Argh I was just typing out a reply and then deleted it by accident 😭😭
That’s a really interesting point about the players that have benefited most from Southgate’s time as manager. I’d also add Marcus Rashford and Dele Alli to that list, although I know they’re not playing at this Euros.
Also, on a separate note, I thought Dele generally did very well under Southgate - and under Pochettino at Spurs. I’ve got a real soft spot for him and I think he’s an excellent footballer. I recently read that he wants to get into the 2026 World Cup squad and I wish him all the best with that - I definitely think he could make it. It will be really tough, as he’s not regularly training with a club at the moment, and hasn’t been for some time, and is also coming to the end of his contract, which complicates things, but I’ve heard that his current club - Everton - have been supportive of him. I really wish him all the best. He’s got so much talent and potential and I hope he gets to use it again.
Going back to the players who’ve thrived under Southgate, re Foden and Trent, they’re clearly both fantastic footballers and more than worthy of being in the England squad.
The issue that’s coming up at this Euros is that their England squad positions are not those they’d normally play in, which is obviously difficult and creates problems for them and their team mates.
I think this has come about because, whilst Southgate has a massive selection of players to choose from who are capable of being in his squad and who also want to play in it, he doesn’t have enough team resilience, because he’s picked too many players who are competing for the same positions, because those are the ones in which they play best (e.g. Kane and Bellingham both generally play in the same position). I don’t think the squad has enough players available to make it a solid and strong team. We have tons of players who are amazing strikers/goal scorers, but not many players who enjoy being midfielders and supporting the strikers.