Thomas Tuchel is right to encourage more dribbling from England because it is not enough in the modern game. The real trick is to identify the right players who can do it.
For someone so fast, dynamic, physical and competent as Marcus Rashford, it is a no-brainer-je must tell him that he has to run to defenders all day. Phil Foden is different. He has no electric pace and it is his football information, not bravery, which means he comes into great positions.
Asking Foden to do a similar work as Rashford removes the important other strong points that the Manchester City player has.
As a youth player who represented English school boys, I had a dribbling period because I was good enough at that age to pass by players. It became more difficult when I graduated from harder defenders and my manager at Crewe, Dario Gradi, ordered me to stop dribbling because it destroyed my real threat; See the photos early and make important passes.
He would show me videos of games that I had hit with my death and comparing with the number of times I would lose the ball to beat people.
It was not my natural game, although I am still proud of a solo target that I scored against Swansea after 'forgetting' the orders of Dario!
If Tuchel wants his broad players to bring defenders, what I applaud, it is Rashford, Bukayo Saka, Anthony Gordon, Noni Madueke, Morgan Rogers and Jarrod Bowen that he should turn, instead of Foden.
Although Tuchel referred to Rashford and Foden when he said that he “hoped for more impact and aggressive runs to the box,” I think that the manager's dribbelilosophy also extends to his midfield players.
Tuchel played against Albania with two no. 8s, Jude Bellingham and Curtis Jones, both of whom can travel on the field with the ball.
It was a bit of skill, from Bellingham to dribble past a defender in a sleek area before the opening goal for Myles Lewis-Skelly was set up.
Jones's profile as a ball carrier suggests that you will see a lot of him in the Tuchel era. It is more suitable for cracking along players than, for example, Adam Wharton.
As a midfielder I enjoyed having dribblers around me.
During my full debut in Liverpool, I spent most of the game admiring Steve McManaman Deman Tjilte Aston Villa. He would slide past players with fast feet instead of pure acceleration. It was not surprised that he won Champions League titles with Real Madrid.
I would also count Michael Owen as one of the world's best dribblers at the time. He was always so direct, took a risk to commit defenders and always jump past them.
In Fulham we had Damien Duff – a broad player with a very close control – and Mousa Dembele, who would run past people with nonchalance through the middle of the park. The wing player on the other side of Duff, Simon Davies, was cut in more comfortably. The important lesson was that no player was asked to do something unnatural to their game.
I am happy that Tuchel uses a daring approach. He has wonderful options to make England the poster boys for a new dribbling generation – as long as he chooses the right players to try it.
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