WROCLAW, Poland — Gareth Southgate is expending hard-earned credit on retaining Jordan Henderson and Harry Maguire, but Saturday’s 1-1 draw with Ukraine raises further questions over whether that loyalty is misplaced.
England’s search for the requisite improvement to finally end a 58-year wait for a men’s trophy next summer has led to renewed scrutiny of Henderson and Maguire, who were fortunate to be included in the squad after the former moved to the Saudi Pro League and the latter was frozen out at Manchester United.
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Southgate defended selecting the pair on the basis of both their past achievements but also what they bring to the here and now: Henderson, we were told, is still operating at a high level while Maguire possesses invaluable know-how that stands as a useful outlier in an otherwise youthful group of centre-backs.
There was little evidence to support either argument at the Tarczynski Arena. This is not to suggest the pair were solely at fault as England were collectively laboured in possession, particularly in an underwhelming first half. And nor is this result a disaster — England have won 21 of their last 23 Euro qualifiers and remain firmly on course to top Group C.
