Football

James Maddison must make most of second England chance from ruthless Gareth Southgate


If James Maddison has any sense, he will put aside the poker and clutch the “get out of jail free” card he has been dealt by Gareth Southgate very close to his chest.

Because they are becoming increasingly rare. The England manager is showing an increasingly ruthless streak as he sets about trying to build a new winning mentality for the Three Lions.

Southgate was still only the caretaker when Wayne Rooney pushed the boundaries by gate-crashing a wedding party while on international duty.

Aside from a farewell cameo two years later, the England captain and record goalscorer never played again.

Gary Cahill went from captain to substitute in less than a year; Chris Smalling was told he was not good enough on the ball.

After two poor England performances, Michael Keane has been left out of this squad because Southgate, “felt that this is a good moment for him to get a break from it”.

The way he said it made it sound like a one-liner from a gangster flick.

Kyle Walker said he did not want to play at centre-back. Suddenly, he can’t get a game at right-back either.

There is seldom any way back.

The one exception to prove the rule could be Dele Alli, left out again from the England squad after poor form at Tottenham.

However, his explosive talent makes him one of the few ‘outsiders’ worth persevering with and a return to the fold next month could be the exception to Southgate’s “no returns” policy.

“Dele’s back, he’s on a better path in the last couple of games, for sure,” Southgate said. “Getting a goal I think will do him the world of good.”

Just a point against Montenegro would be enough for England to secure qualification to Euro 2020 with a game to spare and would give Southgate a chance to change things up and experiment.

He seems in determined mood to allow Maddison to back himself for once.

“My focus with players is their capability to be an important part of the group and whether they are good enough to be in the squad,” Southgate said.

“Then whether they fit into everything that this group needs to win. We still feel James has the opportunity to do that. So, that’s why we picked him.

“Ultimately, you can only judge players completely when you’ve seen them on the pitch.”



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