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Former Chelsea striker Chris Sutton has expressed his reservations over defender Harry Maguire ahead of England's 2022 FIFA World Cup clash against France tonight (December 10). The Three Lions will take on Les Bleus in the quarterfinals at the Al Bayt Stadium in Qatar.
Gareth Southgate's side beat Senegal 3-0 in the Round of 16 to reach the last eight of the 2022 FIFA World Cup. They are unbeaten in the competition and have displayed formidable defensive solidity, keeping three clean sheets in their last three games.
The Three Lions have only conceded two goals in the tournament, doing so in their 6-2 win over Iran in their opener. Southgate has used the centre-back pairing of John Stones and Harry Maguire in the tournament, and they have been excellent.
However, Sutton is concerned about the Manchester United man, saying that England could face a real test tonight. He said (via Daily Mail):
"I still have the same concerns that I had at the start of the tournament, and that's in central defence. Harry Maguire has had a good World Cup, given his lack of game time for Manchester United, but now, he will be properly tested by Olivier Giroud and Co."
France have displayed some great attacking prowess with the likes of Kylian Mbappe and Olivier Giroud scoring key goals. They have scored nine goals in four games but have failed to keep a single clean sheet at the 2022 FIFA World Cup.
Glenn Hoddle urges England to exploit France's 'Achilles heel' in FIFA World Cup quarterfinal
Former England manager Glenn Hoddle has identified an apparent weakness in Didier Deschamps' side ahead of the team's quarterfinal clash tonight.
He said that while Mbappe is a brilliant attacker, his forward runs could leave space behind for the Three Lions to exploit. Speaking to BT, Hoddle said:
"There's an Achilles heel for France. Mbappe sits out wide and pushes the full-back high up the pitch, but it leaves an enormous amount of space to run into behind him."
He added:
"If England are able to pin the left back (likely to be Theo Hernandez), you could have a two-on-one situation behind Mbappe, and suddenly that is a real threat. England could keep it three vs three in midfield; Walker can hover around Mbappe, but when England have the ball, they will have space and time."
Mbappe has scored five goals for France at the 2022 FIFA World Cup. He leads the Golden Boot race ahead of Lionel Messi, who has four.
