Mentality monster Bellingham sees England top the group

Summary

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Podcast Summary: The Rest Is Football

Episode: Mentality monster Bellingham sees England top the group
Date: June 28, 2026
Hosts/Guests: Gary Lineker, Alan Shearer, Micah Richards, Ian Poulter, Harry Maguire, Rob Jones

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Episode Overview

In this lively and insightful episode, Gary Lineker, Alan Shearer, Micah Richards, Ian Poulter, and guest Harry Maguire dissect England’s latest group stage victory, which secures their place at the top of their World Cup group and sets up a Round of 32 clash with DR Congo. The conversation centers on the standout performances—especially Jude Bellingham’s ‘mentality monster’ display—the tactical nuances, and England’s prospects moving forward. The chemistry between the presenters brings a blend of strong opinions, behind-the-scenes anecdotes, and the usual banter, making this a must-listen for fans looking for depth and personality.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Ian Poulter’s Football Roots & Arsenal Fandom

• [01:53] Ian Poulter reminisces about his footballing past, revealing he had a youth trial at Tottenham—"Only one though. They said, 'Oh, shit.'" (02:19)—but, as an Arsenal fan, isn’t bothered.
• Poulter reflects on Arsenal’s impressive season: "It was amazing...to see them get over the line was...absolutely amazing." (02:38)
• Light-hearted jokes about Poulter's age and playing senior golf, with banter around football attire and fandom.

2. England’s Mixed Group Stage Performance

• Alan Shearer: “The big picture is they won the game, they won the group. That’s what they set out to do.” (03:44)
• Shearer highlights three outstanding performances: Elliot Anderson, Jude Bellingham (“man of the match”), and Harry Kane. (04:00)
• Some doubts about aspects that could have been better, promising a deeper breakdown.

3. Harry Maguire Interview: Reflections From Portugal

• [04:57] Harry Maguire, calling in from Portugal, emphasizes the challenge of group games, particularly after an opening win against Croatia. Set pieces were, in his view, decisive: “Set plays are massive... it's crazy how many times a set play opens the game up for you.” (05:16)
• Maguire sings Bellingham’s praises: “He’s the man to do it on many occasions. If we're going to be successful in this tournament, there's no doubt about it, he needs to be on... him and Harry up top… those two are the ones we're going to be relying on.” (06:17)
• On media criticism of Bellingham: “He’s so confident in himself... not arrogant at all. He's a confident lad, always has been since he was 18.” (07:24)
• Maguire sees Marcus Rashford as a constant threat: “He's unstoppable on his day.” (08:39)
• Tactical discussion: Playing with two ‘tens’ (Bellingham & Rodgers) can make England vulnerable to counterattacks, especially as the knockout rounds begin. Maguire doubts that this will continue in tougher fixtures: “I’m pretty confident...the manager won’t play two tens in a knockout game against a good team…” (10:40)

Notable Quote – Gary Lineker on Bellingham:
"He's a mentality monster, isn't he? He's a moments player as well." (05:58)

4. Jude Bellingham: The “Mentality Monster”

• Alan Shearer: “He’s been England’s best player, I think, in the three games… You need your big hitters… and he did that today.” (12:44)
• Rob Jones: References Bellingham’s relentless competitiveness, backed by Harry Kane and Morgan Rogers’ pre-tournament quotes. (13:40)
• Ian Poulter parallels Ryder Cup mentality: "You’ve got to come out with confidence...you have to help the rest of the team if they don't have that type of confidence." (14:32)
• Micah Richards: “He just epitomizes a big game player... it was never really a debate for me… If there was one player on the pitch today that epitomises England and what it should be, it was Jude Bellingham.” (16:28)

Notable Quote – Alan Shearer:
“The strength, the ability to have the balance and then to flick it in like he did...that’s what changed the game today because you could see England getting frustrated.” (12:44)

5. Harry Kane’s Record-Breaking Goal & Good-Natured Banter

• [17:41] Panel discusses Kane’s new goal record, surpassing Lineker’s long-held one:
  • Gary Lineker: “40 years is a long time. I was kind of bored of it now, I needed someone and I couldn't be more thrilled that it's Harry Kane.” (18:58)
  • Micah Richards: Mocks Lineker’s reaction, poking fun: “You was fiddling with yourself. You were smiling, you were sad.” (19:18)
  • Rob Jones: Lighten the moment, “If he was fiddling with himself, it was a great goal.” (19:30)
  • Golfing anecdotes about Kane’s skills on the course surface as the group bonds over past experiences.

6. Ollie Watkins & England's Tactical Flexibility

• Alan Shearer voices a wish that Ollie Watkins had come on sooner to add threat with his movement: “He makes those brilliant runs in behind… that was what the game was needed at that time.” (20:51)

7. Performance Frustrations & Team Identity

• [21:16] The WhatsApp group chat highlights growing impatience from Shearer and Richards during the match.
• Micah Richards: “You can't tell me that they were playing exciting football, that they looked like a real team that wanted to take risks.” (22:20)
• Shearer and Richards worry about England’s defensive vulnerability and lack of creative spark, particularly when facing top-tier opposition: “I would worry about us against a better team because we're giving too many chances away to weaker opposition.” (23:34)
• Lineker counters: England often play better against stronger teams due to their counter-attacking strengths (23:24).
• Ian Poulter: Emphasizes the need to pace performance: “You don’t want to peak too soon in this tournament.” (25:12)
• The group agrees that Tuchel is still searching for the right balance in fullbacks and wingers, partly due to injuries.

8. Injury & Right Back Problems

• [26:11] Rob Jones updates on Jarell Quanza’s injury: “It will be a very tight race for the next game. I think we can safely say that Rhys James will not be there.”
• The panel debates right back options for the next game:
  • Jed Spence suggested as a probable starter
  • Possible makeshift options with Konza moving wide

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Notable Quotes & Moments

• Gary Lineker on Bellingham: “He’s a mentality monster, isn’t he? He’s a moments player as well.” (05:58)
• Harry Maguire on Bellingham: “He’s the man to do it on many occasions…he needs to be on his top game because him and Ari up top here, I think those two are the ones that we're going to be relying on.” (06:17)
• Alan Shearer on Bellingham’s Goal: “The strength, the ability to have the balance and then to flick it in like he did, that’s what changed the game…” (12:44)
• Ian Poulter parallels sports mentality: “You've got to come out with confidence. And that's, you know, certainly watching the last few games, that's what he has.” (14:32)
• Micah Richards on Bellingham: “If there was one player on the pitch today that epitomises England and what it should be, it was Jude Bellingham.” (16:28)
• Gary Lineker after Kane’s record: “I couldn't be more thrilled that it's Harry Kane because he's…” (18:58)
• Micah Richards (teasing): “You was fiddling with yourself. You were smiling, you were sad.” (19:18)

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Timestamps for Key Segments

• 01:53: Ian Poulter joins the discussion, recounts Arsenal fandom and trial with Tottenham.
• 03:44: Alan Shearer reviews atmosphere and key England performances.
• 04:57: Harry Maguire’s (remote) interview - full analysis of England’s display, player praise.
• 05:58: Panel lauds Jude Bellingham’s mentality and performance.
• 12:35: Deep dive on Bellingham’s “mentality monster” qualities.
• 16:28: Micah Richards joins, discusses Bellingham vs Rodgers debate.
• 17:41: Group discusses Harry Kane breaking Lineker’s goal record.
• 20:51: Analysis of Ollie Watkins’ role and England’s forward options.
• 21:16: Reflections on frustration/positives from England's group stage performance.
• 26:11: Update on right back situation due to injuries.

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Tone and Atmosphere

The episode is full of camaraderie and humor, especially as old records fall and generations shift. Honest criticism mixes with optimism, offering fans both reassurance and a glimpse of the challenging path ahead.

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Perfect for:
Fans seeking intelligent, experience-driven football discussion with plenty of personality, humor, and tactical insight on England’s World Cup campaign.

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Transcript

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Wow.

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[Gary Lineker]

Hello and welcome to the Rest is Football with me, Gary Lineker. And we've got Alan and Micah. We've got Ian Poulter. We've got Harry Maguire and Rob Jones. Because there's much to discuss. But because England are through to the round of 32 where they'll meet Dr. Congo, we'll discuss England's performance and much more. And remember, if you want to watch the show, it's available on Netflix every

[Unknown Carvana Customer]

day

[Gary Lineker]

in a very warm welcome.

[Ian Poulter]

Thanks for having us.

[Gary Lineker]

I think the England shirt suits you.

[Ian Poulter]

It's lovely. What is this, 80? 82, is it?

[Alan Shearer]

Yeah, I think it's an old one.

[Gary Lineker]

82, that's when you're in your prime.

[Ian Poulter]

Slightly before my time.

[Gary Lineker]

Well, you are a senior now.

[Ian Poulter]

Yeah, I am, unfortunately.

[Gary Lineker]

U.S. senior Opening next week.

[Ian Poulter]

Yes, U.S. senior Open next week. My first Zimmer frame's coming out.

[Gary Lineker]

You used to play a bit of football when you were young? Did you have a trial with Tottenham?

[Ian Poulter]

I did two, yeah. Only one though, they said, oh, shit.

[Gary Lineker]

That's it.

[Ian Poulter]

It's okay. I'm an Arsenal fan. What position?

[Gary Lineker]

Look at that. Look at you there.

[Ian Poulter]

Centre half. God, look at the shin pads.

[Gary Lineker]

Wow. They're amazing.

[Ian Poulter]

Unbelievable.

[Harry Maguire]

Yeah.

[Gary Lineker]

So good year for Arsenal. You must have enjoyed this season.

[Ian Poulter]

I did, yeah. It was amazing. Absolutely amazing. I think, I mean, the run they've been on over the last few years and I was nervous the last five or six games.

[Harry Maguire]

The golf ball.

[Ian Poulter]

Arsenal fans were very nervous. But, you know, to see Them get over the line was. I mean, it was amazing.

[Gary Lineker]

Yeah.

[Ian Poulter]

If that had done the double, if that would have been, I mean, icing on the cake. But, I mean, it was pretty amazing. I was happy for the lads and, you know, really to see them, you know, Declan and the boys get.

[Gary Lineker]

You were at the England game today. It was a wet one. You had the poncho on, didn't you? I think we might.

[Ian Poulter]

It was nice. Yeah.

[Gary Lineker]

Another picture of that as well. There you go. Look at that.

[Ian Poulter]

It was cute. I did have a hairdo about 20 minutes before that. It just went all floppy. It was good. First. First World Cups game was this week. I went to the Ghana game and

[Gary Lineker]

then went to the Ghana game as well.

[Ian Poulter]

Yeah. With the family, which was pretty.

[Gary Lineker]

After about an hour of this one, you thought you were ever going to see a goal.

[Ian Poulter]

I was like, oh, no, I'm waiting 50 years to do the World cup and I can't see two draws in a row.

[Gary Lineker]

Alan, you were at the game as well. You were doing the radio Qualcomm. Good atmosphere.

[Alan Shearer]

Yeah, it was a really good atmosphere, yeah. I think the big picture is they won the game, they won the group, that's what they set out to do. We can pick the bones out of what we felt was good and what we felt was not so good.

[Gary Lineker]

We'll do that shortly.

[Alan Shearer]

Three outstanding performances. Elliot Anderson. Jude Bellingham being man of the match. Absolutely. With his goal on the assist. And Harry Kane as well, I thought were very good, I might add.

[Gary Lineker]

Marcus Rashford. We'll talk about that in a little while. You were here, Rob.

[Rob Jones]

Emotional support for you.

[Gary Lineker]

Yeah, I know. No shoulder to cry on.

[Ian Poulter]

Yeah.

[Gary Lineker]

No, no, no.

[Alan Shearer]

Did you see the picture of him? I saw it when I came back from the game. I got here. It was on my social media when he jumped up. When Harry scored as if to be all happy, you were fucking devastated.

[Ian Poulter]

Genuinely got his wish.

[Gary Lineker]

I'm not devastated at all. I had the record for 40 years. I was getting bored of it. Anyway, lots to talk about from today's England game. But first let's hear what our friend Harry Maguire made of it. I caugh with him at full time. Harry, nice to see you again. Tell us where you are.

[Harry Maguire]

Yeah, I'm in Portugal, just in a villa, Just chilling out a little bit, doing a bit of training, bit of golf. Missing you guys in New York, but I had to get away and get myself training again.

[Gary Lineker]

Yeah, you've got to get fit for a new season. What did you make of the performance, Harry?

[Harry Maguire]

Listen, I think these games are tough. I really do think they're tough. I mean, I think the most important game in the group was the first game against Croatia. And they'll take the positives from that, knowing that they probably beat the second strongest team in the group convincingly. Well, so these games are tough and they are the moments what decide these games and set plays are massive. I've played in many of these games and when you're on top, it's crazy how many times a set play opens, opens the game up for you. And we have players who can score from them. And I think Jude was the best player on the pitch tonight. And again, once again, he's proved everyone that he should be starting for England and he's going to be a big player in this tournament for us.

[Gary Lineker]

Yeah, I absolutely agree with you on that, Harry. He's a mentality monster, isn't he? He's a moments player as well. And what is it about him? You know him, obviously you've been with him in England squads. What is it that drives him? I mean, he's one of the best players in the world. In his position, without doubt.

[Harry Maguire]

Yeah. It's crazy to think of his age. I think he's been four major tournaments now. It's incredible. At his age, he's going to have a super long career, many, many caps for his country and hopefully be really successful. But he's a massive player. He's a massive player for his club, but he's a huge player for the country. And when you need a player to step up in the big moments, in the big pressure, when all the country needs you and everyone's feeling the weight on shoulders, he's the man to do it on many occasions. And if we're going to be successful this tournament, there's no doubt about it, he needs to be on. He needs to be on his top game because him and Ari up top here, I think those two are the ones that we're going to be relying on to try and take us to victory.

[Gary Lineker]

I found it odd over the last year or two that we almost turned on him. Some parts of the media and all these rumors that he's too big for his boots. Maybe it's an English thing that we don't like people that are overly confident, but to in a tournament you need your big players to be able to handle the pressure. And it's not an arrogance, it's a confidence, isn't it?

[Harry Maguire]

Yeah, definitely. I think he's so confident in himself, in his ability, he's not arrogant at all. He's a confident lad. He always has been since he was 18 years old. Coming up and playing with us at England, you could see when he takes the ball on the pitch, he's so mature, he's a leader. But I think the most important thing is, like you say, when the moments come and the big moments happen, you seem tonight it was. It was tight, it was edgy. We fell into second in the group at one stage of the game and that moment come and he created it and then he created the goal for Harry as well. So he's been the difference tonight. And like I said, in these knockout games now, they're going to be tight. They're going to be like that for the first 60 minutes and a moment's going to. Going to change the game and change the tide of the game. And Jude's more than capable of doing that.

[Gary Lineker]

I thought another good performance personally was that of Marcus Rashford. He's a bit unfortunate not to get a goal in the. But he looked a constant threat. He looks sharp, he looks fit. I love the way he was even in the first half when people were a little bit dissatisfied. And I think he does that little ball that they do at Barcelona where he cuts in and just bends that one with his right foot. That caused a few problems with him. He looked sharp.

[Harry Maguire]

Yeah, definitely. I think, listen, he was so direct and positive with everything that he did. So I think we spoke about in the Ghana game that was a little bit slow and. And we probably had too much patience in the game. And I think Rashi straight away took the game straight to Panama. And I think first five, 10 minutes and must have put four or five crosses in the box and he wasn't as accurate as he normally is. And then he finds that one where. Where H probably was unfortunate not to score. And I think the ball just went over the ball. So it was a constant threat all the way through the game. And when he's in that mood, I think us England fans, we know how good he can be. And I've had the pleasure of playing with him at Manchester United for many years. So when he's. When he's in that frame and he's in that direct mode, he's unstoppable on his day.

[Gary Lineker]

Yeah, we talked about obviously, Marcus Rashford before for England, but what about the fact that it's not clear where he's going to be next season? There's still a possibility, I guess, that he could go back to Manchester United. Would you welcome him with open arms.

[Harry Maguire]

Yeah, of course. I have an amazing relationship with Marcus. I've had some great times with him over the years and I know what a wonderful player he can be. I'm sure it's up to the club and up to Marcus and finding a mutual agreement. But of course, if Marcus does come back, we want him to come back and play happy and play confident. So it needs to be right for himself, it needs to be right for the club. But everyone knows what a great player Marcus could be for whatever club he plays for next season.

[Gary Lineker]

Yeah, I suppose in this game England went with two tens. Really? Or with Bellingham and Rodgers in future games they might do that. Made him a little bit vulnerable to the counter attack. Harry, I'm wondering what that's like as central defenders when you know you're playing against a team that are probably slightly inferior, but they're dangerous on the counter attack and it makes you a little bit vulnerable as central defenders. Is that something that you really need to talk to the players in front of you?

[Harry Maguire]

Yeah, definitely. You need to organize and make sure everyone's locked in and still focusing on. On the transition. Even though. Even though that we're gonna have a majority of the ball and be camped around their box for large parts of the game as we were tonight. I think it's something that you can do against a team like Panamaru are playing that low block like Garner did. But I'm pretty confident that the manager won't play two tens in a knockout game against a good team who is more threatening on the counterattack and has a lot more quality. Yeah.

[Gary Lineker]

So one or two changes to come. I think it's unlikely that Bellingham and Rodgers will feature both in the same team. Harry, thank you very much for joining us. Enjoy your last week or two before you start properly training.

[Harry Maguire]

Thank you very much.

[Gary Lineker]

The dreaded pre season.

[Harry Maguire]

Oh, no, I'm not looking forward to it. I never did.

[Gary Lineker]

Cheers, Harry. Thanks a lot.

[Harry Maguire]

See you soon.

[Rob Jones]

Bye.

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[Harry Maguire]

Enjoy.

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[Gary Lineker]

Let's talk about Jude Bellingham. I know you mentioned him at, at the top, Alan. I mean he's, he's, he's a mentality monster and he's outstanding. He's. I, I love watching him play.

[Alan Shearer]

He's, he's been England's best player. I think in, in the three games. You know, there are moments in games where you're going to have sticky patches and things aren't going for you and you look to your big hitters, you look to your big players to do something different, something brilliant that, something that changes the course of the game. And he did that today. He did that with that first goal because it wasn't a great ball in from the corner, but he made it a good ball, you know. And say what you want about the defending, which was poor, but the strength, the ability to have the balance and then to flick it in like he did, that's what changed the game today because you could see England getting frustrated. The longer it went on, it was going to get more and more difficult and you need your big hitters just to make that difference. And he's a big hitter and he was brilliant.

[Gary Lineker]

He's tenacious as well, isn't he? Such. I mean, he's a born winner and a born leader.

[Rob Jones]

Well, that was interesting that when we did the chat with Morgan Rogers before the tournament, he said, he is the most competitive person I've ever met. Harry Kane's quotes after the game today said he's had the bit between his teeth throughout the campaign since we met in Florida. I actually wonder whether that that conversation about who is going to be the number 10 winds him up and maybe even that Thomas Tuchel might have fueled that a little bit to just push him on a bit more. And actually it's maybe credit to Morgan Rogers that we even had that conversation, because this is a guy who plays for Real Madrid, who's an absolute superstar.

[Gary Lineker]

Yeah, how was the ever a debate really? I mean, I don't want to be rude to Morgan, Roger. I think he's a fabulous player, but you need your big players a bit like the bridal Cup, Ian. I mean, you're known as the postman because you always turn up and you always deliver. You need people with strong mentalities as much as ability, isn't it?

[Ian Poulter]

You do. And I think as a player, you've got to come out with confidence. And that's, you know, certainly watching the last few games, that's what he has. And you have to help the rest of the team if the team don't have that type of confidence. So have you felt at times during

[Gary Lineker]

a Ryder cup, so you go back to golf, but times in tournaments, particularly the Last Day of the Singers, when you know something's happened, do you feel to yourself, this is my moment. I've got to make this happen?

[Ian Poulter]

Yeah, definitely. I mean, definitely. It's part of the whole team dynamic. Right. I just think some players are quite quiet. Some are. Some allowed. Some want to say they're going to go out and produce the goods, and some just go about doing their business.

[Gary Lineker]

Don't think you're the quiet one.

[Harry Maguire]

Were you?

[Ian Poulter]

No. And, you know, Jude's. Jude's that guy. I mean, you have to, you know, if you can bring the team up with a bit of energy, do you

[Gary Lineker]

think you can train the mind to get in a zone, to get in a moment when the pressure is really high? 2012, six birdies in a row. I remember. That was incredible.

[Ian Poulter]

Five.

[Gary Lineker]

Was it five?

[Ian Poulter]

Who's counting? Well, Rory made one.

[Gary Lineker]

You let me down.

[Ian Poulter]

Yeah. You know, it's. You know, when you look through the whole team and, you know, for us as a Ryder cup team, you know, that Ryder cut, we was being hammered and it was miserable and it was like, you know, how are we going to turn this around? And all of a sudden, when the tide starts to change and you get the momentum, go back on your side, it's amazing how quickly that can flip.

[Gary Lineker]

Micah's arrived.

[Alan Shearer]

Has he?

[Gary Lineker]

Yes. That means we've got to go over there to talk to him. Micah, we've been talking about Jude Bellingham. What did you make of him today?

[Micah Richards]

Yeah, when it comes to Jude, I think we had that conversation before the tournament starts. I'm a big fan of Morgan Rogers, absolutely outstanding player. But when you've got someone like Jude Bellingham, who he just epitomizes a big game player, you don't. You don't do what he does in the game from when he's gone from Birmingham to go to Dortmund at such a young age, to go to Dortmund, to Real Madrid to win the Champions League, and just. He lives for these occasions. And it was never really a debate for me, I thought, with Bellingham and Rodgers that could potentially play together. But people was actually saying that Jude Bellingham shouldn't start for England. And I never really understood that, because whether he's running back with the tenacity in midfield, whether he's creating, whether he's driving the team on or whether he's scoring important goals, I just thought if there was one player on the pitch today that epitomises England and what it should be was Jude Bellingham. I just thought it was sensational in a difficult fixture.

[Gary Lineker]

Shall we talk about that geezer that scored another goal today that went past someone's record, Harry Kane? I mean, he messed. Oh, here he goes. Come on, get it out. Get it over with.

[Micah Richards]

Hey, I know. Hey, come on. Hold on, hold on, hold on. I've been doing BE speeches on earth for many. Ian, lovely to see you.

[Ian Poulter]

Good to see you.

[Micah Richards]

Huge fan. Love your car collection. Absolutely fantastic. Rob and then the two other nerds in there. But Harry, Harry, Harry, Harry. I absolutely love you, Harry. No more. He's not relevant anymore. He's irrelevant.

[Gary Lineker]

Shut the fuck up. I'll let you back. I'll let you back because it's really late.

[Micah Richards]

There.

[Rob Jones]

One way of shutting up, Micah. By the way, Gary, we spoke to him, obviously, after he equaled your record with the goals in the first group game. There is another little message from Harry today, having broken that record.

[Gary Lineker]

Oh, sorry, Gary.

[Harry Maguire]

One ahead of you now, but, no, I'm sure he'll send some congratulations. And I've said before, one of England's greatest strikers, especially in World Cup. So, yeah, just got ahead of him now. I think it's a proud moment for myself and I'm sure he'll be happy.

[Gary Lineker]

Thank you very much, Harry. Sincere congratulations. Absolutely. I mean, I don't laugh because I genuinely mean it. I'm thrilled for him. You know, 40 years is a long time. I was kind of bored of it now, to be honest. I needed someone and I couldn't be more thrilled that it's Harry Kane because he's.

[Micah Richards]

Come on, seriously.

[Harry Maguire]

What?

[Micah Richards]

That celebration when he was on the sofa. You was like. You was fiddling with yourself. You were smiling, you were sad.

[Ian Poulter]

Teach yourselves.

[Gary Lineker]

Fiddling with myself. It was a great goal.

[Rob Jones]

If he was fiddling with himself, it

[Gary Lineker]

was a great goal. But I didn't get aroused by it, Micah, that's for sure. He texted you after the game as well?

[Alan Shearer]

Yeah.

[Gary Lineker]

Sent you a message, mate. Should you play golf with him or something?

[Ian Poulter]

Play golf with him? Played in the Scottish Open with him a number of years ago. And he absolutely sends it.

[Gary Lineker]

I mean, he hits it long, doesn't he? Is he?

[Rob Jones]

Yeah.

[Ian Poulter]

Nice player. Plays off 2.

[Rob Jones]

Played with Brooks Koepka recently, didn't he?

[Ian Poulter]

He did, yeah. A couple of weeks. Pre. Like pre camp.

[Rob Jones]

Yeah.

[Gary Lineker]

That's the highlight of his golfing team.

[Ian Poulter]

Thanks.

[Gary Lineker]

Sorry. We played together 20. How long? 24 years. Dunhill Links. We were partners. Yeah, right. Well, you did

[Ian Poulter]

not too. Not too bad.

[Gary Lineker]

Oh, shit. We've all played.

[Alan Shearer]

I played with him at Wentworth in the prom as well.

[Ian Poulter]

Yeah?

[Alan Shearer]

Yeah, I was.

[Harry Maguire]

Shit.

[Gary Lineker]

You know what we need now? We need Harry Kane to come back to the Premier League and beat his bloody record. Micah. That's what we want, isn't it?

[Micah Richards]

Yeah. What's the offer? You al. I know you know the exact number. Go on, tell us.

[Alan Shearer]

Somewhere between. Is it 47 and 49, something like that?

[Gary Lineker]

48, Micah? I think it's about 48, I think. I think we absolutely.

[Ian Poulter]

You know exactly what it is.

[Gary Lineker]

He came off quite, quite late. You know, you just thought perhaps once he scored a goal, he might rest him a little bit. And Ollie Watkins came on.

[Alan Shearer]

Yeah, I thought Ollie Watkins might have came on a little bit earlier, actually, because I thought the game was. Was. Was crying out for someone to make, you know, those. He makes those brilliant runs in behind. Yeah. When the ball's just being able to. To get into the. To the. To the hall of someone and then it's his run, his running behind. I think he's brilliant at that. And I felt that was that what the game was needed at that particular time. So, yeah, I thought he might have come on a little bit earlier.

[Gary Lineker]

Now, in our WhatsApp group chat during the game, you two were both getting a little bit impatient, a little bit frustrated, and I was. I was the opposite. I was telling everyone to calm down, it's fine. I. I don't. I think sometimes we forget, you know, what it's like playing in World cup matches. Alan. Sorry, Micah. It ain't easy. I think sometimes we think we've got this divine right just to batter everyone and it's not that easy. And I thought, actually I saw good signs in the first half. I don't think we were brilliant, obviously, but I thought, you know, they were quite progressive. I think we were pretty good down the left hand side. Bellingham was terrific. I think I said to Harry Maguire, I thought Rashford was a threat. Some of the things didn't quite come off for him, but I think he looks really shocked. I think there are a lot of positives and I was never in doubt that we would win. Why were you all so kind of nervy about things and negative?

[Micah Richards]

Come on, let me go first here, Al.

[Alan Shearer]

Go on then.

[Micah Richards]

Because I agree with you in terms of. They was going to win the game, Gaz, and that's a fair point. But you can't tell me that they were playing exciting football, that they looked like a real team that wanted to take risks. In that first half they didn't really play well defensively. I thought they did really well. Second half, the game opened up a little bit. Jews started making those runs. The connections were a little bit better. But I'm judging England by the players that they have and the top manager that they have got and brought in with Thomas Tuchel. And in that first half, nothing was really clicking. It was again a little bit too slow. Panama didn't go ultra low block like Ghana. They were sort of in that mid block and we just didn't create enough opportunities. I don't just look at the result, I look at the performances. Because, you know, as you go into the latter stages of the tournament, it's going to become more difficult. I don't want to be negative about England.

[Gary Lineker]

I think England will. I think England will be better against better teams. I think we're more of a counter attacking side. Quick on the break, high press.

[Alan Shearer]

Alan. I would worry about us against a better team because we're giving too many chances away to weaker opposition. If you look at who we played against, it's different though, isn't it? They attacked us twice, Garner, and we were fortunate. One should have been a penalty and we got a free kick, which was never a free kick because Jordan Pickford brought him down. When they attacked us today, I thought we were open and I think with better forwards playing against us, we won't get away.

[Gary Lineker]

Wouldn't necessarily play that way against a really good team, would you? You wouldn't throw everybody forward like you'd

[Rob Jones]

have to have rice in, wouldn't you?

[Alan Shearer]

Well, when we conceded too against Croatia and I don't think Croatia any great shape.

[Micah Richards]

Yeah, but Gaz, Gaz and Al, this is what people are talking about. And you guys have played football at the highest level. If you go a goal down against an Argentina, say they get a goal, Messi scores and you get them in the semis, quarters, whatever it may be, wherever the run takes you. And if they score first, Argentina are going to go into a low block. That's exactly what they're going to do. Plus they've got better defenders. Doing that. So England are going to be open. I agree with Alan's point there. They're too easy to play through without being really creative going forward. I come back, I've done the Colombia game, which we'll probably talk about a little bit later on. They had so much urgency, so much energy, so much creativity. Yes. The game ended nil. Nil. But you could see the patterns of play. I just say with England, I'm expecting a little bit more because the calibre.

[Gary Lineker]

You don't want to peak too soon in this tournament. You get through the group stage, then you work things out right in.

[Ian Poulter]

Yeah, 100%.

[Alan Shearer]

You know what I think? I think he's without doubt. He's still searching for the right thing on both sides, fullbacks and wingers.

[Gary Lineker]

I thought O'Reilly was really good.

[Alan Shearer]

It hasn't quite worked. What he's looking for, he's having to constantly change the back four because of injuries and because of all of that, I think there's a. There looks a bit of an. I don't know, not an unrest, but they don't look comfortable when. When they're being attacked.

[Gary Lineker]

Every. Every game's different, obviously. Rob Quanza, injuries, another defense.

[Rob Jones]

Here we go again. Yeah. We had a very similar conversation last night, didn't we? Firstly, I'll take issue with Micah not saying that my career with Deer Park Rangers was not playing football at the highest level. It's very disrespectful.

[Ian Poulter]

Micah,

[Rob Jones]

Deer Park Rangers managers, Player of the year one year. I think that's just because I turned up every week, which I might need to do it right back because.

[Harry Maguire]

Yeah.

[Rob Jones]

Thomas Tuchel says about Jarell Quanza going off. It is a classic ankle twist. He is in pain. It will be a very tight race for the next game. I think we can safely say that Rhys James will not be there.

[Ian Poulter]

No.

[Rob Jones]

Doesn't sound like Jarell Quanza is going to be there. Where do they go next? Micah, get your boots off.

[Micah Richards]

I could dust them down. If you see over my shoulder there, you can see my old boots. Mr. Two on there. I'm ready to go.

[Ian Poulter]

Is that them going mouldy? They've gone a bit green.

[Gary Lineker]

It's your Bertie mes. Your Bertie mes. I'm worried about. Who plays it right back next game? Jed Spence? Possibly.

[Alan Shearer]

Probably Jed Spence. He's got the option of putting Konza there and John Stones in the middle. But I'd also be a little bit concerned as Jon started the first game and hasn't played any part in the other two. I don't know whether he has a slight injury as well or not, I don't know. But it has been a bit of a. Bit of a surprise that he hasn't played any part in the last two games.

[Gary Lineker]

That's it for this episode of the Rest is Football. We'll be back in a few days. It's knockout time. It all starts now. Goodbye from me.