Comments suggest Southgate is missing the point on overlooked Grealish
As Gareth Southgate named his final England squad of the year for the upcoming Euro 2020 qualifying campaign there were no great surprises though one player was, yet again, overlooked.
Jack Grealish has since been name checked as a player who may well be drafted into the squad if any were to drop out through injury, though many feel the Aston Villa captain deserves more credit than that.
The playmaker is 24 now and can no longer be considered a youngster on the fringes of the squad. There are players in some cases that are five or six years younger than Grealish that Southgate has confirmed are higher up the pecking order, so there is clearly something that the England boss isn't quite convinced by of the Villa talisman.
That's despite watching Grealish run the show with a sparkling performance against Brighton last month. While Southgate was also in the stands as the creator went off injured late on at Manchester City, that was a match that he would always struggle to make a real impact upon.
The Villa skipper is at his most effective in the final third, unlocking defences, which he was never likely to be in a position to do at the Etihad but is an area of England's game under Southgate with room for improvement.
Only Kevin De Bruyne (27) has created more chances from open play in the Premier League this season than Grealish (24). An average of 2.4 per game is a huge increase on England's most creative player on the international stage this season, with Harry Kane leading the way on 1.5 of those to appear in at least three of the Three Lions' eight matches in 2019.
The fact that England's striker is out in front in that regard points to a lack of creativity from midfield areas, with his partnership with Raheem Sterling becoming increasingly pivotal. It's undeniably England's greatest strength, but if teams cut the supply line between the two as the Czech Republic managed last month, plan B isn't apparent.
Ross Barkley has been England's chief creative force in midfield, with a modest tally of nine chances created from open play in eight appearances. James Maddison is another obvious alternative, but the Leicester star relies heavily on set piece duties to rack up his impressive figures when it comes to key passes. The 22-year-old has forged 21 chances for his Foxes teammates this season, though only 11 have been from open play.
What is clear of international football is that a squad needs different types of players to face different quality opposition. Much like an NFL team have a different lineup for defense and offense, a football team needs players capable of soaking up pressure and playing on the counter and those able to break down sides that set up to defend.
England's squad has pace in abundance on the flanks and in attack but at times lacks guile, particularly in midfield. Mason Mount is another attack minded midfielder that Grealish is said to be competing with, but he too is a very different type of player.
The Chelsea youngster attacks the box incredibly well and has a knack for picking up scoring positions but he's more useful for getting on the end of a defence splitting pass rather than playing it himself, more akin to a player of Dele Alli's skillset.
Throw in his ability to win fouls in dangerous positions - drawing more than any other Premier League player (41) - and it's becoming increasingly curious why Southgate hasn't at least had a closer look at Grealish in an England training setting.
His ability to play from the centre of the pitch or, as he has more recently, from the left should also be seen as a positive. However, given Southgate's comments on Thursday his switch to a wide role of late seems to have had the opposite effect.
Southgate said of Grealish on Thursday, “He's a very good player and I've watched him closely this season. He played very well against Brighton. The reality of that is that he's up against Sterling, Rashford, Sancho, Hudson-Odoi in those wide areas.”
That would suggest that the coach is perhaps unsure as to the Villa man's best position. Even when playing from wide he's not a winger, that is for sure.
The fact that the most chances created from open play by a midfielder in a single England game this season was Jordan Henderson (three) in Bulgaria is a worry. There's a quick fix readily available to Gareth Southgate, but for now it's one he is reluctant to make.
Jack Grealish is desperate for a chance. How many does he need to create to get one?
