Michael Owen thinks Palmer should start over Saka for England
Arsenal have had a solid season, meanwhile rival’s Chelsea have had a tough season and have only just started to look like they’ve been able to click on the football pitch, but Cole Palmer has been Chelsea’s one standout player all season and without him, they’d be much worse off than they already are, But the ex England legend Michael Owen has come out and said he thinks Palmer should take Saka’s spot in the England squad.
Speaking to ‘Gambling Zone’ Owen said this “I would now start Cole Palmer over Bukayo Saka. I don’t think you can ignore Palmer’s form and quality any longer.”
“I had him in my squad a few months ago but now he’s one of the best players in the Premier League. He might even get player of the year, possibly the Golden Boot, and that’s in a struggling team.
“So he’s now a must in my mind. I would play him on the right. I’d have Foden and him, one on the right and one central, then have Rice as a lone number 6, then Bellingham and Foden as 8s stroke 10s and Cole on the right. But at periods of the game I’d swap them around. Keep the two fluid. Have your left side player as your pacy outlet, then Harry Kane is obviously up front”
“I don’t think Gareth Southgate will do that, I’m certain he will go with two 6s which I don’t think is the right thing to do. If he goes with two 6s it’s likely to be Kobbie Mainoo with Declan Rice, so then you will have to bring out a Palmer or a Foden, or both because he may play Saka instead.”
“But it’s almost unthinkable that you couldn’t have Foden and Palmer in your team, they are two of our best three or four players.
“It is a challenge to fit them all in but in my team you do fit them all in, although Saka would miss out which is not easy to do. But he can still play a big part. If the final was tomorrow, I would put Palmer in the team.”
And now look, Palmer has been great and as an England fan myself, I do want to see him get minutes for his country, but, even considering dropping Saka for him is crazy to me. Yes, give him more minutes, he deserves minutes, but Saka is great in an England shirt and is now getting more mature and experienced.
They both deserve to be playing for their country but dropping Saka for Palmer, seems like a massive jump to me and think it’s almost a bit disrespectful on Saka after everything he’s done for England.
What’s your thoughts Gooners?
Daisy Mae
ADMIN COMMENT
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owen what are you try to say about our boy saka
Michael Owen’s opinion is like any government… completely useless.
Making such a big change to a team so close to a major tournament doesn’t sound like a good idea. It takes time to build relationships and partnerships/chemistry on the pitch.This is even more difficult for national teams that only train together a handful of times per season. Palmer has been brilliant for Chelsea but there’s no guarantee he’ll hit the ground running for the Three Lions. Saka on the hand already knows his teammates well and understands the tactics.
Dropping Saka would only make sense if he’s had a poor season which is not the case. He’s already surpassed his returns from last year with a couple of games to go. Something people always ignore as well when discussing forwards is defensive contributions. Despite offering near identical numbers to Palmer offensively,Saka also does a great job defensively which the former doesn’t.Our number seven also has an edge in terms of experience and physicality-two factors that are important in tournaments.
That said, I wouldn’t lose any sleep if Saka is benched. It will be good for Arsenal if he gets the much needed rest and recovery from the injury he’s been carrying.
Or just drop Saka altogether as suggested and we know we have less injury concerns for Arsenal …. not a bad idea after all if they can be so disrecpectful.
Very fortunate to have 3 such talented players, why relegate any to the bench? Let competition and form decide who starts, rotate based on form and opponents.
Then again it is Southgate. He has his favorites he picks and starts, his own type of madness.
In England its normal to drop an AFC player if there is someone closer in terms of competition.
We don’t work from emotions. Southgate is a technician. Owen is not a coach. And it’s not gonna work that way