England must keep faith in Marc Guehi and James Maddison has edge over Jack Grealish
ngland continued their 100 per cent start to qualification for next summer’s European Championship with a routine 4-0 win in Malta on Friday.
The Three Lions got off to a quick start thanks to an own goal, before finishes from Trent Alexander-Arnold, Harry Kane and Callum Wilson.
Next up is a far sterner test against North Macedonia on Monday before the players can finally enjoy a proper holiday ahead of pre-season.
Standard Sport picks out five talking points for Gareth Southgate from the Mata game…
Southgate must persist with Trent experiment
As you will have heard, Trent Alexander-Arnold was England’s standout player in Malta with an eye-catching display in midfield.
Alexander-Arnold scored one and had a hand in England’s two other goals in the first-half, vindicating Southgate’s decision to push him forward.
Afterwards the Liverpool man said the position felt “natural” while his manager insisted Alexander-Arnold can give the side a new dimension in the middle.
It was, of course, ‘only’ Malta – ranked 172nd in the world and unable to register a single touch in England’s box – so Alexander-Arnold’s new role must be tested against sterner opposition, starting at Old Trafford on Monday.
With Jude Bellingham injured, this camp feels like the perfect time to try out something news and if Southgate does not persist with the experiment for North Macedonia, it will have felt largely in vain.
Forget ‘Bazball’; how about ‘Gazball’?
The Malta game was almost entirely overshadowed in the sporting calendar by the day one of the Ashes at Edgbaston, where England’s men’s test side offered up another scintillating display of ‘Bazball’, including a shock declaration on 393 for eight.
Southgate, a huge cricket fan who was at Edgbaston to watch England post more than 400 on the first day of 2005 ‘greatest’ series, has shared ideas with Eddie Jones, the former England rugby head coach, so could he learn from ‘Bazball’, too?
The England manager was careful to play down the alignment between the two sports but revealed he has held talks with Rob Key, the ECB’s managing director of cricket, and talked-up the test side’s “hugely exciting style”.
A recurring theme of Southgate’s tenure has been his apparent reluctance to take risks but his side are, gradually, becoming more expansive. Perhaps we could see fully fledged ‘Gazball’ by the time the Euros come around.
Guehi deserves another chance to impress
Such was England’s dominance in Malta, it was impossible, really, to judge their centre-backs.
Harry Maguire’s passing was crisp and Marc Guehi stepped forward aggressively but that was about all there is to say about the pair.
With John Stones set to be available against North Macedonia, Southgate now has a decision to make: does he persist with Maguire or give Guehi another chance to stake a long-term claim to a starting spot?
History suggests Southgate is likely to stick with experience but surely it is time to start phasing out Maguire, at least until he gets back in the Manchester United side or finds a new club. As Southgate has acknowledged, it is unsustainable to keep picking the 30-year-old while he remains on the fringe at United and Guehi deserves another chance.
Eze debut caps fine rise
It was obviously low key but as a feel-good moment of the footballing summer, Eberechi Eze’s debut in Malta has to be up there.
The midfielder’s appearance from the bench caps a remarkable and resilient rise for the 24-year-old, who was released from a succession of clubs as a youngster before finally making the grade at QPR.
His superb end to the season with Crystal Palace suggests he is primed to explode next term and potentially make himself hard to ignore for the Euros.
“Nice to dip his toes, he’s only had a few days’ training with us so he’s still getting used to everything,” Southgate said of Eze afterwards. “It’s of course a big step coming into a senior camp for the first time. He’s had his eyes opened to the level, the quality of the players and the intensity every day.
“So a brilliant experience for him. He’s a fabulous boy I have to say, really gives a lot of energy every day which is brilliant.”
Maddison productivity could give him edge over Grealish
The absence of Jack Grealish and Phil Foden from the XI and a slight knock to Marcus Rashford’s hip meant a rare England start for James Maddison in Malta. The Leicester playmaker, who will surely move clubs soon, was lively, although well-marshalled in a left-wing role.
Grealish has obviously enjoyed a remarkable season for Manchester City but has never been a regular under Southgate, and Maddison will be hoping he can oust the Treble-winner as England’s creative option from the left.
For all Grealish’s obvious qualities, he still does not score or assist as much as he should. Last season, he scored five times and got seven assists for the champions, while Maddison registered 10 and nine, respectively, for relegated Leicester. Perhaps Maddison’s superior productivity may give him an edge over Grealish long-term, particularly if he can keep it up at a more competitive club next season.
“He’s comfortable receiving in those areas,” Southgate said of Maddison. “He’s not as quick or strong as others but he finds a way of wriggling in those spaces and right areas. He’s a different type of player. A lot of the players we’re talking about may be suited to some games better than others.”
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