It wouldn’t be out of order to state that Gareth Southgate’s reputation has taken a hit over the past month or so.
England might be through to the knockout rounds of Euro 2024 as group winners, and they’ve landed in what on paper looks the more favourable side of the draw, but a series of drab performances have led to widespread questioning of the Three Lions boss.
His decision to play Trent Alexander-Arnold in midfield has been heavily criticised, along with his withdrawal of the Liverpool vice-captain at an early juncture in the draw against Denmark, and his treatment of the other Reds player in his squad doesn’t paint a pretty picture either.
As reported by Sky Sports’ Rob Dorsett on X, Ezri Konsa is ‘first in line’ to start as a ‘makeshift left-back’ against Slovakia on Sunday if Kieran Trippier isn’t fit to feature, with Joe Gomez once again set to be overlooked.
#avfc Ezri Konsa is first in line as a makeshift left back, if Trippier is not fit to start, ahead of #lfc Joe Gomez. https://t.co/6bp7Ltx0RV
As if Liverpool fans weren’t already exasperated over Southgate’s hokey-cokeying with Trent, the continued snubbing of Gomez seems utterly baffling considering the problems England have had at left-back.
While it may be his least familar role in the backline, the Reds defender has played on the left 31 times during his club career, the majority of which came last season. Compare that with a solitary club appearance in the same position for Trippier, and the grand total of zero for Konsa (Transfermarkt).
Yep, that’s right – the Three Lions boss would rather omit the famously versatile Gomez in favour of someone who’s never once played at left-back at senior level, but could now be thrown in at the deep end in the knockout stages of a major tournament.
It had seemed that Luke Shaw’s injury troubles opened the door for the Liverpool man to potentially get the nod on the left, but Southgate would rather experiment with others who have scant experience of that position, shoehorning them into a team which already appears imbalanced.
If the Reds’ number 2 is consigned to watching England from the substitutes’ bench again on Sunday, we wouldn’t blame him if he felt like checking Expedia for the first flight back to Merseyside, rather than having his time wasted in Germany.
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