Gareth Southgate seeks to establish England meritocracy without privilege
Gareth Southgate says he overlooked a clutch of established names at top six clubs for the Euro 2020 qualifiers against Czech Republic and Bulgaria because he did not want the younger generation to believe there was “privileged access to certain players”.
The England manager’s most eyecatching call-ups were the young Chelsea duo Tammy Abraham and Fikayo Tomori. It is the first time the latter has been included and his elevation comes after only four Premier League starts. Abraham, who has eight goals this season, won caps against Germany and Brazil in 2017.
But the omissions were equally significant and they were headlined by Kyle Walker, Dele Alli and Jesse Lingard – each of whom started in the World Cup semi-final defeat against Croatia in 2018. Eric Dier, a substitute in that game, has also missed out and so has Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain.
Southgate made the point that telling players they are not needed for a particular get together is the worst part of his job but said no conversation would be as difficult as the one he had with Wayne Rooney, whose England career he effectively ended. That episode has steeled him.
“When you’re selecting a squad, the players need to see some sort of meritocracy when possible,” Southgate said. “Who am I going to leave out if I bring guys back in? Does it mean leaving out somebody who is scoring freely and playing exceptionally well just because they’re younger? I think that everyone within the squad would look and say: ‘OK, there’s a privileged access to certain players.’ To put them [Alli or Oxlade-Chamberlain] in means I’ve got to leave somebody out who is in form. So a Mason Mount or a James Maddison. Nothing has been as difficult as leaving Wayne [Rooney] out – because of what he’s done in the game and his seniority.”
It is questionable whether such a meritocracy existed during Southgate’s days as an England player but was there such intense competition for places? The new wave of young players, who also include Trent Alexander-Arnold, Ben Chilwell, Joe Gomez, Declan Rice, Marcus Rashford, Jadon Sancho and Callum Hudson-Odoi, have increased the pressure. Hudson-Odoi will be a part of the under-21s squad during the upcoming break, having only just returned from long-term injury.
Southgate has included only 11 of his squad from the World Cup finals, but expects to see players battle back. “All of the conversations we’ve had with the players [who have been left out], I’ve got to say they’re very realistic about the amount of football they’ve played and exactly where they’re at,” he said. “They’ve been very mature in how they’ve responded to that. I don’t expect anything other than a really good reaction.”
Walker was the surprise exclusion from the last squad, which won home games against Bulgaria and Kosovo, and it sounds as though he is firmly below Alexander-Arnold and Kieran Trippier in Southgate’s thinking. Right
back is an area of particular strength, where Aaron Wan-Bissaka has missed out because of tonsillitis.
“Kyle is the slightly more defensive full-back,” Southgate said. “He has good qualities with the ball but the other two boys [Alexander-Arnold and Trippier] we felt did well last month. We didn’t feel the decision to change would be the right one.”
A lack of football at club level has held back Alli, Oxlade-Chamberlain and Dier, with the latter having started only one game for Tottenham all season – the Carabao Cup exit against Colchester. Alli has been fit since the last international break, if not at full sharpness after hamstring trouble, but he has started only three times for Spurs while Oxlade-Chamberlain has started twice for Liverpool since he was included by Southgate in the previous squad.
Southgate did not pull his punches in his assessment of Alli, who has struggled for form since the beginning of last season. “The last 12 months in particular has been frustrating for him,” Southgate said. “He’s had hamstring injuries and he played a lot deeper last year. There were signs the other night [against Bayern Munich] of him getting into the areas where he is really dangerous and the high pressing. There are a few things for him to contend with. He’s got a fight on his hands at his club but I know his mentality will be to get back in.”
Lingard has not scored for Manchester United since January and Southgate mentioned how attacking midfielders “are going to be judged on goals and assists”. He added: “When you look at the likes of [Raheem] Sterling and Sancho, it’s a really high bar. Jesse’s had a difficult period and he’s aware of that but he’s another player that can fight back.”
Southgate said he had recalled Fabian Delph for his leadership and the defensive balance he brings to the midfield options.