Gareth Southgate‘s decision to name a provisional 33-man England squad for Euro 2020 limited the faux outrage that accompanies each of his selections.
Danny Ings, Patrick Bamford and supporters of their respective clubs, might have felt aggrieved at their omissions. Tottenham fans probably less so at Eric Dier’s exclusion.
But by and large, it was a predictable and largely uncontroversial squad announcement. Of the 33 only three are yet to be capped: goalkeeper Aaron Ramsdale and centre backs Ben Godfrey and Ben White.
Godfrey and White were selected ahead of the 45-cap Dier, Fikayo Tomori, who has impressed on loan at AC Milan from Chelsea, Aston Villa’s Ezri Konsa and White’s Brighton captain, Lewis Dunk.
Southgate stressed the importance of “flexibility” at a major tournament in his press conference and indicated that Godfrey and White’s aptitude to play in different positions enhanced their appeal.
“These two are very flexible,” Southgate said. “They can play in different roles as well – left, right, midfield in White’s case. This is a great opportunity for us to get to know them a bit better. There’s no way of knowing how long they’ll be with us, but it should be a fantastic experience.”
Godfrey started out as a holding midfielder for York City before shifting into the back four at Norwich City and emerging as Everton’s whack-a-mole defender this term, popping up across Carlo Ancelotti’s backline.
The 23-year-old was Everton’s man-of-the-match against West Ham three weeks ago, supplying a defence-splitting assist for Dominic Calvert-Lewin’s winner from a right-sided role in a back three.
That is a position that White is especially familiar with as he has spent virtually the entire season playing there for Brighton, occasionally stepping into midfield to provide cover.
Brighton slapped a £40m price tag on the 23-year-old before he’d even kicked a ball in the Premier League due to his displays in Leeds’ promotion-winning campaign and he has enjoyed a solid start to his top-flight career.
Southgate has championed playing out from defence throughout his time as England manager and his two new recruits fit the England manager’s mould.
Playing in a variety of positions has meant that both have sharpened their ball-playing and ball-carrying skills, integral components to a defender’s arsenal these days.
Learning their trade in the lower leagues, meanwhile, will have helped them become street smart. They have each played in all four football league divisions: Godfrey for York City, Shrewsbury Town, Norwich City and Everton, White for Newport County, Peterborough United, Leeds United and Brighton.
Whether either makes the final cut could depend on the ability of Harry Maguire’s ankle to heal itself by next week. Southgate could well lean on his tried-and-trusted axis from Russia in Maguire, John Stones and Kyle Walker, if all three are fit and healthy.
Tyrone Mings provides left-sided cover, Conor Coady an alternative as a sweeper and Reece James a dual option as a right-sided centre back or wing back. But Godfrey and White can press their claims over the next seven days before England’s 12-strong Uefa final contingent meet up with the rest.
Considering they weren’t even in contention a few months ago, that in itself is an advantageous position for the pair to be in.
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from Football – inews.co.uk https://ift.tt/2Ss51WS
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