Gareth Southgate, England and a welcome shift to focus on the football. Just don't mention the wardrobe.
Plus 25 of Southgate’s 33-man training squad have played in the Championship, League One or League Two.
When Gareth Southgate was a player heading into tournaments, the headlines pursuing England tended to be toxic. There were dentist chairs, a landlady’s supposedly magical healing hands, damaged hotel rooms after selection summits and the enduring scourge of fans fighting. Southgate now heads into a tournament with the sole front-page headline obsessing over the cardigan he will wear at the Euros, which in itself may prove a non-story given the clement weather. Don’t mention the wardrobe.
The only hysteria around England at training at Rockliffe Park yesterday was the throng of animated kids, and a couple of pushy parents, by the gates, testing the patience of hotel staff. It reflects the interest in the players, largely a collection of impressive role models under Southgate.
Southgate has changed England’s culture so much that little controversy surrounds the team. The main questions are over his in-game management, footballing questions. The only questions around tonight’s penultimate warm-up game against Bosnia & Herzegovina at St James’ Park are footballing ones. Can Marc Guehi impress on Southgate he should be starting ahead of Harry Maguire alongside John Stones at centre-back at the Euros? Guehi, a calm, mobile leader, deserves his chance against Edin Dzeko, even if Southgate will doubtless stay loyal to Maguire.
So many more footballing questions. Will Cole Palmer show on his first start for England that he can put pressure on Bukayo Saka, Southgate’s favoured one on the right? Even if Saka looks unmoveable, Palmer surely makes Southgate’s final 26, bringing invention wide, or as a No 10, and also a nerveless penalty-taker.
Can Trent Alexander-Arnold prove to Southgate that he can create in tight central-midfield areas and break down Bosnia’s low block? Ukrainians reflected after their tricky Euro 2024 play-off semi-final win over Bosnia that they should have been quicker in transition out wide, and Alexander-Arnold brings possesses that quarterback ability to release England’s wingers as well as players through the middle.
Also, can Eberechi Eze make a case for his inclusion in Southgate’s final 26 given the quality of attacking midfielders and 10s England have? An eye-catching performance might put more pressure on Jack Grealish. Will Ollie Watkins move ahead of Ivan Toney in the race to be Harry Kane’s understudy? Southgate caused a minor stir when suggesting that he didn’t want to take too many strikers to the Euros, effectively competing for one starting slot which belongs to Kane anyway. If Watkins starts tonight, and assuming Kane returns against Iceland at Wembley on Friday, then Toney’s spot in the 26 to be announced late on Friday is at risk.
Having covered England through all the chaos of the front-page eras, it is refreshing to witness all this focus on the football. One thing that doesn’t change is the obsession with the result as Southgate acknowledged with a knowing smile. “The result always matters because we will have three days of whatever if we don’t win!”
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And now the regular reminder of the importance of the pyramid. It is very easy working in the media to concentrate on the elite – more hits – but that also ignores how vital EFL clubs are in helping develop players. Gareth Southgate’s three strikers, Harry Kane, Ivan Toney and Ollie Watkins, have 500 appearances in the Championship, League One and League Two between them. 500 reasons to be grateful to the EFL. Southgate’s four keepers, Jordan Pickford, Aaron Ramsdale, Dean Henderson and James Trafford have racked up 302 Championship, League One and League Two games between them.
Out of Southgate’s 33-man training squad, 25 have played in the Championship, League One or League Two. The squad has 2,743 appearances in EFL competitions, including 1,408 in the Championship. 29 current EFL clubs have contributed to the careers of Southgate’s squad, either by coming through the academy or playing in a senior game. Simply running through the many names highlights the development power of the EFL.
So, deep breath…
Sunderland (Pickford academy)
Bolton (Ramsdale academy, Trafford loan)
Carlisle (D Henderson academy, Trafford academy, Pickford loan, Branthwaite academy)
Burton (Pickford loan)
Bradford (Pickford loan)
Preston (Pickford loan)
AFC Wimbledon (Ramsdale loan in L1)
Accrington (Trafford loan)
Southampton (Shaw academy)
Northampton (Walker loan, Toney academy)
QPR (Walker loan, Eze)
Barnsley (Trippier loan, Stones academy, Toney loan)
Charlton (Gomez academy, Konsa academy, Gallagher loan).
And another deep breath, and more…
Wigan (Maguire loan, Toney)
Bristol Rovers (Quansah loan)
Swansea City (Guehi loan, Gallagher loan)
Birmingham (Bellingham academy)
Coventry (Maddison academy)
Blackburn (Wharton academy)
Norwich (Maddison)
Reading (Eze academy)
Millwall (Eze academy, Kane loan)
Hull (Bowen, Maguire)
Notts County (Grealish loan)
Wycombe (Eze loan)
Leyton Orient (Kane loan)
Leicester (Kane loan, Maddison)
Exeter (Watkins)
Shrewsbury (Toney loan)
Peterborough (Toney).
If you’ve recovered breath, you could add Watford (Saka academy) as he was in their academy until joining Arsenal at seven and also add two teams heading to the EFL – relegated Sheffield United (Walker, Maguire, D Henderson, Ramsdale) and promoted Chesterfield (Ramsdale). The EFL matters. And the Premier League clubs debating how much money to redistribute through the game will surely remember the foundations on which they are built.
Good article but Trent Alexander-Arnold is never going to be a top quality central midfield player thinking the game. He is a right back. That’s his best position where he has more room to move onto things. He has got away with it so far in the games for England that he has played in there but he has played against some poor teams. No test. A lot different against top quality players who close you down and you are getting the ball on the half turn. I mean Klopp is no mug. If he thought he could play on there he would have started home in central midfield and not inverted as a RB. There was a reason for this. Right back is his best position.
Watkins is better choice than Toney. I don’t see the fuss over Toney. I think he is so overrated. Not even 6ft. He is quite small. He it s a good player but nothing special. Arsenal were never interested and won’t sign him in my opinion. Watkins should go.
England are going to have great options off the bench in forward areas. Gareth has to use these well. Grealish is big decision. Others playing much better but lack experience. Gone backwards this season. Been poor. Doesn’t go by anyone anymore or shoot. Just goes down the left and cuts back onto his right. Slows City down at times to much.