Manchester City know what an elite level midfield anchor looks like. Or at least they used to before Rodri suffered a season-ending injury in September, preventing the Ballon d’Or winner from featuring in Saturday’s FA Cup final. In Adam Wharton, though, there was still a standout number six on the pitch.
Wharton was key to Crystal Palace’s history victory. While the 21-year-old didn’t get much opportunity to showcase his ability on the ball due to the Eagles’ game plan, he was crucial to his team’s strategy out of possession. Indeed, Wharton was prolific in breaking up Manchester City attacks time and time again.
City couldn’t get past Wharton. The 21-year-old wasn’t dribbled past once. Only Chris Richards made more blocks than Wharton who also registered four ball recoveries and won five duels. Crystal Palace needed someone to offer protection in front of their back four and Wharton was that figure for them.
It’s not just what Wharton can do against the ball that makes him such an exciting prospect, it’s what he can do on it. Crystal Palace didn’t have many prolonged periods of possession in the FA Cup final, but Wharton was still important as a valve in the centre of the pitch. More than once his passing started a counter-attack.
One wonders what Thomas Tuchel made of Wharton’s performance against Manchester City. The former Chelsea manager is moulding England ahead of the 2026 World Cup and the Crystal Palace midfielder is surely in his thoughts. Tuchel must find a place for Wharton in the Three Lions’ central unit.
Gareth Southgate struggled to find the right midfield balance over the course of his England tenure. This culminated in a messy Euro 2024 campaign which saw Southgate use several options including Conor Gallagher, Kobbie Mainoo and even Trent Alexander-Arnold alongside Declan Rice. The Alexander-Arnold experiment in particular was a failure.
England’s lack of midfield balance is a historic problem that goes back generations. Famously, Sven-Goran Eriksson failed to mesh Steven Gerrard and Frank Lampard as a duo when someone like Michael Carrick might have given England’s so-called ‘golden generation’ a stronger framework as a team.
Tuchel has inherited one of the strongest and deepest pools of players anywhere in international football. England have top-quality options all over the pitch. At Euro 2024, Southgate struggled for left backs. It was a problem position. Since then, Myles Lewis-Skelly has emerged as one of the best young left backs in the world. Lewis Hall has also enjoyed a breakout season.
In midfield, England similarly boast some of the best central operators in the game right now. Jude Bellingham is a proven difference maker, but his profile makes him a challenge to fit into a midfield unit. For Real Madrid, the 21-year-old has the freedom to get forward as a de facto number nine. For England, though, Harry Kane restricts his movement.
Rice continues to improve, but he is now more of a number eight than the number six many saw him at when he first established himself as an England starter. Then there’s Mainoo, who also played in a more advanced position for his club this season. There is a clear need for an anchor at the base of the midfield.
“He receives well, he’s very composed, he plays forward,” said Southgate when explaining the strengths of Wharton after overlooking the Crystal Palace midfielder at Euro 2024 when the England manager favoured over options. “That sounds simple but it’s not a simple thing to do. He plays a lot of one-touch football, he sees a picture when the ball arrives to him.”
For England, Wharton will be expected to do more with possession than he currently has to for Crystal Palace. The Three Lions will dominate the ball in certain matches at the 2026 World Cup, particularly in the group stage and the early rounds. However, Wharton’s key passing and ability to play through the lines suggests he would adapt easily.
Wharton’s biggest impact for England could be in the sort of games the Three Lions have fallen short in of late. Against Spain in the Euro 2024 final, for example, England lacked the guile to play through the likes of Gavi and Pedri in the centre of the pitch. They were suffocated by the pressure applied by the tournament’s eventual winners.
It was a similar story in the semi-finals of the 2018 World Cup when England were outplayed by an opposition midfield that included Luka Modrić, Ivan Rakitić and Marcelo Brozović. This is where the integration of Wharton could change the landscape for his country just as it has for his club.
(Cover image from IMAGO)
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