Gareth Southgate has drawn the ire of many fans after his decision not to call Fikayo Tomori up for the World Cup in Qatar.
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Calciomercato.com write how Southgate had never really opened the doors for Tomori, for whom World Cup remains a dream that has now faded, but what is the most intriguing is the reason given by the coach for his exclusion.
When justifying his choices and his exclusions, Southgate said: “I don’t think the young defenders have done enough to oust the old ones. Maguire is one of our best centre-backs.”
One of the best central defenders of last season and one of the key points of Milan’s Scudetto win has not done enough in the eyes of Southgate, or perhaps because the performance of the Englishman from mid-August to the present moment is certainly different from a year ago in his eyes.
In reality, some of Tomori’s statistics are getting better, such as percentage of duels won (from 47% to 60%) and tackles won (from 64% to 70%). However, there are three figures that have regressed, namely that he has already committed 11 fouls compared to 19 throughout the whole of last season. The second is interceptions, now only 14 (1 per game) and down from last season’s 1.5 per game). Finally, he has made more tackles which can be a sign regarding positioning due to the need to recover.
The report states that the numbers suggest Tomori is less attentive in positioning but more imprecise in his interventions. The absence of Maignan, the exit of Kessie and the shuffling of the back four has not helped. However, the fact Southgate has not called him up deserves questioning.
