Newsletter

Get your daily update and weekly newsletter by signing up today!

Opinion

Latest Jamaal Lascelles outrage is wide of the mark

6 years ago
Share

I fully understand the disappointment when neither Jamaal Lascelles or Jonjo Shelvey were named by Gareth Southgate two weeks ago.

There was a sharp sense of injustice as neither Newcastle player made the final cut of 23 players for the England squad.

That sense of injustice probably running deeper because of the perception that the pair hadn’t even been given serious consideration, particularly galling considering the lack of real quality in both central midfield and centre of defence.

I had an extra reason for feeling aggrieved, having put a few quid on a long range bet for Jamaal Lascelles to make the squad.

Putting it on some seven months ago, I thought  had a great value bet considering how well the NUFC captain has done this past season, but there you go.

As well as the 23 man squad announced by Southgate, there were also five standby players selected by the England boss.

These were Tom Heaton, James Tarkowski, Lewis Cook, Jake Livermore and Adam Lallana.

This weekend has seen Burnley’s Tarkowski become unavailable, with the defender needing an operation.

I must admit though that the latest outrage from Newcastle fans over Jamaal Lascelles being overlooked, is a bit laughable.

Media reported that Gareth Southgate hadn’t been prompted to get in touch with Lascelles and put him on standby, after news of  Tarkowski’s injury.

Not sure why NUFC supporters were getting upset this time, any outrage over failing to be a standby for the standby list a few days before the 4 June deadline, is surely wide of the mark.

When you aren’t even named in the first 28 players, what real value would there be for either Jamaal Lascelles or Newcastle fans if he had been contacted?

Obviously, Southgate rates Cahill, Jones, Stones, and Maguire, ahead of the Newcastle man, plus Walker and Alexander-Arnold are also both capable of playing at centre-half if necessary.

If by some stroke of fortune, Jamaal Lascelles did somehow make the actual squad, it would be with zero chance of getting any game time.

Plus, the knock-on effect on Newcastle could be disastrous.

Widely acknowledged as Newcastle’s most influential player, if away with England Lascelles would miss the start of pre-season at Newcastle on 2 July and reality would be that with extra time given to a player who is involved in a tournament, likelihood is he wouldn’t join up with Newcastle until late July, around two weeks before the season would kick off.

It would be great to see any Newcastle player involved with England properly but not a situation where you would get all the negatives, without them actually playing.

The Mag – 16 May 2018:

The 2018 England World Cup Squad has been named.

Gareth Southgate revealing his 23 man squad on Wednesday afternoon.

As feared, the list is missing both Jamaal Lascelles and Jonjo Shelvey.

With neither having been picked by Southgate for a single squad so far, it would have been a pleasant surprise if either had been included.

When it comes to who has been picked ahead of the Newcastle pair…

With Jamaal Lascelles, I would say Cahill especially is lucky, as he has been pretty rubbish this season. Southgate sticking with what he knows, as is the case with Phil Jones who hasn’t been great for Man Utd either. Harry Maguire has had a lot of positive press this season but looked really poor when Newcastle won 2-1 at Leicester last month.

As for Jonjo Shelvey…Henderson was always going to be selected and the same with Dier. Maybe though with 23 places to fill, Southgate could and probably should have found a place for Shelvey as somebody who could offer something a bit different – especially when it comes to going forward rather than the more negative play you usually see from England midfielders.

Looking at the squad overall, I find it bizarre that Danny Welbeck gets a place, I think he and Gary Cahill are the weakest selections. At least Joe Hart didn’t make it, that would have been a really really weak decision.

Gareth Southgate’s 23 man squad:

Goalkeepers

Pickford

Butland

Pope

Defenders

Alexander-Arnold

Cahill

Jones

Maguire

Rose

Stones

Trippier

Walker

Young

Midfielders

Alli

Delph

Dier

Henderson

Lingard

Loftus Cheek

Sterling

Forwards

Kane

Rashford

Vardy

Welbeck
[get_involved]

Share

If you would like to feature on The Mag, submit your article to contribute@themag.co.uk

Have your say

© 2024 The Mag. All Rights Reserved. Design & Build by Mediaworks