Gareth Southgate has insisted Kieran Trippier is “ahead of” Trent Alexander-Arnold in the battle for a World Cup place.
Southgate revealed he held heart-to-heart talks with the Liverpool defender after he did not even make the bench for the Nations League clash with Germany. England boss Southgate justified his decision by claiming that he needed cover on the bench, could only pick 23 players and Trippier was a better option than Alexander-Arnold.
That has gone down badly with Liverpool fans and may not please Jurgen Klopp who has insisted he is among the best in the world and Alexander-Arnold is also a creative force.
But Southgate said: “Firstly, I didn’t want any player to sit in the stand for two matches so I think the way we manage a group of people has been a big strength for us in the tournaments and we need to do that.
"The other night, we didn’t need the left-back cover, against Germany we did because of the way we went with the team so we needed Chilly on the bench and we had Kieran who, at the moment, I feel his all round game is ahead (of Trent).
"I’ve had long conversations with all of them, been very clear with them about where they stand, what they need to improve upon, what they’re doing well so they’re very clear on where they sit.”
England along with all the other nations must give a provisional list of 55 names to FIFA by October 19 to allow all players to be called up. Southgate is then set to name his squad on Thursday, November 10. FIFA will allow nations to pick up to 26 players and, unlike UEFA, name them all on the bench which removes the annoyance felt by players when they get cut from the match day squad.
However, Southgate insists that 26 is “too many” for squad harmony but made it pretty clear he will take his full allocation. Southgate added: “That’s a good question because I don’t think it’s an ideal number, I think it’s too many but I think every coach will feel that if you got problems with Covid and you took fewer then you know what would happen… so realistically, it will be (full 26).”
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Meanwhile, Southgate insists England have a better chance of winning the World Cup with Harry Maguire.
Under-fire England defender Maguire is under huge pressure as he endures the worst spell of his career and is suffering a crisis of confidence.
Maguire has lost his starting place at Manchester United, his mistakes led to two of Germany’s goals and there is a clamour among England fans to see him dropped. But Southgate has backed his man to the hilt and insists he has the character to come through it and remains a key player if England are to succeed in Qatar this winter.
When asked how important Maguire was to Southgate’s plans, the England boss said: “I know everybody says he’s important to me, he’s important to us! It’s us. It’s not me.
"Why do we pick him? Because he’s one of the players who gives us the best chance of winning. So really we should all be wanting a Harry Maguire that’s playing regularly and playing with confidence."
