GARETH SOUTHGATE was right to select Ivan Toney.
Not everyone will agree with that.
It is more a reflection of the world that people are saying he shouldn’t be in it because he’s got things hanging over his head — we all have things hanging over our heads at some point in life.
We should also be asking why this FA process has taken so long?
Why is Ivan still having to wait for a hearing date? It is leaving him in the lurch.
Based on his form, there is no reason why he shouldn’t be picked — and there was no reason for him not to be picked last season.
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The main question for me still is: why wasn’t he picked for the World Cup and yet he is picked for this squad?
He was in exactly the same form, so is he going to get game time this time or are they going to completely ignore him again?
It is easy to pick and play someone when there is no pressure, as opposed to a major tournament when you need to win.
There is no point picking these players and then in pressurised moments just revert back to what you already know. I hope this is a sign there will be a change in approach.
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Ivan managed not being picked for Qatar really well, he carried on scoring and everyone else is doing the talking for him now.
Before a World Cup, it is all about picking your best squad but what did Holland do in the quarter-finals against Argentina in Qatar?
They were 2-0 down and just decided to launch the ball into the box for a big boy like Wout Weghorst. When can we do that?
The goal that knocked us out against France was a ball into the box and a header from Olivier Giroud as a targetman. We didn’t have that option.
Harry Kane is decent with his head but in any major tournament you will never substitute him, so you need a back-up option to chuck in alongside him for when things go wrong and we need a goal.
The main question for me still is: why wasn’t he picked for the World Cup and yet he is picked for this squad?
Deeney on Toney
That is what Ivan will bring.
You can’t just have people who run in behind.
That’s why Jamie Vardy wasn’t always a great option at international level.
When your biggest threat is to run in behind, most teams would just drop off.
And if that game against France went to penalties, you have one of the best, if not the best, penalty taker in Europe right now.
All of that just makes it strange and a bit silly that he has not been given a chance.
In his time as England’s first-choice striker and captain, Kane will not have had someone behind him who is as hungry to prove himself and as confident to take his place as Ivan.
He will have the mindset, ‘I can score just as well as you can’.
Kane has earned the right to be the man but you need to have that mentality of wanting to take someone’s position.
But bigger than that for Ivan, it is just about getting regular call-ups to show he can do it all the time.
Until he starts and scores for England, he is going to have to keep proving himself time and time again — and prove to Gareth he doesn’t need to play Marcus Rashford down the middle in Kane’s absence.
And Ivan needs to do that sooner rather than later, because if that betting ban kicks in, he may not get back into the squad straight away.
Who knows what he will come back like after a period out of the game.
Everyone wants players picked based on how they are playing for their clubs. But someone like Maguire or Jordan Pickford have never let Gareth down. So, as a manager, why would you suddenly change that?
I am not surprised that Trent Alexander-Arnold was not picked but I fear his lack of form and defensive issues are just becoming a narrative more than reality.
Because he is good going forward and is going through a bad time, that scrutiny has risen.
The narrative is he can’t defend at all and I question that.
Is he a great defender? No, but I don’t think there are many about.
Kieran Trippier, Reece James, Ben Chilwell, Harry Maguire, Eric Dier are not ‘great’ defenders but you don’t hear anything about them.
If you offered Trent to Arsenal or Manchester City, you think they would turn you down?
When you look at the squads, it is a difficult one.
How everyone wants it is players are picked based on how they are playing for their clubs.
But someone like Maguire or Jordan Pickford have never let Gareth down.
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So, as a manager, why would you suddenly change that?
If you bring in new guys based on how they are doing and they fall short, ultimately, your job will be on the line.
Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk
