Lloyd Kelly and Kenan Davies are tipped to be named in Thomas Tuchel’s England squad for the first time.
The pair face off at the Bruin Energy Stadium, with Udinese hosting Juventus, a game the England boss will certainly be keeping an eye on.
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Kelly started on the left side of the back three, while Davies partnered Nicolo Zaniolo up front. As expected, Juventus dominated possession so Kelly was able to showcase his ball-control skills.
Kelly overlapping center back?
A few times, he took the ball into space. When full-back Andrea Cambiaso is further up the pitch, Kelly uses his pace and composure to push the ball wide.
At one point, the 27-year-old slipped past Zaniolo, causing the Italian to drag him to the ground before receiving his first yellow card of the game.
Later in the second half, Kelly responded with a tactical foul on Zaniolo’s chance to equalize.
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Even without the ball, the former Bournemouth and Newcastle man can feature out wide or occasionally drop into midfield when Udinese have the ball.
However, the most impressive aspect of his game is his passing, especially long balls. Udinese couldn’t keep the ball over the top but found players in the final third on three occasions, notably finding Kenan Yildiz on the left wing, who passed the ball to Jeremy Boga, who scored the only goal of the game.
Davis looks dangerous
Davis came to life in the second half. He was found in space and carried the ball into the Juventus penalty area, where he unselfishly passed the ball to Jurgen Eklenkamp, ​​but the Dutchman was unable to convert the ball.
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He looked dangerous on the counter, sitting deep and waiting for the Old Lady to lose the ball, and when they did, he was on target every time. He is fast and powerful on the ball.
Although Davies never missed a chance to score, he showed the qualities of a great striker. His nine goals in Serie A this season will prove he is capable of scoring goals.
Many of the games he played for the team came after a rough season. Harry Kane is undoubtedly England’s number nine, but his backup role is up for grabs and Davies is struggling.
Kelly’s performances throughout the season should be enough for Tuchel to make up his mind. His versatility can come in handy at either centre-back or left-back, and his overall ability is on par with any other competitive player. It can be said that his performance is enough to replace the fading John Stones to get the starting position.
England face Uruguay and Japan during the international break in March and if Tuchel is to take a closer look at uncapped players ahead of the World Cup, Davies and Kelly should be his first choice.
