“A nice problem to have” – Alan Shearer names 2 England stars who should start 2022 FIFA World Cup

Premier League’s all-time top scorer Alan Shearer has tipped Gareth Southgate to start Marcus Rashford and Phil Foden in England’s first knockout fixture at the 2022 FIFA World Cup.

England cruised to an emphatic 3-0 win over Wales in their final 2022 FIFA World Cup Group B fixture on Tuesday night, 29 November. Rashford opened the scoring for the Three Lions with a direct free-kick in the 50th minute.

A minute later, Foden doubled his team’s advantage with a tap-in from close range. Rashford bagged his second in the 68th minute, slotting between the legs of Wales’ keeper Danny Ward.

The win helped the Three Lions finish atop Group B, edging second-placed USA by two points. Southgate’s side will take on Group A runners-up Senegal in the last 16 on Sunday night (4 December), and Shearer wants Southgate to field both Foden and Rashford. In his special BBC column, Shearer wrote:

“It is fantastic for Southgate that he has so many options in our frontline, and choosing who should play is a nice problem to have. We have got lots of attacking talent, so when any of them get an opportunity in this England team, they have to make the most of it.

“When Southgate brought in Phil Foden and Marcus Rashford for the Wales game, he was basically saying ‘Over to you, I want to see what you can do’. They certainly showed him that.”

Shearer added:

“There are still arguments for Raheem Sterling and Bukayo Saka to play, and Jack Grealish too, but I would expect Foden and Rashford to start against Senegal on Sunday too – they definitely did enough.

“Both Rashford’s goals were fantastic and I am so pleased Foden got on the scoresheet too. Lots of people, including myself, were shouting for him to play and he justified that with his performance.”

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England captain Harry Kane shows his creative side in 2022 FIFA World Cup win over Wales

Tottenham Hotspur superstar Harry Kane is widely hailed as one of the best strikers in the business. However, ruthless goalscoring is not the only thing he brings to the table. In Tuesday’s 3-0 win over Wales, it was Kane’s creativity that stole the show.

Kane delivered an excellent low cross for Foden to tap home in the 51st minute. He also created two big chances and played two key passes. The Spurs ace was excellent off the ball as well, luring Welsh defenders away time and time again to create space for teammates.

His playmaking ability came to the fore in England’s 2022 FIFA World Cup opener against Iran as well, with the forward chipping in with two assists in a 6-2 win. After claiming three assists at the 2022 FIFA World Cup, Kane has emerged as the leading assist provider in Qatar.