What Gareth Southgate said after James Maddison snub

Leicester City playmaker James Maddison was an unused substituted for three of England’s FIFA World Cup games. Here is what Gareth Southgate has said.

We all know that ‘Madders’ is a brilliant player: technically gifted, creatively minded and a thorough professional. Having him play for the Foxes is the gift which keeps on giving, and having the player around the team is only to the continued benefit of Brendan Rodgers.

However, it seems Southgate feels differently about the talent. England have come out of the tournament at the quarter finals. I would argue that is the base expectation of where the Three Lions should be, and getting there was hardly an achievement with the talent pool available.

Oddly though, the most in-form English attacking midfielder never featured. Not even as a three minute substitute when we were crushing Senegal or cruising past Danny Ward’s Wales. ‘JM10’ was a bench boy along with a number of other impressive talents.

What Gareth Southgate said about Leicester City man and others

Naturally, no player wants to be on the bench for a prolonged period. After all, the midfielder has been a starting star for Rodgers’ team, so to be on the bench and unused has to sting a little. However, the England gaffer has other ideas.

"“[the unused players] have been absolutely phenomenal… the support in the dressing room, the support from the bench, that’s what makes the team”"

Those who did not feature a great deal were apparently instrumental to the World Cup campaign. They helped to create the right atmosphere, mentality, and positivity necessary to progress in a challenging tournament. They were support for the starters.

Of course, we would likely see this as mere pandering to the media. The reality is much simpler: the boss had his favourites and trusted players and stuck with them rather than making major changes. Southgate did not want to disrupt his England team.

"“it’s a challenge for those guys because… they are used to playing every week with their clubs… they should be [proud] of the sacrifice that they’ve given… they would have grown as people through doing that”"

Apparently, players like Maddison made a proud sacrifice by choosing to sit on the bench and support the team from the dressing room and training ground. Apparently, they have grown as individuals for being prepared to not play. A footballer of JM10’s talent should be playing for that team.

A player with the creative ability of James Maddison should not be proud of being support; he should be proud of scoring and creating for club and country on a regular basis. Injuries aside, there is no one better to have alongside Jude Bellingham and Declan Rice.