bigfluffylemon wrote:England have so little strength in depth in the back four - the first picks are arguably all solid (Maguire notwithstanding), but the backup is pretty woeful
Which is why I find it insane that Southgate said he had not tried to contact Ben White to play, as White would solve so many issues for the squad with his quality and flexibility. He does nothing 95% of the year waiting for international breaks, and yet didn't find 5 minutes in all that time for a quick phone call to confirm if White was willing to play? White could have said no, and maybe the relationship is impossible to repair, but if I were England manager I Would be ringing him every squad announcement to extend the olive branch and try to get him back. Simply saying "As far as I am aware he is unavailable".... what? You are frigging England manager, do you not think its worthwhile to maybe find that out?
I guess the whole situation speaks volumes about Southgate's approach as manager. White's club manager, considered as the best young coach in world football and a hand picked protégé of arguably the greatest coach of all time, has in the past singled out Ben White's attitude for praise. Perfect player to coach and manage says Arteta.... says "he trains everyday like he is playing a Champions League final tomorrow".... loved by the fans for never leaving anything on the pitch, loved by his coach for being a perfect dressing room player.
Goes to Southgate's England, and gets his character dismantled by some nobody whose footballing career involved never getting on the bench for a fourth division regional Swedish side based in the Arctic, and a few substitute appearances at the might Hyde United.
In fairness to Ben, if I were a model professional playing CL football and competing for titles in the best league in the world, and some guy who couldn't literally get a game in a pub team at his peak decided to give me a lecture about my attitude, I think I would have chinned him