IInevitably, the headlines have focused on Jack Grealish, as has plenty of discussion with Gareth Southgate after a horrific ordeal of around 24 hours. No one ever pretended that becoming England manager would be a simple matter. Picking your lineup for a major event is a time to reinforce this.
This time last year, Glarish was preparing for the Champions League final as an integral part of Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City starting XI. As we all know, this was the third and final step in his and his team’s journey to Triple Crown immortality.
Likewise, everyone will remember the three-night bash it sparked in nightclubs from Istanbul to Ibiza to Manchester – in that order. When Grealish reported for England at the end of the season, he admitted he was still hungover.
So what went wrong with Glarish this season, so deep down he knew the bad news Southgate delivered after a day’s training was coming? Obviously, he’s not the same player. That’s the short answer. All of his numbers are down. He was not as actively involved as Manchester City. Southgate would never go into detail about the cause and effect from previous campaigns to now.
Now is not the time. Rather, it’s a sense of empathy that extends to James Maddison, who has followed a much similar trajectory to Greeley’s — just compressed into one season. After joining Tottenham Hotspur from Leicester City last summer, it’s hard to imagine things getting better for Maddison as he played a major role in his new club’s surge to the top of the table. That all changed when he suffered a serious injury against Chelsea in early November.
After three months of layoff, Madison failed to return to his best level. Like Grelish, he is fragile. he knows. If there’s one thing that has influenced Southgate’s approach to this World Cup, it’s that he hasn’t shied away from the tough decisions. Just ask two of his stalwarts – Jordan Henderson and Marcus Rashford – who were axed during the makeshift squad stage. This comes against the backdrop of Southgate’s gentle but ruthless phasing out of Raheem Sterling.
Tensions have been high in the England squad in recent days as everyone awaits unpleasant news. If it’s not for a specific player, then it’s for teammates and friends. It works. Declan Rice spoke emotionally about the departure of two of his closest friends in the organization, Grelish and Maddison. Southgate admits he can’t wait for Friday night’s Wembley clash with Iceland to arrive. And so begins a difficult one-on-one conversation.
It must be easier for Southgate to tell James Trafford, Jarrell Quaassa, Jarrad Branthwaite and Curtis Jones that they won’t be involved; their time will be Will come in the future. But as the dust settles and Southgate bangs the drum for New England, with a completely revamped squad heading into the 2022 World Cup, with 13 new players new to that tournament, it’s hard to ignore. Leigh Maguire is the reality of the biggest news.
Of course, lower profile than Grealish. But unlike him, Maguire will definitely start in Germany. His absence will fundamentally change the way England approach relations.
No doubt there will be a corner of the internet celebrating Maguire’s injury absence. Finally, Southgate could select a quicker partner for John Stones at centre-back and England would be able to position themselves higher and worry less about the ball in behind. That partner is likely to be Marc Guéhi, one of four Crystal Palace players in the squad. Southgate also named Louis Dunk and Ezri Konsa.
Southgate, on the other hand, will lose other things in Maguire’s absence – aerial power in both boxes, strong one-on-one defence, leadership. Southgate said at the last European Cup in 2021 that he had four “seniors” in his team – Harry Kane, Maguire, Henderson and Sterling. There’s only one left.
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It is the responsibility of the older players to make up for this shortcoming. Kane is captain; so are Kyle Walker, Kieran Trippier, Jordan Pickford, Stones and Luke Shaw. But there is also a group of fast-rising names – Rice, Jude Bellingham, Bukayo Saka and Phil Foden. Rice joked that he was now an old man in midfield.
It sometimes feels like Maguire has been endlessly caricatured, but that ignores how he has quietly become one of the comeback stories of the season, starting bottom of the table for United and finishing at the top of the table against England I experienced a personal nightmare during the game. He was recalled to Manchester United on November 7 and, when fit, has effectively become a member of the starting lineup.
Maguire’s body eventually betrayed him. Southgate said he would not play in the group stages as the player suffered a setback as he recovers from a calf injury. There may be no match for some time after that.
With Trippier recovering from injury and Shaw only expected to be available as a substitute in the second game after recovering from a muscle problem, Southgate felt he could not field an extra backup defender for fear of weaken other aspects of the team. Maguire felt the squeeze, and it was made worse because he didn’t see it coming. Shaw was the only gamble he thought he could take.
So the theme of brutality is intertwined with excitement and anticipation, the latter fueled largely by the young rush of Cole Palmer, Eberechi Ezei and Anthony Gordon in the offensive zone; Adam Walton Wharton’s astonishing rise in midfield. Now is the time for new connections to be made and another test of the culture Southgate has instilled. He will happily look forward.
