This has led pundits and fans to call for their exclusion from the starting eleven.

Chris Waddle has also weighed in, advocating for Cole Palmer and Eberechi Eze to be included in the lineup.

“If I’m Cole Palmer or Eberechi Eze, I’m having a word with the manager asking him to give me some minutes when the scores are level, rather than coming in when England are staring down the barrel of a defeat.

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However, the former midfielder was quick to point out the reason why Southgate chooses to play Bellingham and Foden.

“I think that Jude Bellingham and Phil Foden are getting into the team in front of Palmer and Eze because they work a little bit harder off the ball, but Bellingham and Foden simply aren’t doing it [playing well]. Our performances have improved when Palmer and Eze have been introduced, we look much better with them in the side.”

Southgate and his men could make history on Wednesday if they get to the final, a final that would be their first of the European Championships not held in England