Gareth Southgate has come in for a lot of criticism recently. Harry Maguire’s initial inclusion in the squad and Jack Grealish’s initial exclusion raised a lot of eyebrows – but the England boss turned that around pretty quickly.
However, there were still plenty of question marks over his selections. England’s squad for the Nations League games against Iceland and Denmark saw no left-footed player picked to play left-back.
Kieran Trippier was forced to play on the opposite side of his natural position and, as well as he did, it ruined the balance of the side.
Southgate was quizzed over his decision not to call up a left-footed full-back – and his response has angered some Arsenal fans.
He told Sky Sports: “Where is that player? I keep hearing that argument but I think Kieran has had two excellent games for us. Of course, a left-sided player gives you that balance but Ben Chilwell and Luke Shaw are injured while Danny Rose isn’t really involved at Spurs at the moment.”
Chilwell, Shaw and Rose are all experienced England internationals and it’s no surprise they are Southgate’s preferred options. However, one English player was brilliant at left-back last season – and was snubbed.
Arsenal’s Bukayo Saka is naturally an attacker but a lack of options at left-back forced Mikel Arteta to use him there. The youngster played 38 times in all competitions in a variety of positions.
Saka featured on both wings, in midfield and at left-back, where he surprised many. He was extremely comfortable in attack, where he directly contributed to 15 goals in all competitions.
His quality in defence was surprisingly good as well. Saka was solid in one v one situations and his pace helped him cover a lot of ground, making him a solid all-round option.
Arsenal fans hoped to see Saka receive his first England call-up but were left disappointed. Southgate’s comments after the game turned that disappointment into anger.
Here’s how some Arsenal fans reacted on Twitter
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