Why do Press back Gareth? Because he’s usually right

IF you write about sport, one of the questions most frequently asked is why are the Press so supportive of gareth Southgate? Here’s the answer. Because he gets it right. not everything, not every game. We cannot always be in agreement, that would be impossible. many in the Press box would play a different player, or a different formation, many would tweak here or there. But when it comes to naming a squad for a major tournament, it is hard to disagree with his reasoning. In the end, he was not stubborn over James maddison (left), he did include Trent alexander-arnold and are we seriously going to fall out over Callum Wilson or Ivan Toney for the second, perhaps third, choice striker? Similarly, Conor gallagher versus James Ward-Prowse. We are talking squad men. neither is playing if everyone is fit, so he has gone with the 22-year-old. The logic is unquestionable. Personally, I would play a back four and start Bukayo Saka ahead of Raheem Sterling, so we differ, but I can see why Southgate does what he does. The more time the squad gets with him in tournaments the better they tend to look but preparation for Qatar lasts less than a week, so he probably has to stick with the familiar. and there is logic in that, too.