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Southgate: Episode IV - A New Hope


Rob1981
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Yeah Guehi played a load of games with Maguire but not with Stones.  Joking aside, when I went into bat for Maguire during the qualifiers it was usually because Stones wasn't available.  And I generally voted for Maguire + Guehi, even with Maguire out of form... rather than two inexperiened CBs being thrown in together.  If Stones had been more available I would have been much less bothered about Maguire being moved aside.

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I just can't believe how true to life the thread title from the England thread has come to life - how I learned to love Gareth. Well done @Rob1981, definitely called it :applause:

Drops Hendo, and now no Maguire. Grealish too. Just can't believe my eyes :D 

For all the criticism Gareth gets, he will make some bold choices when it calls for it. Just hope he doesn't try the subs before pens trick this time around. 

Very excited for the full squad announcement now :thup:

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59 minutes ago, Rob1981 said:

Oh you'd all love that, wouldn't you? 

Drop Henderson, drop Phillips, drop Rashford, lose Maguire to injury... Then we win the trophy with some kids that were only born while Sven was in charge.

I don't think I could recover from that, probably have to leave the forums.

tbf to you, Maguire isn't missing out based on getting cut outright. Had he be fit, his turn in performances this season merited a call-up and start.

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Southgate going nuclear. Pretty amazing to watch. :D

Great turnaround for Gomez as well, started the season as Liverpool's 4th choice CB, got a run at fullback due to injuries and now makes the England squad for the Euros due to his versatility.

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From dropping Henderson, Phillips, Rashford, Chilwell, Maddison, Grealish... All Gareth had to do was drop Dunk and he'd have every single England fan behind him I feel. It's very weird when Dunk was performing well post-pandemic, he called up Ben White instead for Euro 2020(1). Now that his performances fallen off, and hadn't impress in recent internationals, Dunk is suddenly undroppable.

If he wanted the 'experience' factor for the dressing room after missing Maguire, he probably should've called Bayern superstar Eric Dier instead. But better late than never to regain those lost caps for Dunk, I guess. Still think Branthwaite deserve the call up more if it's based on merit.

Delighted that Wharton, Eze, and Bowen managed to dodge the cut, showing that Southgate actually does value form when it matters. If this was Eriksson or Hodgson, they definitely would've gone for their big-club biases and include Jones, Maddison, and Grealish instead. We were also so deep with the Watkins v Toney debate, and it seems like they're both going instead. 

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No Spurs players make the squad. Gareth taking no chances :D 

Wild seeing a Brentford player represent England at a major tournament. May even have to buy a shirt now - when do the squad numbers come out? :D 

Toney is the most natural replacement for Kane so can see why he's gone, just hope he's over his own injury stuff now. Been battling a bad hip injury over the past few months which is why his form totally dropped off a cliff. 

Dunk I assume got the nod due to experience with Maguire missing out and feel Grealish is a victim of Saka and Gordon not being totally fit and so Bowen gets the nod there. Harsh on him but England have Wharton to make the nice 5 yard passes now ;) 

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Posted (edited)
2 hours ago, Rob1981 said:

Oh no :(  Genuinely gutted for Maguire.

Joke all you want, but the best international teams are built on defensive parnterships that have played a lot and know each other's games inside out.

Plus I was looking forward to the picture of Maguire holding the trophy so I could rub it in everyone's face.

BUT.  Where there's change, there's opportunity... as my old man always said.  Arise Ezri Konsa MBE.

And we all said for past 18 months that we needed to try more CB combos (at least the LCB) because of Maguire form. 

Edited by pearcey_90
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I don't actually know what the five behind Kane will look like.

Rice and Bellingham nailed on, as I suspect Saka is, but the other two spots are a bit up in the air for me. I imagine we go with Gallagher ahead of Mainoo, and then Foden left?

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Posted (edited)

And Foden on the left is wasted, but you can't accommodate him and Bellingham at the expense of some balance alongside Rice. In the interest of overall balance, there's a strong argument for Eze or Gordon on the left, and Foden benched.

It's all a bit Gerrard / Lampard / Scholes.

Edited by RTHerringbone
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Southgate giving the fans what they want in his farewell tournament 👌

Can replacements still be called due to injuries or is that it now? As Genuinely ****ed if a defender pulls up in training (Luke Shaw).

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Foden is clearly playing on the left. There's no-one else there to take that spot off him really. Gordon just isn't as good a player.

The only debate is who fills the final midfield slot.

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Gordon will end up starting majority of games IMO. If we have to play someone like Trippier LB in the end, Gordon will have the work rate and defensive mindset to keep tracking back.

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Walker, Stones, Guehi, Trippier: Rice, Bellingham, Gallagher: Foden, Kane, Gordon

First game line my prediction. Saka to rotate with Foden during group stages, most impact starts L16 and will start every game there on regardless of output. Gallagher doesn’t deliver first game, Mainoo in. Shaw gets fit for any group games, he’s in for Trippier.

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3 minutes ago, pearcey_90 said:

Gordon will end up starting majority of games IMO. If we have to play someone like Trippier LB in the end, Gordon will have the work rate and defensive mindset to keep tracking back.

Would be surprised if Gordon gets any minutes, let alone the "majority of games" :D

 

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Overall a mixed day for the Maguires. Harry dropped from England, Laurence moves to Milton Keynes. Could argue its a bad day all round for them.

As for the squad. Good squad. ALmost questioned who was going to play left-back because when I first skimmed through it, I missed Luke Shaw.

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27 minutes ago, VP. said:

Southgate giving the fans what they want in his farewell tournament 👌

Can replacements still be called due to injuries or is that it now? As Genuinely ****ed if a defender pulls up in training (Luke Shaw).

I assume so Quansah is on standby 

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28 minutes ago, pearcey_90 said:

Gordon will end up starting majority of games IMO. If we have to play someone like Trippier LB in the end, Gordon will have the work rate and defensive mindset to keep tracking back.

Gordon starting most games? He’s definitely an impact sub. 
 

I’m totally here for Southgate’s squad. Went straight out and bought a wall chart 😎

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28 minutes ago, pearcey_90 said:

Walker, Stones, Guehi, Trippier: Rice, Bellingham, Gallagher: Foden, Kane, Gordon

First game line my prediction. Saka to rotate with Foden during group stages, most impact starts L16 and will start every game there on regardless of output. Gallagher doesn’t deliver first game, Mainoo in. Shaw gets fit for any group games, he’s in for Trippier.

I can see that line up.  Gordon definitely warrants a start based on this season, he's impressed massively.  Saka of course will be there as well.  Not sure about Gallagher, but then he's not one I rate massively high compared to others who do.  I think Wharton could be a dark horse, he's clearly impressed, Southgate has spoken very highly of him and has seemed surprised at just how good he is.  He might be young and inexperienced, but then he'd have Rice and Belligham (also young, I know) around him there who are used to huge games.  Shaw to come in for Trippier once he's back, but Trippier does do a good job at LB and his experience of playing with Gordon, who can put a shift in defensively could be a bonus.  Squad seems good to me, only real loss is Maguire, but our midfield and attack should mean we are having the ball more than having a team all over us for most of a game...and even if there is a game like that against one of the big boys then having Maguire in wouldn't change that aspect much anyway.

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I genuinely have no idea why anyone would leave arguably our best out for Anthony Gordon :D

Foden has the ability to be the player of the tournament ffs!

And Gallagher shouldn't be anywhere near the initial starting line up, he's terrible.

 

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8 minutes ago, Coulthard's Jaw said:

image.png.077b75eef3ba0f99728ce2fead5906d6.png

That's bloody amazing. Definitely hyped now :D 

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11 minutes ago, Coulthard's Jaw said:

image.png.077b75eef3ba0f99728ce2fead5906d6.png

Can't believe Southgate has picked a completely inexperienced 17 year old ahead of Grealish, smh

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44 minutes ago, VP. said:

I genuinely have no idea why anyone would leave arguably our best out for Anthony Gordon :D

Foden has the ability to be the player of the tournament ffs!

 

I'm guessing they're Newcastle fans, not other reason for it :D

 

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Saka I can see being ahead of Gordon, but it wouldn't surprise me if Gordon plays some games instead of him. Can't see either Kane or Foden making way for anyone else though. Big one for me is who is in midfield with Rice and Bellingham, unless he's only going to go with just those 2 and then play 3 behind Kane so could have Gordon, Foden, Saka all start.

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5 minutes ago, Bigwig said:

Southgate must have been tipped off that Grealish is moving back to Villa in the summer. 

I don't think he'd move to be on the bench. 

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27 minutes ago, Rebs said:

Saka I can see being ahead of Gordon, but it wouldn't surprise me if Gordon plays some games instead of him. Can't see either Kane or Foden making way for anyone else though. Big one for me is who is in midfield with Rice and Bellingham, unless he's only going to go with just those 2 and then play 3 behind Kane so could have Gordon, Foden, Saka all start.

Surely if Saka isn't starting a game it'll be Palmer coming in for him?

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4 hours ago, VP. said:

Can replacements still be called due to injuries or is that it now?

Yeah the squad deadline is midnight tomorrow night.  But if it's a genuine injury each team can still replace players up to 24 hours before their first game.

So the final final deadline is different for different teams obviously, depending on what day they play.

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Kane apparently approached Southgate for an explanation as to why he'd omitted Grealish. I remember Kane saying at the last Euros how much he enjoyed playing with him.

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Posted (edited)
3 hours ago, Bigwig said:

Southgate must have been tipped off that Grealish is moving back to Villa in the summer. 

It's never been a grudge against Villa. Whether he's held a grudge/dislike for Grealish himself is a possibility.

Edited by Baptista_8
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