Few surprises as Gareth Southgate stays loyal with England squad selection

So much of the build-up to this year’s World Cup has been unfamiliar so it is comforting to see the return of a staple of major tournaments - the fervent debate around England’s squad selection.

Fans who see Gareth Southgate as an overly cautious manager will probably feel it is more of the same from the Three Lions boss.

In many ways, the final 26 lacks any real surprises.

Southgate’s tendency to remain loyal to players who have served him well in the past has again been demonstrated with the core of the squad that reached the final of Euro 2020 retained.

James Maddison, who has registered four assists and scored six goals for Leicester this season, has played his way into the squad after months of speculation that he would miss out.

The 25-year-old has made just one appearance for the Three Lions but has been one of the most in-form midfielders in the Premier League this season and Southgate has avoided what would have been a major backlash if he had not been included.

It seems likely that Maddison will fulfil the Jack Grealish role from last summer, where fans bemoan the fact that the mercurial midfielder doesn’t get more game time after a series of cameo appearances from the bench.

The importance of playing domestic football to the England manager has also been made clear, with both Tammy Abraham and Fikayo Tomori missing out despite good performances in Serie A last season for Roma and Milan.

However, the pair have been below that level in 2022-23 and that will have counted against them.

The only player selected from outside of the Premier League is Borussia Dortmund’s Jude Bellingham, who looks likely to make his return to English football next summer.

Southgate has also shown a preference for players who can play multiple roles, such as Kieran Trippier and Ben White over the likes of Tomori and Marc Guehi.

The most puzzling inclusion is Conor Coady, who has had a solid if unremarkable season on loan at Everton but is arguably not even the best English centre-half at the Toffees.

Give the form Brighton have shown in this campaign, Lewis Dunk and Adam Webster may be aggrieved that they have been overlooked, particularly as they are both comfortable playing in either a four or five-man defence, something Southgate likes in a defender.

England lost on penalties at Wembley last summer so it is also surprising that specialist Ivan Toney misses out. The Brentford man has only ever missed one spot kick - four years ago - and has scored a total of 26.

However his replacement in the squad Callum Wilson is no slouch when it comes to penalties, scoring his last eight and sporting an overall record of 16 scored and three missed.

Southgate will not have won over any doubters with his selections but the return to a debate about England’s back-up centre-backs has at least given a semblance of normality to this winter World Cup.

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