With Luke Shaw still working his way back to fitness, the manager's decision to snub other more natural options is looking increasingly unwise
Ask any England fan to pick one trait of Gareth Southgate’s managerial style and the words ‘risk’ and ‘averse’ are bound to come up. The manager’s cautious nature explains why he has always favoured having two holding midfielders and why he has been careful to call up players into his squad as soon as they start making a name for themselves at their club.
But lately he has thrown caution to the wind and gone against his usual nature. In March, he fast-tracked then-18-year-old Kobbie Mainoo into the squad after initially leaving him out. In May, he dispensed with long-time servants Jordan Henderson and Marcus Rashford for his provisional squad for Euro 2024, before also snubbing Jack Grealish for his final squad. He also brought in Adam Wharton despite him having less than four months of top-flight experience.
But the biggest risk Southgate took was including Luke Shaw in his squad for the Euros despite him being injured since February. And now that decision, coupled with the call to pick no other natural left-back as a back-up, is looking like the manager's biggest mistake…
GettyObvious shortcomings
Shaw’s continued absence means England have no left-footed full-backs in their 26-man squad, and that has been a real problem for the Three Lions in their messy start to their campaign in Germany. Kieran Trippier’s lack of suitability for the role could be seen in the warm-up games against Bosnia & Herzegovina and Iceland, when England would look to play fast moves down the left flank, only for the Newcastle defender to slow the play down as he needed an extra touch to cross the ball with his right foot.
Trippier's ineptitude in the role has become even more pronounced in Germany, with him looking incapable of overlapping against Serbia or Denmark. Trippier – perhaps inhibited by a calf problem that he has been managing through the tournament – made very few runs forward, and when he did, his team-mates did not want to pass the ball to him. It meant that England only attacked down the right or the middle in either game, and it is no coincidence that both of the team’s goals have come from the right flank.
It is a huge contrast to the last two tournaments, when Shaw was fit and firing. England scored two of their most important goals at Euro 2020 down the left flank, with Shaw setting up Raheem Sterling in the last-16 win over Germany and the left-back himself scoring in the final against Italy after combining with Trippier.
Trippier also showed a lack of positional sense when Denmark scored their equaliser, as Harry Kane appeared in the left-back position and played an aimless pass that was intercepted.
AdvertisementGetty Mounting issues
Southgate was quick to acknowledge after the Denmark game that Shaw’s absence was a big factor in England’s underwhelming performances so far in Germany.
“It is clear in terms of the balance of the team that we don’t have our best left-back, so that denies you that balance,” he said. “But I think Tripps has done an incredible job for the team, his spirit and organisation and desire have helped us get over the line in the last couple of games. So that’s in no way a criticism of him, but it’s obviously going to be different – a right foot rather than a left.”
Trippier’s shortcomings at left-back have had a ripple effect on Phil Foden, who is accustomed to coming in off the wing for City as he has Nathan Ake or Josko Gvardiol over-lapping. So England have a double problem on the left flank, a right-footed player deployed at left-back and a left-winger who has no desire to play on the wing and who really sees himself as a No.10.
The problem is plain to see and is unlikely to get any better against Slovenia, as Shaw's return to full training on Monday was merely a sign of his fitness improving, rather than a signal that he will play in England's final group game.
Getty ImagesAlways a gamble
Shaw has been in a race against time to get fit for the tournament ever since injuring his hamstring during Manchester United’s game at Luton on February 18. He has not trained with his club since then, and in Germany he has been following an individual programme, leaving him unable to train with the rest of the group until the eve of the Slovenia clash.
It is hopelessly optimistic to think that after so long out he could be brought up to speed for the knockout phase, when the stakes will be higher and the opponents far tougher. It would be a gamble to expect any player to return to full fitness after so long out, but it is even crazier when that player is Shaw, whose career has been frequently disrupted by various injuries.
Shaw's injury nightmare began when he suffered a double limb fracture while playing for United against PSV in 2015. He later revealed that the horror tackle from Hector Moreno – which saw him sidelined for 11 months – almost led to him having his right leg amputated.
Since then, Shaw has suffered numerous separate injuries, above all muscle afflictions, limiting him to just 157 Premier League starts out of a potential 304 games.
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(C)GettyImages'Absolute stinker'
Chris Sutton, never one to mince his words, tore into Southgate for gambling on Shaw’s fitness. “The Luke Shaw call from Gareth has been an absolute stinker,” the former England striker said on the ‘It’s All Kicking Off’ podcast.
“We’re now at a stage at the tournament when Luke Shaw is still doing his personal programme. In the knockout rounds is Gareth just going to throw in Shaw, who is pretty injury-prone anyway? How is he going to be at the level? That has been another mistake. England are lopsided, they are unbalanced and a large part of that is because Gareth has made the wrong call.”
To be fair to Southgate, England do have a severe lack of left-back options due to the injury problems of Shaw and Ben Chilwell, the latter being unable to play for Chelsea since April, though it is claimed that he would have been ready for the Euros if selected. While the Three Lions have three right-backs in their Euros squad plus Reece James (injured) and Ben White (unwilling to be selected), there is a dearth of left-backs across English football right now, and indeed around the world.
And part of that is due to how football has evolved over the last decade. Many of the best modern left-backs started out as left wingers, such as Jordi Alba and Alphonso Davies. But that route has been blocked off by the emergence of inverted wingers who play on the side of their weaker foot.