IS GARETH RIGHT TO LEAVE MADDISON OUT IN THE COLD?
NOA GREAT deal of Gareth Southgate’s press conference today will be dominated by one of the names not on his 26-man list. Why have you shunned James Maddison? Did that casino visit in November 2019 come into your thinking?
If it was a football decision, don’t his numbers say he should be at the World Cup? Maddison has been one of the form footballers in the build-up to Qatar. He has been involved in 22 Premier League goals in 2022, scoring 13 and assisting nine for a struggling Leicester side. Mason Mount has been involved in 13 goals for
Chelsea by comparison (scoring six, assisting seven) and Jack Grealish has been involved in three for Manchester City (scoring two, assisting one). Southgate likes to show loyalty. He has got his favourites. But this could come back to bite him. He is already under pressure after a lack of progression since Euro 2020. If England struggle creatively in any games in Qatar, Southgate will be reminded that
he disregarded Maddison. A few days ago, I was asked to name my line-up for the opener against Iran. I had Maddison starting at No 10! He has made mistakes (in 2019 when he withdrew from the England squad because of illness, only to be pictured gambling in a Leicester casino). But then so has Phil Foden (the shameful saga in Iceland). So has Grealish (the Covid lockdown violations). So has Harry Maguire (the assault accusation in Greece). They are still set to represent England. Maddison will not, however, and that is strange. What more could Maddison have done to get into England’s squad? Well, let’s see what Southgate says when he is asked that question today.
YESHE MAY be gentle and easygoing but Gareth Southgate is not a man to be crossed.
James Maddison has found that out to his detriment.
It is three years since the Leicester attacker played for England, and given his talent that is a travesty.
So, is it all because of the night spent at the poker table? Southgate, at least publicly, will say it is not.
The England manager will point to the number of attacking players he has at his disposal. He would be right, of course. But Southgate’s reluctance to play with an out-and-out No 10 has also provided mitigation for the 25-year-old’s omission. But the eyes don’t lie: Maddison is clearly one of the best central attackers in the country — his constant non-selection defies football logic.
So, there has to be more; something in Maddison that Southgate just doesn’t fancy. It appears that Maddison was gambling with more than just money when he spent that night in the casino when he should have been on duty with England. He was risking his international career, too. Southgate is fiercely loyal to the players who have given him everything.
That is why Kyle Walker and Kalvin Phillips, who are recovering from surgeries, are optimistic about getting the nod when Southgate names his World Cup squad today.
If that loyalty and trust is not reciprocated then Southgate is a principled man who simply does not forget. That may mean Maddison misses out on even making a 26-man squad today. In fairness, Southgate hasn’t got many decisions wrong during his reign.