Danny Drinkwater was left out of the England squad. Again.
Roy Hodgson overlooked Drinkwater in the summer, despite him having a wonderful season with Leicester, and now Gareth Southgate has left the Foxes’ metronomic passer out of the latest Three Lions squad. Perhaps this is down to Leicester’s sloppy start to the Premier League season, they only have eight points from their first seven games, or maybe it is because Drinkwater plays in an unfashionable midfield role. Some suggested injury ruled Drinkwater out, although the 90 minutes he completed on Sunday suggest that news should be treated with caution.
It could be that these two fixtures don’t possess sufficient threat for Southgate to feel he needs another defensive-minded midfielder. Currently, only Jordan Henderson and Eric Dier would be considered naturals in deep midfield roles, with Dele Alli as the other central midfielder in the squad. England’s squad looks dangerously imbalanced as a result, but this might be because the quality of opposition dictates the players selected.
Of course, it seems risky to name only two central midfielders, though. Drinkwater would have been a good option to balance the midfield, particularly with the absence of Adam Lallana and Jack Wilshere. Leicester’s deep-lying spray-passing midfielder could have slotted alongside Dier in the midfield and aided the initial build-up phase.
In fact, other than Dier, no English midfielder has even been in the same realm of consistency and quality as Drinkwater over the last 12 months.
Offered a tantalising taste of international football by being named in the 26-man squad for England’s summer preparations, Drinkwater was cut from the selection while two players yet to return to full fitness, Henderson and Jack Wilshere, remained. With three England appearances to date, few players have done more to earn a place in the squad and the XI than Drinkwater.
It is not simply that Drinkwater deserves a place in England’s squad, but that he offers a skillset they are missing. Although Dier is an excellent defensive midfielder, he has limitations in possession. Henderson also is not going to produce the same defence cracking passes that Drinkwater swipes forwards on a regular basis. It is not only on merit that Drinkwater should be selected, he also addresses a need. His exclusion makes little sense, particularly so with the imbalance of the squad.
Reputations continue to rule England’s squad selection and the longer it carries on this way, the further they will fall from contention. The strength of Premier League football and the size of the nation can only carry the team so far and picking players who have earned a place in the squad needs to be the beginning of a substantial overhaul.