UEFA Nations League

ENGLAND boss Gareth Southgate dropped a huge shock with Harry Maguire missing out on the Euro 2024 squad.Manchester City playmaker Jack Grealish and Everton centre-back Jarrad Branthwaite are also set to be axed when seven names are trimmed today.Harry Maguire will not feature for England this summerCredit: GettyJack Grealish did not make the cutCredit: GettyThat leaves a hole to fill alongside John Stones at centre-back, with Maguire a stalwart during Southgate’s reign.The Manchester United defender was expected to start but a calf issue that kept him out since April led to his surprise omission.Maguire, 31, took to Instagram to break his silence after missing out on the tournament in Germany.He wrote: “I am devastated not to have been selected to play for England at the Euros this summer.READ MORE ENGLAND NEWS”Despite my best efforts, I have not been able to overcome an injury to my calf. Maybe I pushed myself too hard, to try and make it. Simply, I am absolutely gutted.”For me, representing England is the highest honour. It means everything to me. If I can’t help the team as a player, I will support them as a fan – along with the rest of the country. Go and win it boys.”Next, I will return to the supervision of the Manchester United medical team in order to prepare for next season.”Crystal Palace defender Marc Geuhi could be the man to step up in defence when the Three Lions face Serbia in their opener on June 16.Most read in Euro 2024CASINO SPECIAL – BEST CASINO WELCOME OFFERSAlternatively, Kyle Walker could slot in at centre-back with Trent Alexander-Arnold at right-back.Southgate is a big fan of the 4-2-3-1 but could also switch to a back five with Joe Gomez joining Stones and Walker at centre-back.James Maddison Axed from England’s Euro 2024 Squad (1)Jack Grealish was not expected to crack the starting line-up with Bukayo Saka, Jude Bellingham and Phil Foden supporting talisman Harry Kane.He paid the price for a lack of minutes, as well as the rise of Cole Palmer, Eberechi Eze and Jarrod Bowen.James Maddison and Curtis Jones also left camp today after being informed they had not made the cut.Maddison posted on X: “Devastated doesn’t quite cut it.Marc Guehi could step in for Harry MaguireKyle Walker can also plat at centre-backJoe Gomez and Kyle Walker could flank John Stones”Trained well and worked hard all week but if I’m honest with myself, my form for Spurs when coming back from injury in the second half of the season probably wasn’t at the levels I had set which gave Gareth a decision to make.”I still thought there would be a space for me in a 26-man squad as I feel I bring something different & had been a mainstay in this whole qualifying campaign for Euro 2024 in Germany but the manager has made the decision and I have to respect that.”I’ll be back, I have no doubt. Wishing the boys all the luck in the world out in Germany, unbelievable group and lads that I literally call some of my best friends. I genuinely hope football comes home.”This is a bold changing of the guard from Southgate… he’s never been afraid to be ruthless
GARETH SOUTHGATE has made a habit of taking ruthless calls during his eight years as England boss, writes Dave Kidd.
And his decision to axe Jack Grealish, as well as James Maddison, is further evidence of the Three Lions chief being unafraid to take big decisions with big-name players. 
Harry Maguire is also set to be among the seven players left out for the squad to travel to Germany for the Euros although the decision to omit the Manchester United centre-back is based on his failure to recover from injury. 
Southgate is, more than ever, picking on form.
Attacking midfielders such as Eberechi Eze, Jarrod Bowen, Cole Palmer and Anthony Gordon have been rewarded with call-ups for their excellent Premier League form, while Marcus Rashford, Maddison and Grealish all get the chop.
While the England boss is often regarded as an over-cautious nice guy, he took big decisions in getting rid of the likes of Wayne Rooney, Joe Hart and Chris Smalling at  the start of his reign. 
Southgate also jettisoned Raheem Sterling last year after the Chelsea man had been a regular starter throughout most of his reign. 
And Jordan Henderson was left out of the 33-man preliminary squad having been a stalwart for Southgate throughout his previous three tournaments.  
Grealish has been a cause celebre for England fans – who have often accused Southgate of holding an agenda against him. 
But he has struggled for game-time with Manchester City all season, just as Maddison has been off-form since returning from injury at Spurs.
This is a bold changing of the guard from Southgate, who has relied heavily on Maguire, Henderson, Sterling and Rashford throughout his time in charge, while Grealish and Maddison are both popular flair players who fully expected to make the 26-man party for Germany.
Burnley keeper James Trafford, the Liverpool duo of Curtis Jones and Jarrell Quansah and Everton defender Jarrad Branthwaite are expected to make up Southgate’s seven-man cull along with Grealish, Maddison and Maguire.  More

HARRY MAGUIRE has broken his silence after being left out of England’s squad for the Euros.It was confirmed earlier today that he and Jack Grealish had both failed to make the cut for Gareth Southgate’s squad.Maguire has been left out of the England squadCredit: GettyMaguire took to Instagram to announce he would not be in England’s squadCredit: Instagram harrymaguire93The defender was in a race against time to recover from a calf injury that had stopped him from joining in group training.After missing today’s training session before tomorrow’s final warm-up game ahead of the tournament, Southgate opted to move forward with a set of defenders that have a clean bill of health.Marc Guehi is currently the player expected to come into the XI in light of Maguire’s absence.But Everton’s Jarrad Branthwaite, is also expected to be cut from Southgate’s squad.READ MORE ON FOOTBALLMaguire took to Instagram to break his silence after missing out on England’s squad for the tournament in Germany.He wrote: “I am devastated not to have been selected to play for England at the Euros this summer.”Despite my best efforts, I have not been able to overcome an injury to my calf. Maybe I pushed myself too hard, to try and make it. Simply, I am absolutely gutted.”For me, representing England is the highest honour. It means everything to me. If I can’t help the team as a player, I will support them as a fan – along with the rest of the country. Go and win it boys.Most read in FootballCASINO SPECIAL – BEST CASINO WELCOME OFFERS”Next, I will return to the supervision of the Manchester United medical team in order to prepare for next season.”England will kick off their tournament in Germany against Serbia on June 16 before playing Denmark four days later.Harry Maguire calls for Southgate to stay on as England boss after Euros… but Man Utd ace may be better off if he GOESThis is a bold changing of the guard from Southgate… he’s never been afraid to be ruthless
GARETH SOUTHGATE has made a habit of taking ruthless calls during his eight years as England boss, writes Dave Kidd.
And his decision to axe Jack Grealish, as well as James Maddison, is further evidence of the Three Lions chief being unafraid to take big decisions with big-name players. 
Harry Maguire is also set to be among the seven players left out for the squad to travel to Germany for the Euros although the decision to omit the Manchester United centre-back is based on his failure to recover from injury. 
Southgate is, more than ever, picking on form.
Attacking midfielders such as Eberechi Eze, Jarrod Bowen, Cole Palmer and Anthony Gordon have been rewarded with call-ups for their excellent Premier League form, while Marcus Rashford, Maddison and Grealish all get the chop.
While the England boss is often regarded as an over-cautious nice guy, he took big decisions in getting rid of the likes of Wayne Rooney, Joe Hart and Chris Smalling at  the start of his reign. 
Southgate also jettisoned Raheem Sterling last year after the Chelsea man had been a regular starter throughout most of his reign. 
And Jordan Henderson was left out of the 33-man preliminary squad having been a stalwart for Southgate throughout his previous three tournaments.  
Grealish has been a cause celebre for England fans – who have often accused Southgate of holding an agenda against him. 
But he has struggled for game-time with Manchester City all season, just as Maddison has been off-form since returning from injury at Spurs.
This is a bold changing of the guard from Southgate, who has relied heavily on Maguire, Henderson, Sterling and Rashford throughout his time in charge, while Grealish and Maddison are both popular flair players who fully expected to make the 26-man party for Germany.
Burnley keeper James Trafford, the Liverpool duo of Curtis Jones and Jarrell Quansah and Everton defender Jarrad Branthwaite are expected to make up Southgate’s seven-man cull along with Grealish, Maddison and Maguire. 

The Three Lions’ final Group C match will pit them against Slovenia on June 25.Maguire and Grealish are the latest players to be cut from the squad.They followed the departures of James Maddison and Curtis Jones yesterday.James Trafford has also failed to make the final cut for the tournament in Germany. More

HARRY MAGUIRE and Jack Grealish are OUT of England’s Euro 2024 squad. Three Lions boss Gareth Southgate has whittled down his 33-man provisional squad to 26 players ahead of the tournament in Germany.Jack Grealish and Harry Maguire are out of England’s Euro 2024 squadCredit: GettyTottenham’s James Maddison and Curtis Jones of Liverpool were the first to make way on Thursday morning.Jones’ club team-mate Jarell Quansah is another expected to miss out despite not yet leaving the England camp.Burnley goalkeeper James Trafford is also out, leaving Jordan Pickford, Dean Henderson and Aaron Ramsdale battling it out for No1 spot.And so too are experienced pair Grealish and Maguire in what goes down as two huge calls made by Southgate. READ MORE IN football Everton’s Jarrad Branthwaite also misses out after making his debut on Monday’s win over Bosnia and Herzegovina.Maguire was always a doubt due to a calf issue that has sidelined him since April for Manchester United. Speaking out on Instagram: “I am devastated not to have been selected to play for England at the Euros this summer.”Despite my best efforts, I have not been able to overcome an injury to my calf. Most read in Euro 2024CASINO SPECIAL – BEST CASINO WELCOME OFFERS”Maybe I pushed myself too hard, to try and make it. Simply, I am absolutely gutted.”For me, representing England is the highest honour. It means everything to me. “If I can’t help the team as a player, I will support them as a fan – along with the rest of the country. Go and win it boys.”Next, I will return to the supervision of the Manchester United medical team in order to prepare for next season.”England will kick off their Euro 2024 campaign against Serbia on June 16 before playing Denmark four days later.The Three Lions’ final Group C match will pit them against Slovenia on June 25. More

A STAGGERING statistic reveals that 20 England past and present internationals have taken 52 penalties in games and shootouts in the 2023-24 season and missed only ONE — showing a 98 per cent success rate.The only blemish was Kieran Trippier who fired wide in the penalty shootout for Newcastle at Chelsea in their Carabao Cup quarter-final in December.Harry Kane will once again be taking up the mantle of penalty-taking kingCredit: The TimesCould Cole Palmer be rivalling Harry Kane to take penalties this summer?Credit: GettyIn terms of where England players have netted, it’s a mixed selection with 20 right, 18 left and 13 down the middle.The stats will make for pretty reading for England fans haunted by penalty misses of yesteryear.While the Three Lions managed to miss out on being knocked out via a shootout last time out at the World Cup in Qatar, it was still a penalty that cost England dearly.Harry Kane dispatched his first of the game after 58 minutes but lost his cool when attempting to slot the ball past France keeper Hugo Lloris for a second time later in the match.READ MORE ENGLAND NEWSSouthgate’s boys went on to lose 2-1 to Les Blues and exit the competition at the quarter-final stage.The feeling of England crashing out courtesy of a dreaded spot-kick is a familiar one for football fans.At the previous tournament, Euro 2020, England were just a penalty shoot-out away from winning their first trophy since 1966.But they fluffed their lines against Italy in the final, and fell to a 3-2 defeat on penalties.Most read in FootballCASINO SPECIAL – BEST CASINO WELCOME OFFERSEngland players have scored 51 of their 52 penalties so far this seasonMarcus Rashford, Jadon Sancho and Bukayo Saka all failed to find the back of the net from 12 yards.But England’s record in shoot-outs under Southgate hasn’t been all bad on the whole, despite his own infamy for missing a crucial spot-kick at Euro 96.Marcus Rashford and Henderson OUT of Gareth Southgate’s England Squad for Euro 2024The Three Lions triumphed 6-5 on pens over Switzerland in the 2019 Nations League, although it could be argued that the pressure wasn’t nearly as high at the then fledgling Nations League tournament.And a year prior to that, the team showed their steel by triumphing 4-3 on pens over Colombia in the round of 16 at the Russia 2018 World Cup courtesy of an Eric Dier pen.Southgate’s men will be hoping to draw inspiration from those two shoot-outs, plus their players’ generally stellar record from the spot this season – with 51 of their 52 pens scored this season.One potential difficulty for Southgate though could be getting his takers on the pitch at the same time.Cole Palmer leads the way in terms of pens scored, but is likely to be behind Bukayo Saka when it comes to a right-wing berth and Phil Foden and Jude Bellingham when it comes to playing in the 10.Marcus Rashford, James Ward-Prowse and Callum Wilson have all also scored well from the spot this season but haven’t made the cut for Southgate’s initial squad.Current England boss Gareth Southgate will be hoping his players don’t do what he did from the penalty spot at Euro 96Credit: PA:Press Association More

EURO 2024 has been predicted by a supercomputer – and it’s finally coming home.The eagerly-anticipated tournament gets underway on June 14, with hosts Germany playing Scotland at the Allianz Arena in Munich.A supercomputer has predicted the outcome for Euro 2024Credit: GETTYItaly lifted the trophy at Wembley in July 2021Credit: GETTYGareth Southgate’s Three Lions came up short at the final hurdle three years agoCredit: AFPThe Three Lions have a good chance of getting one better, according to a supercomputerCredit: GettyFootie fans across the world are currently debating who will win the competition, which was last won by Roberto Mancini’s Italy.And a supercomputer has predicted who will lift the trophy on July 14 by analysing the form of all 24 teams in the competition.Opta have simulated Euro 2024 a whopping 10,000 TIMES to determine the team most likely to win the tournament.And their supercomputer has calculated that Gareth Southgate’s Three Lions have a near 19.9 per cent chance of being the 17th winners of the competition.READ MORE ON EURO 2024It’s been calculated that England have a 70, 48.2 and 31.1 per cent chance of making the quarters, semi-finals and final respectively.France – who reached the final of the 2022 World Cup – have a 19.1 per cent chance of winning the competition – although they are 30.4 per cent likely to make it to the final.Hosts Germany, meanwhile, only have a 12.4 per cent chance of winning the trophy on home soil.Defending champions Italy only have an 11.4 per cent chance of reaching the final and a FIVE per cent chance of retaining the trophy.Most read in FootballBEST FREE BET SIGN UP OFFERS FOR UK BOOKMAKERSThe simulation results make for great reading for Scotland fans pessimistic about their chances of reaching the knockout stages.Steve Clarke’s side reached the last 16 of the tournament 58.9 per cent of the time.Meet the Wags supporting Scotland’s Euro 2024 Stars at home and in GermanyThe Tartan Army’s chances of making the quarter-finals, however, significantly dip to 23.5 per cent.The biggest outsiders to win the tournament, unsurprisingly, are Georgia.Willy Sagnol’s troops qualified for their first major finals two months ago with a penalty shootout victory over Greece.They are the least likely winners of the tournament at 0.1 per cent.Although they do, surprisingly, qualify for the last 16 in 37.2 per cent of the simulations run.Opta’s Euro 2024 predictionsCredit: OPTA More