A big break for Mainoo but now Southgate faces tough decisions
IN one respect, England’s international break felt like a missed opportunity but in another, it feels like it provided a bit of clarity.
For as long as Leeds-born Kalvin Phillips has been on the Manchester City fringes, who plays alongside Declan Rice in England's midfield has been a big question mark. With decision-day fast approaching, Kobbie Mainoo might just have resolved it.
The composure the Manchester United player showed in flashes as a substitute against Brazil on Friday were a reassuring sign of the temperament to handle a major tournament even aged 18. The substance he backed it up with on his first start, against Belgium – making the penalty another full debutant, Ivan Toney, dispatched – showed there is no reason to hold him back.
Never mind the squad, Mainoo looks ready for the XI – less of a gamble than Trent Alexander-Arnold to risk-averse manager Gareth Southgate, more energetic than Southgate favourite Jordan Henderson.
The thought of Leeds United's Archie Gray joining the midfield mix in the pre-2026 World Cup cycle is exciting, but for now Euro 2024 can be the only focus.
If it felt simplistic to call the two friendlies a shoot-out between Toney and Ollie Watkins, it was probably the reality, much as many fans would probably like to take both. It finished Toney 1, Watkins 0.
Watkins is in better club form and led the press well against Brazil but Toney was a good outlet and scored a penalty versus Belgium. His record from 12 yards matters with a tournament shoot-out always possible.
Debutant Anthony Gordon and former Hull City player Jarrod Bowen complicated matters by playing well in the back-up wide positions the likes of Jack Grealish, Marcus Rashford, Cole Palmer and James Maddison have their eye on, and can also play at centre-forward.
The uncertainty in defence was much less healthy.
Sheffielder Harry Maguire once more showed his vulnerabilities but no one has been pushing him.
Lewis Dunk and Jarrad Branthwaite look well-suited to the highline, comfortable-in-possession jobs demanded of modern centre-backs.
Brighton defender Dunk doubled his cap collection but mistakes for goals in both games have surely scrubbed him off the list.
As for Branthwaite, who knows? The 21-year-old Evertonian not playing a single minute felt like an opportunity missed and a sign he can book a summer holiday. He will surely be a big part of the post-tournament rebuild but it seems like it will take quite a few injuries for Southgate of all people to gamble on an uncapped central defender in a major tournament.
But a few injuries are always a possibility with an intense English season entering its final phase with many fighting for something.
One of the strengths of Southgate's squad is that since the buildup to the 2018 World Cup it has been founded on the same core of players still at a good age to be performing at elite level – Jordan Pickford, Harry Kane, the Yorkshire defensive trio of Harry Maguire, John Stones and Kyle Walker, joined by Declan Rice, Jude Bellingham and Luke Shaw over the last four years or so.
He has built a serious team who know each other’s games inside out.
But one of the weaknesses is that since the build-up to the 2018 World Cup the squad has been founded on the same core of players, limiting the scope of those on the fringes to show what they can do.
Not that we did not know it already, but this month hammered home how vulnerable England are to certain injuries.
Take any side’s stars out and they struggle but England have more must-picks than most without the depth France flexed in Qatar.
Without the injured Kane, England had a full debutant leading the line against Belgium. Toney is not a teenage bolter like Mainoo, Michael Owen or Wayne Rooney, but a 28-year-old with 76 Premier League appearances. Can he transfer his club form to international level in a way Dunk struggled to? We hope so.
Shaw is so far ahead as England's best left-back that the drop-off is alarming, at least with his right-footed deputy, Kieran Trippier, missing.
Running out of time to play again this season, Shaw has started just 14 games this season. Ben Chilwell has only kicked off 13 for Chelsea, and four for England since November 2021. Neither of March’s performances demanded selection.
Stones' early injury on Tuesday was a reminder his body is creaking too, with no more than four consecutive Manchester City starts in this campaign. The only other centrebacks with more than 10 caps are his partner, Maguire, and Eric Dier (49).
Walker going off on Friday induced a flutter of panic and goalkeeper Sam Johnstone's seasonending injury leaves Arsenal No 2 Aaron Ramsdale as the most likely back-up to Pickford unless Nick Pope can get fit.
Mainoo’s emergence makes a formidable team stronger, but as for the squad? Fingers crossed we never find out.