Social Zone Euros Special: Southgate compared to Mike Bassett with team selection
- Joe Hewlett
- 29 June 2021
England manager Gareth Southgate caused quite a social storm when he named seven defensive players in his starting XI against Germany on Tuesday.
The team was as follows: Jordan Pickford, Kieran Trippier, Kyle Walker, John Stones, Harry Maguire, Luke Shaw, Kalvin Phillips, Declan Rice, Bukayo Saka, Raheem Sterling, Harry Kane.
It is safe to say Southgate's team selection received a fair amount of criticism.
Jack Grealish was named on the bench but there was no place for Dominic Calvert-Lewin. He was left out of the matchday squad alongside defensive duo Ben Chilwell and Ben White.
Southgate had the last laugh as goals from Raheem Sterling and Harry Kane secured a 2-0 win over Germany at Wembley to seal a place for England in the Euro 2020 quarter-finals.
Social media reaction to England XI
Is Gareth Southgate a Welsh/Scottish/Irish double-agent? England's starting XI is on the bench, and England's bench is the starting XI.
— Mike Jones (@technopopulist) June 29, 2021
Man Southgate is piling the pressure on himself with these team selections. Its one thing losing, but you cant go out without playing your best players #ENG
— Elliott Abrahams🏴 (@ellstaa) June 29, 2021
Southgate employing the Mike Bassett Christmas pudding formation . Just run about and pray for the best #Turkey
— Mike Searle (@hobgoblin990) June 29, 2021
Southgate is even worse then Frank de Boer.
— raj (@rajscheijen) June 29, 2021
There’s a lot of factory workers, accountants, postmen, data analysts etc. who suddenly know this squad better than Southgate. Give it a chance before hanging him?
— Matt Glossop 🦉💙 (@Jinja_Owl) June 29, 2021
At full time they will call for Southgate’s sack.. the question for me is.. why wait till he loses?
— Ademola (@Brotherdemola) June 29, 2021
His team selection isn’t enough to get him sacked?
