Same as the answer to that question every time it's been asked over the last few years - because he's consistently been one of our best defenders over that time.
I don't see how anyone can expect more than what was offered up at the end of a long hard season against mediocre opposition.
It was ever thus - how many calls have we heard to Humberside begin with ''I aint been today Bernzie but'' before they start slagging players/managers etc; football supporters are mostly twats.
I questioned why Maguire still gets called up in the first place, not how he played against Malta. Fourth-choice centre-half for Man Utd and plays ****e whenever he does play yet he’s still one of the first players Southgate picks. Kalvin Phillips has barely kicked a ball all season and gets picked as well. You’re telling me there isn’t another centre-half and midfielder Southgate could’ve picked on merit and form this season in this crucial showdown with Malta?
I think your mistake is assuming that it should be picked on club form this season. International form is a huge part of the selection process and rightly so. You build and shape a side over time, and players break in gradually by proving themselves over time. Currently we have a relative dearth of centre backs and Maguire has always been very good for England. Phillips is among the best midfielders in the bracket below Rice and Bellingham and his status in the England squad reflects that.
Could have called up city 21s and would still have won 0-4. Just let the buggers go on holiday ffs! Short pre season, late finish,month world cup, but if my time is so limited I'd prioritise wallpapering and a days fishing than watching these games then **** knows what the players are thinking...
So Tomori, Konsa, Mings, Dunk (I know he was injured but Southgate probably would’ve started Maguire anyway), White and all the other English centre-halves better than Maguire are **** out of luck because Maguire manages not to score an own goal or make a hospital pass against the likes of Malta. No wonder we’ve won **** all since 66’.
If any of those or any other defender proves themselves more dependable than Maguire over a period of time then they'll be in.
Ben White won’t be in the squad again as long as Southgate is head coach due to whatever happened in Qatar.
I agree with this, if you picked a team always on form at their club then you would be chopping and changing most of the time as players go in and out of form. Southgate tries to get a settled side, which plays together on a regular basis, and Maguire has always performed well for England. I think club wise he went to the wrong club in Man U, particularly during his time there for the most part they have been in disarray, and he seems to have been made a scapegoat by the fans..
The difference with England & Man Utd is that one plays with a back 5 & the other a back 4, we played with a back 5 & so did Leicester, so Maguire looked decent. You can slate him all you want, but Utd can only blame themselves for not realising what it was that made Maguire work.
England have played in a back four for most of the last year including the World Cup, so I don't think it's just that.
True. Ramsey picked players who would fit into his system, not the big club players on reputation then adapt things round them. Who else would have picked an aging Jack Charlton? Or players from Blackpool, Huddersfield or Fulham? He was also astute enough to keep a winning combination when forced into a change due to the injury to everyone’s choice for upfront, Jimmy Greaves.
You must be on the same wave length as me, when writing the post I was thinking of the 1966 team and how Ramsey put that together.
