What is the solution for England’s Gareth Southgate and Harry Maguire ahead of Euro 2024?
We look at the difficulties raised by Harry Maguire’s continued selection after he was mocked by the Scotland crowd and a ‘livid’ Gareth Southgate hit out at the defender’s treatment…
Why has Southgate stopped picking his England squad on form?
In the previous England camp, I specifically asked Southgate this question.
The England boss is sending a troubling message. His present philosophy, which involves selecting players like Maguire and Kalvin Phillips when they are not earning minutes for their clubs, sends a negative message to those players in the Premier League and others who are in top form.
They are doing everything they can to break into the England squad, but are being passed over for Southgate’s “old reliables.”
However, I completely appreciate Southgate’s reasons.
Southgate stated after being chosen permanent England manager in 2017 that he would “never pick on reputation, form has to come into it.” However, when asked about the continuous inclusion of some players who were not playing for their teams in his March response, he backed down from those remarks.
He also stated that if he chooses based solely on form, he will be chopping and replacing the squad with each international camp, and that this lack of consistency will prevent him from assembling a cohesive and communicative team ahead of next summer’s Euros in Germany.
There is a problem in that too. The selection policy is creating a big imbalance in this England squad. Eight members of this current squad have more than 40 caps and nine players have four caps or fewer. That doesn’t sound healthy.
What is the solution for England’s Gareth Southgate and Harry Maguire ahead of Euro 2024?
Is it open season on Maguire? Will the booing stop…or is it now in fashion?
Has Maguire ever been booed?
“Every Maguire pass is met with applause from Scotland fans.” Weird.”
Sky Sports’ live blog encapsulated it brilliantly. Maguire, who started on the bench for England in their 3-1 win over Scotland, came on at halftime after Marc Guehi was injured, and was met with ironic shouts from Scottish fans for every pass he made.
It’s not the first time this has happened; just a few weeks ago, Arsenal fans cheered the Manchester United defence onto the pitch at the Emirates Stadium. “Arsenal fans boo Rasmus Hojlund as he runs on for his debut,” Sky Sports’ Peter Smith wrote at the time. Then they rejoice upon Maguire’s arrival! They’re singing his name now!”
Southgate’s defensive mainstay is becoming a figure of mockery for opposing fans, both for club and country.
It’s not simply the opposing team’s fans. When Maguire’s name was read out ahead of kickoff for England’s game against Ivory Coast at Wembley in March 2022, and again later that year, there were jeers.
The boos have even been heard at the club level. The then-Manchester United captain was booed before kickoff and for the first 45 minutes of his team’s pre-season win over Crystal Palace in Melbourne in July. In Dublin for Manchester United’s friendly against Athletic Bilbao, he suffered the same fate.
It’s an issue that has been building for the 30-year-old. Perhaps the biggest concern of all is that it has become a thing. Fashionable. Regular. And perhaps even inevitable whenever he appears in the coming weeks.
Has Southgate inadvertently added to the pressure on Maguire?
When you think of England under Southgate, one of the first players that springs to mind is Maguire. All 59 of the defender’s international caps have come under Southgate, whose loyalty to him has been unstinting.
But has that loyalty gone too far? Is Southgate now inadvertently helping to intensify the scrutiny upon his player?
“He’s been an incredible player for England in one of the most successful teams we’ve had – critical for what we’ve been doing. “We allow him to be open to that? It’s a joke; an absolute joke. It makes me livid. “I’ve no problem with the Scotland fans – they’re having fun. But what stirs that up is people in our own country. Other players will think: ‘Is that what awaits us?’
Gareth Southgate on Harry Maguire
Maguire does not receive nearly as much attention as he might at Manchester United, given that if all of Erik ten Hag’s players were available, he would rank no higher than sixth in the pecking order.
Southgate, on the other hand, has a different viewpoint. Maguire is one of the first names on the teamsheet for him. frequent games, however, come with the promise of frequent observation – and, if things go wrong, regular criticism.
Maguire is a competent player. When Manchester United paid £80 million to sign him from Leicester, some questioned if he was capable of making the move up to a big-six team.
However, his precipitous decline in form in recent years is undoubtedly due to dwindling confidence. But how can he rebuild that confidence if the only opportunities he has are in an England shirt, playing in front of a national audience and visibly lacking sharpness?
Maguire’s desire to represent his country is admirable – but the time has perhaps come for Southgate to allow him to attempt to rediscover his form and confidence away from the harsh glare of international football.
Where does Maguire stand in the Man Utd pecking order? Could he yet revive his career at Old Trafford?
Harry Maguire had the opportunity to leave Manchester United and resurrect his career this summer, but he chose to stay at Old Trafford after turning down a move to West Ham, apparently because he could not agree on a pay-off with United.
A move to the London Stadium felt like the ideal solution for all parties, as well as an opportunity for Maguire to remind everyone of the talent that cost United £80 million in 2019.
It appeared to be an unusual move by Maguire, who began the season as Erik ten Hag’s fourth – probably fifth – choice at center-back, behind starters Raphael Varane and Lisandro Martinez, Victor Lindelof, and even Luke Shaw, who played ahead of Maguire last season when injuries struck.
Fortunately for Maguire, injuries to Varane, Martinez, and Shaw mean he might start against Brighton on Saturday. However, he would require a near-perfect performance to climb up the pecking order, and even if United’s injury problem eases, Maguire is unlikely to be more than a rotation option.
Could a series of commanding displays alter that? Possibly. Despite Ten Hag’s support for Maguire, there appears to be a mismatch between the manager’s words and deeds.
It would be a spectacular turnaround if Maguire could re-establish himself at United this season and silence his critics. He does not deserve the abuse he receives from elements of the Manchester United fanbase, both in person and online, but it’s difficult not to think that a chance was squandered this summer.
