England take on Wales on Tuesday evening and as much as the Three Lions performance against the USA has been debated, the biggest talking point appears to have been why Phil Foden has yet to appear.
Gareth Southgate's side struggled to find any fluency against Christian Pulisic and co, in great contrast to the 6-2 win over Iran. The England boss opted to only make three of his five substitutions and utilised Jack Grealish, Jordan Henderson and Marcus Rashford.
The Man City winger has netted eight times and provided three assists in 20 appearances this season and many perhaps expected him to be in Southgate's starting lineup for the tournament. Certainly with England's lack of creativity there was a clamour to see him introduced as the team limped to a draw.
READ MORE: Mason Mount set for definitive England test as Chelsea star faces big World Cup questions
Wayne Bridge believes the critique of England has been overstated, and suggests Southgate will be happy with the result with Foden remaining on the bench being indicative of that.
He said: "We're sat in a good position and you don't have to play great in every game to win a World Cup. I'm sure the lads will put better performances in but I don't think it was as bad as made out.
"Wales have got to beat us by a lot of goals for England to not get through so it is a good result, and he showed that by putting Jordan Henderson on because he could have put Phil Foden on to go and get the win. He's probably happy with the result and they're sat in a good position."
The places of Mason Mount and Raheem Sterling have come under scrutiny due to the desire for Foden to be introduced. The Blues duo have been trusted players under Southgate however, and while their Premier League form has not been at it's finest, Sterling has shown in the past his ability to produce for England irrespective of his domestic outings.
Bridge suggests the pair's familiarity and role in the squad behind the scenes could be a key factor in Southgate's decision.
The 42-year-old said: "Their ability speaks for itself. Great players, when I look at them from the outside-in, they play with a lot of confidence. They seem like confident young lads and confidence is massive in a World Cup. From what you see, they seem to get on with all the players and there seems to be a great bond with all the players and they are definitely a major part of that. You can see a lot of the players are friends and they end up playing for the same clubs so I think that's massive, massively important."
Nevertheless, Bridge believes that Foden requires some time on the pitch, even if he doesn't start against Wales.
The former Chelsea and Man City defender said: "I don't think he needs to play, but I think he definitely needs some game time. I thought last game would have been a good opportunity for him to play but in football everybody has different opinions. I think he should play for game time, he's a massive talent so I'd personally love to see him play. Who gets sacrificed I don't know; if he has to change formation, I don't know. For me, he needs some game time, it's the perfect game for him to play."
Chelsea's third World Cup star in the England camp is Conor Gallagher and, like Foden, he is yet to feature. The Cobham product certainly appeared on the margins coming into the tournament, having missed Southgate's previous squad and has a difficult route into the team. Bridge acknowledged that is not an easy position but one in which you can put yourself in a position to be ready.
"You never know in a football tournament," said the ex-Southampton star. "He's probably a bit like me when I used to go to a tournament playing behind Ashley Cole. One of - if not the best - left-backs in the world, you're only going to get a chance if he's injured really. That will play a part, I think he knows that but everyone just has to be ready. It's definitely not easy because you just want to play football."
Two Chelsea stars who may have been set for game time had they been fit were Reece James and Ben Chilwell. Bridge believes that the former in particular will have been missed by Gareth Southgate, while highlighting the lack of depth that has occurred due to Chilwell's absence.
He said: "They will 100% be missed. It's a long tournament so you do need the players. If Shaw picks up an injury, I know we've got Trippier that can play there but it would be great to have Ben Chilwell.
"I'd probably say Reece James missed a little bit more. He's so powerful, he's quick and he defends so well. Games against the USA where they're struggling he's got that attacking threat. They will both definitely be missed, you need everyone at a tournament to go all the way picking up injuries, yellow cards and red cards."
Wayne Bridge has teamed up with Samsung to offer fans the opportunity to win a live and immersive football experience of the semi finals and final at their exclusive Neo QLED 8K viewing pod, powered by Quantum Dot technology, at their Samsung KX space in London. Winners will also receive free snacks and drinks in the pod, as well as £300 worth of restaurant vouchers. To enter the competition, visit Samsung UK’s Facebook page here before 4th December. See here for full T&Cs.
For more information on Samsung’s Neo QLED TV range including Neo QLED 8K, please visit: https://www.samsung.com/uk/tvs/qled-tv/highlights/
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