Harry Maguire - England

[KB1862]

It's time that Southgate had the bottle to distance Maguire from the England squad. 

I get the loyalty as whenever he's selected to play for England he very rarely puts a foot wrong. 

But, the media are always gonna be there to question his inclusion. He's out of favour at Man United and should have took the chance to move away from Old Trafford for West Ham to get his career back on track and get back to being the player we know he can be.

If a player isn't playing at club level, they shouldn't be selected anyway in my opinion. 

I understand why Southgate has said this and is defending Maguire, as he's good at protecting his players. Although, having said that, he's constantly selecting Maguire despite not playing first team football at club level, his confidence is shot and of course pundits, fans and media are gonna jeer him and criticise him. 

Southgate should stop putting him in the squad that gives these people ammunition to take Pops at him and leave him open to this sort of thing. 

It's not like we don't have players to cover that position and do a job. 

If anything he needs to be given time away from England for his own mental health. It may be beneficial to him to be away from the squad for a while till he can find his way back. 

We all know how toxic the media can be, especially over here. Take Gazza for example and Beckham after the 98 World Cup. 

[MagpieLane]

Regrettably, Harry Maguire remains one of, if not the best centre-backs with substantial experience. His displays while representing England are generally not subpar. It is worth noting that examples such as John Terry and Rio Ferdinand demonstrate biased selections in the past.

[Chris]

A lot of the CBs given the chance to come in have made mistakes, the past two major tournaments it was Harry Maquire who was the rock for England in defence, and he works well with Jordan Pickford.

I am not sure who realistically can come in and do well, I haven't kept tabs on Chris Smalling, but he has in the past disappointed when given the chance.

29 minutes ago, MagpieLane said:

It is worth noting that examples such as John Terry and Rio Ferdinand demonstrate biased selections in the past.

I fully agree with this; both played long beyond their best.

Even in John Terry's prime there were times he massively let England down, yet to his defence he was an unsung hero when we had a weak defence throughout the back.

[AmericanPie]

I don't believe there's a need to entirely exclude him from the squad. However, this could be an ideal moment to allow other centre-backs the opportunity to gain the experience necessary for their development. I concur that while Maguire has often been amongst England's stronger performers, it could be an appropriate time for him to take a seat on the bench.

[KB1862]

11 hours ago, MagpieLane said:

It is worth noting that examples such as John Terry and Rio Ferdinand demonstrate biased selections in the past.

England have always been guilty of selecting players based on name rather than form. Generally players played well at club level and were consistently playing for their clubs that's the only difference. 

11 hours ago, Chris said:

I am not sure who realistically can come in and do well,

Lewis Dunk made a case for himself against Scotland as well as being consistent for Brighton. Tomori has been brilliant while at AC Milan. Levi Colwill has a lot of potential. Dan Burn potentially, although age might be a factor. But until they're given opportunity we'll never know if they fit for England. Ben White, if whatever problem it is there is with England can be resolved. Guehi has played well since being selected and once Stones is back it's about finding his partner. 

 

11 hours ago, MagpieLane said:

Harry Maguire remains one of, if not the best centre-backs with substantial experience. His displays while representing England are generally not subpar.

Agree, he's played well when selected for England, as I mentioned in the post. But, what if the game he has a true lack of confidence due to criticism and is well off his game due to this comes in a Euro final? 

@AmericanPie valid point, I think he needs time out the limelight games against the likes of Malta we can afford to drop him to the bench and allow others an opportunity. Same with against North Macedonia and the friendly against Australia. Until someone else is given the chance to prove themselves, we'll never know if we have a suitable replacement or a player that can fill in if an injury occurs or form dips. 

11 hours ago, Chris said:

Even in John Terry's prime there were times he massively let England down

There's a few others that could be added to this list tbf. But back then, England weren't as much as a together unit as they are now. Wrong formations, club rivalries and individuals rather than team played factors in letting England down. 

[Dripsey3]

The abuse Harry Maguire gets is a disgrace. He's a human being. Man Utd have treated him badly but he just gets on with it. He never gets the credit he deserves but he's the scapegoat when things go wrong. 

[liampie]

@Dripsey3 i am sick of it, no wonder is form is not great. for england i think he dont do much wrong.

[cheeky~k8]

Kind of sick of all the news stories about these types of incidents but without it nothing would change.