Gareth Southgate knows he made a critical error in 2017.
The football landscape was almost unrecognisable when Gareth Southgate meticulously constructed the rod which has sat uncomfortably between his shoulder blades ever since.
The names change every time – a point the irony of which the disparagers will never recognise – but the criticism is as consistent as it is dense. ‘Where’s [insert player doing well currently]?’ they seethe. ‘Thought Gareth was picking players on form?’ they pontificate with three chin-scratching emojis. The constant thirst for a gotcha moment is tiresome .
This England pool is not one Southgate dips his toe into every three months like the rest of us. He does not compose his squad by watching those rare editions of Match of the Day with all the goals in while jotting down the names of the first 20 or so Englishmen he sees before nipping out for a quick pint.
“It’s impossible,” Southgate replied. “We’ve got to pick our best players where possible, and then there’s a balance between do you go with a certain level of player who’s not playing quite as regularly, or a level of player who’s physically fit and doing well.”, saying, “I’ve got to get the balance right” and “you have to look at the opposition and the type of game you’re expecting and select the players best suited to that”. Only a fool would argue.
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