Despite being stripped of the leadership, losing his official position, and being just the club’s fifth choice as a centre-back, Harry Maguire is always guaranteed an official position every time he joins the squad, even if he does not win the title. highest elevation.
Coach Southgate has always been very protective of his students, almost to the point of conservatism, but is Maguire deserving of his trust despite the criticism leveled at his bad performance?
Maguire continues to play as the England team’s key starter in the recent Euro 2024 qualifiers against Ukraine. A sloppy defensive phase with prominent character Harry Maguire became the center of all the criticism that fans aimed at him in a match where not much left from the performances of the two teams.
After Konoplya’s cross on the Ukrainian side in the 26th minute, England’s defense system went into disarray. Instead of taking a position that would allow him to block a shot from the opposing second line, Harry Maguire stepped into the correct position of his partner Marc Guehi. When the ball fell behind, Maguire became an impediment, pinning Guehi and allowing Zinchenko to calmly put the ball into the net without any interference.
Henderson made the mistake that directly contributed to the goal when he failed to complete his role of accompanying Zinchenko, therefore it could have been an accident. Maguire may have selected a better position instead of joining comrade Guehi like that if he was a high-class midfielder playing for a big club like Manchester United or constantly occupying an official place in the England team. Notably, this is just one of numerous gaffes Maguire commits every time he steps onto the field.
That was the result of not being able to play consistently, which eventually eroded his form and sense of place. Maguire, who cost Manchester United up to £80 million to sign, is currently too slow in both his running stride and his mentality about playing football. And the cost of this sluggishness is slowing down the entire team.
What is important noting here is that coach Southgate has plenty of better options. Typically, John Stones, a Manchester City player, is in excellent form after making significant contributions to the blue half of Manchester winning the treble. Under the tutelage of Pep Guardiola, John Stones has evolved into one of the world’s top midfielders. In addition, there are numerous noteworthy names on the England team, including Ben White of Arsenal, Lewis Dunk of Brighton, Tyron Mings of Aston Villa, Colwill of Chelsea, and Tomori of AC Milan. All of the players mentioned above are shining in the club’s colors, and most importantly, they play at the club on a regular basis, thus they keep their physical strength and are in far better shape than Maguire.
Maguire should not have made things tough for Southgate by joining West Ham last summer, where he was assured greater playing time than at Manchester United. However, this player’s hesitancy forced him to pass up an opportunity to recover his greatest form and instead take a spot on the bench to “sharpen his crotch” at Old Trafford.
Southgate’s admiration and regard for Magurie – the student who has helped England achieve success in recent years with him – is priceless. However, it is time for the England squad to progress, and eliminating an individual like Maguire who is impeding the team’s progression is essential if England is to change the medal color at Euro 2024.
