Southgate loyalty over form again

[WilliamMunny]

If Grealish and TAA had started instead of Sterling and James, we might have been 7 up instead of a measly 5. Swap Abraham for Kane as well and it would surely be 10!

 

[JonnyHistory]

If Grealish and TAA had started instead of Sterling and James, we might have been 7 up instead of a measly 5. Swap Abraham for Kane as well and it would surely be 10!

Coburn upfront, we could have seen a baker's dozen

 

[Ingleby_Flash]

Kane, header, left foot, right foot, clearly inconsistent

 

[Abel Tasman]

Blimey. The OP has had an absolute mare here

 

[billsykes]

Blimey. The OP has had an absolute mare here

Wasted, he's hiding behind the settee waiting for everyone to go to bed.

 

[TeaCider]

To add to the humour and how silly the opening post looks, Grealish is apparently only missing from the starting 11 because he's been ill this week.

So even if Grealish had actually been in good form, and the OP hadn't just been bizarrely hypocritical for complaining about out of form players being picked, he'd still look daft for moaning about him not starting.

 

[Ironops]

Life comes at you fast eh Duffman

 

[Block 86]

Sterling - out of form
Maguire - out of form
Kane - out of form

all selected on loyalty.
No Alexander Arnold
No Grealish

another manager wasting a great generation of players?

You picked a good username

 

[Muttley]

another manager wasting a great generation of players?

 

[Soutra]

Bad timing with the original post but in some respects he is right. By the time the World Cup rolls around Southgate will be picking Maguire, Kane, Sterling, Pickford, Stones, Henderson and co irrespective of their form at the time. Those players know their places are safe. They'll even be picked if injured.

For those players like Calvert Lewin, the other goalies, Mings, Coady, Ward Prowse, Abrahams, etc won't get to play other than a token two minutes when England are winning and running down the clock. Some of those who played last night shouldn't have been picked based on form. It worked last night because the opposition was 5th rate but they'll be found out against good teams.

 

[festa5]

There's a balance to be had clearly. You want players in form for their clubs to be given a fair chance to replicate that form for the national team and break into the starting 11 if good enough.

But form at club level doesn't necessarily reflect how well a player plays for the national team. Other nations pick experienced players almost irrespective of club form. Some have even won major tournaments doing so. Italy being a prime example. The most extreme example is probably Miroslav Klose. If Germany were picking their sides on club form alone he'd have been nowhere near. Instead he's the all time record scorer at world cups.

Its a massive oversimplification to say Southgate is just picking his favourites or whatever. You'd think he'd have proven to most he knows what he's doing by now. He's not perfect, but previous England managers with bigger reputations have failed to match his achievements with better squads at their disposal. But I suppose you'll always get people insisting if only he'd pick a team of 21 year old wonder kids we'd win every tournament at a canter.

 

[WilliamMunny]

Bad timing with the original post but in some respects he is right. By the time the World Cup rolls around Southgate will be picking Maguire, Kane, Sterling, Pickford, Stones, Henderson and co irrespective of their form at the time. Those players know their places are safe. They'll even be picked if injured.

For those players like Calvert Lewin, the other goalies, Mings, Coady, Ward Prowse, Abrahams, etc won't get to play other than a token two minutes when England are winning and running down the clock. Some of those who played last night shouldn't have been picked based on form. It worked last night because the opposition was 5th rate but they'll be found out against good teams.

What a load of tosh. Aside from the fact that Henderson isn’t a regular starter and Stones was dropped altogether when he was out of favour at Man City, Southgate has shown he is more than happy to promote players when they deserve it - see Foden, James, Saka. The fact is that Mings and Coady are inferior to Stones and Maguire and DCL and Abrahams are not even close to being in the same vicinity as Kane. JWP is a decent player, but he’s not at the same level as Rice or Mount.

Over the next 12 months the likes of White, Tomori, Grealish, Bellingham, TAA, Ramsdale and Smith-Rowe will have chances to stake a claim to be involved in Qatar. As was the case this summer with Phillips and Saka, it’s likely that one or two of them will have forced their way into the starting line up when the World Cup begins.