England is known to have an array of quality players and stars. This sometimes gives enormous headaches to their managers over the players to pick for tournaments.
Gareth Southgate, England’s present coach, started with a 33-man squad for the Euro 2024 tournament. They went through a couple of trainings. Afterwards, they played a friendly match against Bosnia, in which they won 3-0. Days later, Southgate decided on his 26-man squad.
This was a heavy, bold decision that led to the omission of some big names. Tottenham star James Maddison was a victim. However, he has had a huge decline in form after his injury in the previously concluded season. And it somehow influenced Southgate’s decisions in choosing him in the England squad.
James Maddison Makes a Public Statement
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James Maddison expresses his shock and disappointment. Nevertheless, he maintained his respect for the team and coach. In a tweet, he stated:
Devastated doesn’t quite cut it. Trained well and worked hard all week but if I’m honest with myself, my form for Spurs when coming back from injury in the second half of the season probably wasn’t at the levels I had set which gave Gareth a decision to make. I still thought there would be a space for me in a 26-man squad as I feel I bring something different & had been a mainstay in this whole qualifying campaign for Euro 2024 in Germany, but the manager has made the decision and I have to respect that.
Maddison ended his post with hope for the future and showing love for his team as he wrote:
I’ll be back, I have no doubt. Wishing the boys all the luck in the world out in Germany, an unbelievable group and lads that I call some of my best friends. I genuinely hope football comes home.
James Maddison’s Season Struggles
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The three-month injury that gripped Maddison hampered his form. Throughout the season, he failed to rediscover his form. This has been a reoccurring challenge for the 27-year-old.
Within the past five seasons, he always starts greatly. However, an injury always comes and he struggles with his form for the remaining parts of the season. This makes it difficult for him to be chosen to represent England in any big tournaments.
The performances of the likes of Eze and Cole Palmer against Bosnia must have influenced Southgate’s decision for England. Aside from his form this season, that performance also spoke volumes. Palmer and Eze are known as attacking and wide-midfielder hybrids. In which they could also function in the 10 role. Their display in the friendly may have shifted Southgate’s interests in Maddison.
Southgate on England’s Euro 2024 Team
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In a press conference, Southgate revealed his opinion on the reasons behind his choices. He went on to say:
All of the players took the news respectfully. All players of course will feel they should have been in and that’s why they’re top players because they have that self-belief and they have that mindset. The fact is we’ve got some players who have been playing extremely well all season in the league and we just feel other players have had stronger seasons – particularly in the past six months or so. We saw some fantastic performances the other night which underlined some of that and in the attacking area of the pitch we’re blessed with a lot of options and they’re all slightly different.
When discussing the players left off the roster, Southgate remained respectful and brought up how great they are for the team. However, a call had to be made. He continued his press conference by saying:
Madders [Maddison] and Jack [Grealish] would have provided us with something different as well and they’ve been tough calls. They’re calls we’ve gone over and over and over as a group of staff to try to be fair and to try to use the right rationale. We back our decisions but we recognise we could have gone a different route. The boys are big characters, fabulous team-mates and great boys to work with. It’s sad to have to deliver that news to them.”
England’s Final 26-man Squad.
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Goalkeepers: Jordan Pickford (Everton), Dean Henderson (Crystal Palace), Aaron Ramsdale (Arsenal).
Defenders: Lewis Dunk (Brighton), Joe Gomez (Liverpool), Marc Guehi (Crystal Palace), Ezri Konsa (Aston Villa), Luke Shaw (Man Utd), John Stones (Manchester City), Kieran Trippier (Newcastle), Kyle Walker (Manchester City).
Midfielders: Trent Alexander-Arnold (Liverpool), Conor Gallagher (Chelsea), Kobbie Mainoo (Manchester United), Declan Rice (Arsenal), Adam Wharton (Crystal Palace).
Forwards: Jude Bellingham (Real Madrid), Jarrod Bowen (West Ham), Eberechi Eze (Crystal Palace), Phil Foden (Manchester City), Anthony Gordon (Newcastle), Harry Kane (Bayern Munich), Cole Palmer (Chelsea), Bukayo Saka (Arsenal), Ivan Toney (Brentford), Ollie Watkins (Aston Villa).
More Games for England.
England will start their campaign against a tricky Serbian side. The match will be played on the 16th of June at 8 pm. Aftermath, they’ll go against Denmark on the 20th at 5 pm. Five days later they’ll round off against Slovenian at 8 pm. England will be hoping to get the maximum of nine points to exert dominance in the tournament.
About the Author
Ifeoluwa King is a lover of football and also a sports enthusiast. He’s been a fan of football for 20 years. Pick any topic in the world of football and sports, and you’ll find him there. For more information about him and more of his awesome content, you can visit his Twitter handle at @kng7.
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