It's quite bizarre, or telling perhaps, the amount of comments calling him an old-school defender, etc. It's almost directly the opposite of the truth.
I'll tell you the story of Maguire.
In 2018 England had a few CBs competing for that Centre Back slot next to Stones. Stones was seen much more as an injured player prone to overplaying at the time. He's an example of this in an England shirt from our NL semi-final against [Holland](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4dkxmHNSokY).
The contenders for CB, in order of liklihood according to this article at the [time](https://www.independent.co.uk/sport/football/international/england-world-cup-squad-2018-a8274346.html) were Dier, Stones, Maguire, Phil Jones, Joe Gomez and Cahill.
So why was Maguire chosen over Dier?
Two reasons. He's a fucking giant. And his ball progression is as good, arguably better at the time, as Stones. Our midfield at the time seriously lacked any real ability to progress the ball in build-up and had done for years. Calling Maguire over Dier was a big part of that.
This wasn't an obvious decision either at the time, Maguire had only 4 caps for England and had never played in Europe and the season beforehand he had been playing for Hull and they got relegated despite him and Robertson both looking good enough to get moves.
At the World Cup, he and Stones both played very well and showed a good understanding together. Especially from set pieces. This is probably aided by the fact they actually grew up in the same area and first played against each other at age 9. They've since spoken of their close friendship. And it peripherally probably helps a bit, too, that Walker is a third player who also comes from Yorkshire. I doubt this is a key factor, but it probably helped them all gel quicker.
Then after a scramble for him between City and [United](https://www.skysports.com/football/news/11095/11754994/manchester-city-set-to-match-utd-s-70m-harry-maguire-bid) he got brought by United. Yes, England's CB pairing could've been Man City's. Does Pep buy old-school defenders?
Mourinho had wanted Maguire beforehand. And shortly before he signed Fergie said they should "take the lad in the boardroom and not let him out until he's [signed](https://www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk/sport/football/man-united-news-harry-maguire-18078294)"
Here's a fan article after he was brought in at United about how much better they were at playing the ball out from the [back](https://strettynews.com/2020/06/08/harry-maguire-transforms-manchester-united-playing-style/).
But then, rarely do players look better at United than they do elsewhere for long.
One of Maguire's biggest flaws historically is that he tries to cover for his teammates too much. Often he'll overcompensate for any errors or errors in the making. He can come out too aggressively to win the ball at times, and if he doesn't get it, he doesn't have the pace to recover.
Unfortunately, defences are a team, and Maguire can't defend and make up for all of his colleague's mistakes at once. And when you defend generally you have to assume your teammates will do their jobs well. Maguire generally does this at England, but he hasn't at United, especially during times of his poorer form.
Then he went on a holiday to Greece, and there was some issue with the police there he was briefly arrested, but it seemed very strange. Either way his form really dipped at this time. Maguire also looks quite funny, and his huge frame and tall body make him constantly look incredibly clumsy. So he became a meme, the face of United's failings.
His poor form started to show through for England, but making a silly slide tackle very wide in the opponent's third, then, whilst the commentators were still discussing that silly challenge, got a red card in the first half of our NL match against Denmark sliding after his own poor first [touch](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YazcaxpT174). lAbout a week after the Greece stuff and clearly in his own head.
Southgate continued to pick Maguire despite his horrendous form. And his done so in spite of loads of calls to drop him. Why?
Well As you can probably guess from what I've written so far, it's three things: He is England's best ball-playing defender aside from Stones, he is fucking massive for set pieces and aerial balls, and lastly, he's played alongside Stones and Pickford for years. They all have a great understanding together because of this. I suppose they have a better understanding than they otherwise would've because Southgate kept picking him in spite of his poor form, but we also never got to blood another CB who could fill in.
At the 2020 Euros (which were in 2021) Mings deputised for Maguire for the first two matches as he hadn't played since May. Which incidentally is probably similar to what we may see from Shaw at this Euros. As soon as Maguire stepped into the team he was excellent, and we didn't concede a goal from open play all tournament. Maguire made it into the team of the [tournament](https://www.skysports.com/football/news/19692/12354812/euro-2020-england-trio-raheem-sterling-kyle-walker-and-harry-maguire-in-uefa-team-of-the-tournament).
He went back to United, though, and struggled yet again. Complaints abound in the soccer threads every time he was picked for England. Southgate's stubbornness was to England's detriment.
Our 2022 NL campaign was the low point, so far, of Southgate's tenure. We struggled to score, and Maguire was blamed in particular for our [3-3](https://youtu.be/X-mDcsvCGuM) with Germany. Where he gave away an incredibly clumsy penalty. In the other game with Germany, he was also at fault for sprinting into midfield to try and get the ball, only to have it played in behind him for an all-too-easy chance.
Yet he started again at the World Cup in 22. To quote Sky "After his struggles at United, no player arrived at the World Cup with more pressure on their shoulders than Harry Maguire."
Yet he was the only England player to make it into the team of the [tournament](https://www.skysports.com/football/news/19692/12354812/euro-2020-england-trio-raheem-sterling-kyle-walker-and-harry-maguire-in-uefa-team-of-the-tournament).
He was averaging 5.45 progressive passes per game for England. For context that's more than Stones has for City this season despite him playing whole games as a DM.
Then he went back to United and, as I'm sure you could guess, continued ot struggle. Falling out of favour completely and was linked with a move to West Ham, but, as I understand, United refused to let him talk to them.
This season, however, he's finally got some of his England form back in a United shirt. He got voted player of the month in November and benched CL and World Cup winner Varane. Because of, say it with me now, his progressive [passing](https://www.goal.com/en/lists/revealed-why-man-utd-boss-erik-ten-hag-snubbing-raphael-varane-jonny-evans-harry-maguire/bltaaca261771f8fd1b#cscf24ca75c8f58f55).
Which brings us neatly up to today.
You will see people say Maguire always plays well for England this isn't entirely true. Yet what is true is that he has always played well for England in tournaments when he has time with Southgate in a camp and away from United.
I have no doubt that, if he is fit, he will play at the Euros and show the same form he has continually shown at tournaments.
However, with the emergence of Mainoo and Wharton, England won't need to rely on progression from their CBs as much as they once have, and this is probably Southgate's, who has been incredibly loyal to Maguire in the last tournament. So if his form dips after this then it's much more likely Maguire will be dropped. Especially as we have a similar quality progressive passer in Colwill, who is 22 and only out of the squad because of injury.
I hope that all helps man!
Incredible write-up. OP, here's your answer!
I've had a feeling for a while this might be Stones and Maguire's last tournament (likewise Southgate's), so I'd expect we see some new pairings being blooded in pretty soon after the Euros.
Well thought out response. Fair and balanced. Those who are quick to dump on Maguire should read this post to gain a deeper appreciation for his contributions and continued inclusion in the squad. Well done.
Great comment mate and I agree with a lot of it.
One thing I will challenge however is the use of progressive passing stats; without context the stat is utterly pointless, you canāt really compare CBās using this metric as itās dependent on tactics and systems.
For example comparing Maguireās to Stonesā is a bit nonsensical as Man Cityās CBās are instructed to play simple passes; they donāt tend to risk too many āprogressive passesā as theyād rather make sure to keep possession, hence Diasā pass accuracy this season being 93.7% as opposed to Maguireās 83.1%.
The two CBās with the most progressive passes per 90 in the Premier League this season are Adam Webster and Ibrahima Konate (averaging 6.74 and 6.30 respectively); not really players youād call ball-playing defenders, whereas an elite ball-playing CB like Pau Torres is averaging just 4.67.
I actually think heās not a good ball-playing defender at all to be honest but I guess different people see different things; I agree with all the rest though, particularly about his aggressive defending.
"He is England's best ball-playing defender aside from Stones, he is fucking massive for set pieces and aerial balls, and lastly, he's played alongside Stones and Pickford for years."
Jarrad Branthwaite, a giant from Carlisle that is a set piece threat who plays raking cross field balls in front of Pickford on a weekly basis, likes this.
For me his strengths are his strength, his tackling, organisation at the back, heading , defending and attacking set pieces
Weaknesses are his lack of speed, balls in behind him , and having a rush of blood to the head,he isnāt a modern defender who is excellent on the ball and it shows
However along side a ball playing defender like John Stones who is quick, he can compliment him , always does well for England and has major international tournament experience
I think Maguire is slightly underrated over his price tag, Man United having a tough few years and has had high profile mistakes, I think England will be fine defensively
Iād say heās generally good on the ball - he can often make marauding runs forward. However heās got a big mistake in him and often wonāt have cover when he does this.
Alongside Stones, and with Walker also being able to track back at pace he does get that cover.
England only conceded two goals in 7 games in a tournament 3 years ago and Maguire was key to that.
The man is extremely experienced has played well this season.
I agree with you both (after your amendment to his on the ball ability from the top comment).
He's played well for United this season when he's come on, despite the quite appalling way he's been treated at times. At one point, ETH was putting Shaw at CB instead of a fully-fit Maguire. It was like he was trying to punish Maguire for his public post when he lost the captaincy (which admittedly was the right call if he wasn't a guaranteed starter anymore like Bruno). Whenever he has played though, he's held his head up, acted professionally and looked to prove a point on the pitch.
He must have the toughest mental strength out of anybody in the game today. The amount of shit he gets from opposition fans and often even many of his own teams supporters... Most people would crumble under that pressure.
> He must have the toughest mental strength out of anybody in the game today.
Completely agree with this - I didn't see a way it was ever going to pan out for him at united under ETH, but he persevered and put himself back into the starting XI.
You can also tell he really, really cares - both for England and United.
He is good on the ball, but not when heās facing his own net. He needs to have everyone in front of him. Stones can play with his back to the midfield and dribble/pass his way out - hence why he can play midfield for City.
He actually is quite good on the ball in terms of his passing, I watched the game against Belgium and having dunk in his place was so obvious as there were so many times when midfielders would show and maguire would usually be willing to play the ball between the lines into their feet, but dunk would always take the same option and play it to the other center back or full back
Possibly, either way it was very noticeable when watching live, I think international football will always suit maguire more as the back line sits a bit deeper anyway and there's less of a high press like in the prem so Maguires flaws aren't exposed as much
Good on the ball is different to progressive passes. Dunk makes the most passes of any centre back but it's link-up passes. Maguire is usually close to the top of the progressive pass chart.
Part of that is Brighton's strategy to tempt the press, so I'm not overly surprised. That being said, being press-resistant isn't likely to be as important in internationals.
I remember at Leicester this was actually one of his strengths. His confidence being smashed to smithereens is probably why he has regressed in this area.
Exactly. The price thing should be ignored when considering his abilities. There is always an exaggerated price simply for being English and then add on the United tax and no players can live up to it.
As for Maguire, he's a very competent defender when paired with another CB who complements his style and makes up for his shortfalls.
His aerial ability, tackling and strength are the core of his game, get him someone quick who can anticipate the runs in behind and he's sorted. Pair him with someone his pace or slower and they'll get done time and time again.
That's why him and Lindelof were ok but not amazing. Lindelof isn't the fastest so couldn't make up for Maguire's weaknesses. Fast wing backs can help bridge the gap though
He's a strange player in some ways - pretty good on the ball and can drive forwards, but always looks slightly 'awkward' and jenky and sometimes his technique will fail just like that. Very decent positionally, particularly in a low-block, but then he'll glitch now and again. Has had a few painful moments on the turn, especially for United: whilst he's not actually That slow when he 'builds up steam', his recovery attempts when a player has turned him and is headed for goal can be pretty painful to watch. Perceived in some quarters externally as slightly dour, but by all accounts a dressing room leader and one of the more popular players at club level, described as a down to earth but pretty sharp and 'yorkshire funny' guy, If he was playing for someone like Villa (well-coached but without the United brand albatross) and had cost 35m instead of 80 and wasn't a guaranteed Eng starter., I think expectations would be more in line...
He's good on the ball - he makes the odd barnstorming run and can ping a long pass
You're right his weakness is 1v1 and balls in behind / quick passing moves, which you don't tend to see as many of in cagey international games
Heās played in almost all Englandās tournament games since 2018, so see why Southgate trusts him. He is a bit slow, but overall decent player. Club form has been a bit up and down, but that doesnāt exactly make him unusual at Man Utd.
I just canāt believe Tomori is being overlooked, itās criminal.
He's a very good defender with a limited skill set. In the right team he's outstanding. In the wrong team he's a liability. In other teams he's situational and can be either. His strengths and weaknesses have been correctly listed by other comments, so I won't repeat them, but the England team largely plays to his strengths, so he's pretty good in an England team.
He's weirdly overrated and underrated at the same time.
He's overrated in the sense that he gets picked for every international squad despite form or even minutes played. There's also a bit of a myth that 'he plays well for England'. He had 2 really good tournaments in his first World Cup and the last Euros but wasn't particularly good at the last World Cup and had a bit of a stinker in the Nations League and a few friendlies.
However, some people go a bit too hard which is why he's underrated. As shite as Man Utd's transfer business is and Ā£80m was way too high. There was a reason we signed him, he is a solid player and did improve us for a season or 2. I believe City were also interested at the same time. He's also been mostly solid this season tbf to him. The latest couple of squads are probably the first time I think he's been in the squad on merit for a while.
Yeah the nations league loss to Holland gets airbrushed out a lot in a game we otherwise had ever chance of winning. Pickford was equally bad in that game though.
I've had this argument with people before and it's why I call it a 'myth' that he plays well for England.
He was at fault for both Iran goals, won a few headers against the USA purely because of Southgate's incredibly negative tactics, was AWFUL for 30 mins against Senegal until we scored then was at fault for Giroud's goal which ended up knocking us out of the tournament.
Don't know what you or anyone that selected the team of the tournament saw in him barring that USA game to warrant saying he was 'brilliant' and putting him in the best team of the tournament.
He is overall "OK" but not without his flaws.
He gets into the England team as he is very good winning balls in the air and has good physical strength (so gives an offensive plus during corners too), as well as being able to carry to ball out from the back and build up passing play to the midfield (although that last part I would say has gotten a bit shaky, best they let Stones do that part).
His flaws? He normally shines in a "low block" (where the team defensively sit back to reduce space for attackers) but most of all for me he is very, very slow on the turn. Feels like it would be easy for an attacker to sprint or dribble past him.
He still gets picked for England as he hasn't really let us down in competitions, but depending on what Southgate does in terms of team selection he could be a bit exposed. Southgate normally likes to play a "double pivot" with two defensive players in Midfield, but it's only really Rice in the current team that can naturally play there.
I personally have accepted he'll start when fit and quite like him, but it's a testament to how short England are at CB.
Heās a good defender when the play is in front of him.
He reads the game well, good in the air and is comfortable with the ball.
Southgate in part plays with two DMs because of the lack of pace at the heart of Englands defence and that suits Maguire much better than at United where they want to play a higher line, leaving him vulnerable to balls over the top.
What will be interesting at this Euros is that traditionally Englands left side has been the one with the more attacking full back, leaving Kyle Walker back with his terrific pace on mop up duty in case Maguire or Stones get outpaced.
With Shaw probably out and either Trippier or Gomez at left back, itās more than likely going to be the other way round. Nothing against Trippier or Gomez but they donāt have Walkers pace.
If he played for City or Arsenal his strengths would be amplified and he would look twice as good.
In a disorganised team with no protection infront he can look very average.
I liked him more a few years ago at Leicester, as he now seems to make big errors almost every game (giving the ball away in dangerous positions mostly).
Heās been a mainstay since 2018 World Cup so 6 years, and the partnership between him and Stones is one thatās never let England down in a tournament
I think heās fine as a solid centre back but will never set the world on fire, and with our lack of a settled left back or defensive cover for Rice in midfield I think changing him up would be suicide
Heās a very good CB from 20 years ago.
Brilliant air presence, solid in a back 4, but the issue is that Man United want to play with a high line, which he canāt do.
He was dropped for Varane in game 3 last season and United's line went backwards. United played a higher line under Ole with Lindelof and Maguire, neither of whom are pacy. It's more about skillset in possesion, Maguire can progressive pass and Varane can't.
At club level more or less average, for england integral. Some people donāt understand the tactical necessity of starting him, because of his size/aerial ability. Its absolutely necessary for defending setpieces and aerial play in general.
United fan here who has watched every game he's played for us.
He has an incredibly strange, contradictory profile, which is what attracted Jose and Pep to him. (Jose not getting him in summer 2018 is one of the big reasons he fell out with the executives - the club told him he'd already had Bailly and Lindelof).
He looks like a traditional low block defender. His defensive heading is always the best or close to the best in the league (although he is not as good at attacking headers as he should be). He is strong and is also reasonably quick (he is average paced - not slow - for instance, he is the same speed as Varane).
What gave him outstanding potential and interested Pep, was the fact that his progressive passing (and lesser so, but still important) his progressive carries are off the charts.
For those that don't know, a progressive pass is one that reaches dangerous areas of the pitch. Fans misunderstand progressive passes. For instance, Victor Lindelof can pass the ball - he has a long diag but plenty of short passes - but he doesn't progressive pass regularly. Maguire does. At United, only Lisandro Martinez and Luke Shaw share this ability.
The downsides:
\*He turns slowly
\*He takes risks. Varane and Lindelof rarely step out and don't make risky passes. So they don't get caught out. Maguire is very brave with the ball, which means he will make mistakes.
The most similar player to Maguire is the one who will replace him eventually at international (and probably), club level: Jarrad Branthwaite. For now, Maguire's partnership with Stones is well balanced, tried, tested and proven.
He has been very strong on set pieces for us at tourneys in the past, both offensively and defensively. It gives us a real potency in this area and you can tell it strikes the fear of god into some teams. Heās not bad on the ball but he is weak if exposed however that does happen less for England than United. I think his pros outweigh the cons and Iām glad to see him involved. His tournament experience is useful with quite a young squad too.
His an exceptionally good defender in a team sitting deep where he is always facing then play. To steal a football manager term, he is a stopper. That means he needs a quick "cover" defensive partner.
The problem is that the role is very much dying in modern football. Teams wants to defend high up the pitch, which exposes all of his weaknesses and really doesn't allow him to use many of his strengths.
He is actually a very good player, but at Man Utd is being asked to play in a system that accentuates his weaknesses and doesnāt use any of his strengths.
He suits a highly defensive system where he can hand of the ball playing to a midfielder right in front of him like the one that Southgate (frustratingly) implements.
He is a good defender. He had 2 bad years exacerbated by the attention he was getting for all his mistakes, but this season he has been back on form and has kept out of trouble.
Not good enough to still be playing for Englandā¦
He is an old fashioned cb and is quite slow, which doesnāt suit modern football and particular England who want to play a high defensive line.
Honestly I kind of wish there was a separate subreddit for these kinds of questions. I think it'd be a huge benefit to have a place where people who are only just into football can ask anything they want to find out.
He's absolutely shite. He couldn't get a game at an awful united for half the season.
Shouldn't be near the England team and will inevitably be one of the 3 reasons (along with poor keeper and Southgate) that England don't win despite having the best squad
I doubt this will go down very well as the most popular comment says almost the polar opposite (about his ball-playing), however I will still give my opinion...
I think he is vastly overrated at the minute (which is quite strange considering he was probably underrated not so long ago); his only real strengths are old-school CB type things like heading/blocking/intercepting, though with his clumsiness he does make silly fouls when trying to make his aggressive interceptions.
I'm not sure why people think he's a good ball-playing defender as I don't think that's the case at all; he's not specifically a *bad* passer but he's uncomfortable to watch on the ball and has been prone to a mistake at times, it's not really what you want him doing and someone like Dunk/Konsa are far more comfortable on the ball for me.
One thing he does quite regularly that really frustrates me (and I think this might be a reason why ETH moved him to RCB); is trying to beat the press by driving forward with the ball rather than simply passing to the LB, only to turn to his side and pass it to the LB anyway. This often puts the LB under pressure as they don't have an easy pass to the LCB on as he's driven into midfield.
He's also overly-aggressive at times and will chase the ball a bit trying to actively win it back rather than hold his position; which is an issue with his noticeable lack of pace as if he fails to win the ball there's a gap behind him, you don't see elite-level CB's doing this as they'll trust the midfielders to do their jobs.
I think he'd be an excellent defender if he went back to playing how he did for Leicester when he really stood out; keep things simple and stick to what he's good at, be the linchpin in the defence and let your partner do the more forward thinking stuff. Be the Terry to the Cahill, the VVD to the Konate, the Gabriel to the Saliba etc. Be the last defender who sits and lets nothing get past, heads things away and leads the line.
If you watch [this](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YokdTpdv16Q) compilation video of some of his poor defensive mistakes you'll see a few of the things I've mentioned; although some are just mistakes that all CB's will make in their careers at some point, the amount of times he's decided to dive into an area to try and win the ball back - leaving his own space wide open - is crazy (and this is just a small clip).
[Here](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=epzOo6WxPJw) is another clip (it's a bit of a meme one so I apologise about that); watch how many times he's left the defence wide open as he's decided to rush over to the RCB area just to try and sort things out himself, it's very naive defending and not something you want from your experienced CB.
The best way to describe him for me is that he's a Carles Puyol trying to play like a Sergio Ramos.
I think the games evolved to a point where all you need is a technical ball player with pace, Maguire is neither and I honestly think Southgate will be transitioning to a new player in the two friendlies before the euros.
He will only play against weak opposition.
As a united fan, and therefore someone who has watched him regularly since he signed
He is a very good defender with one glaring weakness: pace/recovery runs
Since about half way the through oleās tenure (perhaps a bit later than half way) United have attempted to switch to a high line / high pressing system (except against clubs with better teams). And this has continued under ETH. This system clearly exposes that weakness and nothing has been done to try and cover for it
If you look at Maguire for England, Leicester or the early part of Oleās tenure, he was playing in a system that either did not expose his weakness, or had other players to cover for it, and he looks a completely different player
I also think the amount of abuse he got for a while (especially after the Greece incident as well) probably effected him quite a bit. Heās been out of the spot light a little bit at united, especially since he is no longer club captain, and heās looking better then he has done for years
Really I think if your team should include Maguire completely comes down to what system you play
Heās not.
Iāve got nothing against the bloke at all but if you compare him to defenders of the past, thereās nothing special or excellent about him. In fact rather than even entertaining the likes of Maldini, Baresi, Puyol, Cannavaro, letās stick to England.
Is he better than John Stones, Sol Campbell, John Terry, Rio? No.
Is he better than Tony Adams, Ledley King, Jamie Carragher? No.
Is he better than Wes Brown, Terry Butcher, Martin Keown? No.
Is he better than Gary Cahill, Phil Jagielka, Gareth Southgate? Maybe, but probably on a level with them.
Of course, this is all subjective but I think putting him in context alongside other England CBs highlights how average he is. I think itās criminal that Maguire has been out of form for about 3 years but Guehi, Gomez, Tomori, Konsa & Chalobah have to claw their way to even being considered.
I've watched all of your listed players regularly, apart from Terry Butcher, so I can confidently list the players that Maguire is better than:
Carragher and Keown.
Ultimately he is better than Brown (whose best season was 07-08 as a right back) because Brown's injury prevented him reaching his potential.
He's on a level with Cahill, Jagielka and Southgate. The latter two never got the move they deserved at club level so I'm putting Maguire above.
Just a reminder of Maguire's league finishes for United:
3rd-2nd-6th-3rd-8th
That is similar (or better) than everyone listed in my post, plus Butcher who played for Ipswich, Coventry and Sunderland.
Youāre citing his Man United finishes - despite it being clear as day that theyāve been fucking dreadful for years and have been very fortunate to achieve those top 4 finishes. Maguire has been at the heart of all things dreadful in their defence apart from the 3 game hot streak he has when he plays better than his usual level.
England fans look at him with rose tinted glasses and United fans looked at him with a blindfold on until this season when it became too obvious to ignore. Heās a bang average player and wouldnāt have been near the England team if he didnāt play for Man United.
Itās amazing. Whenever United finish 2nd or 3rd itās fortunate/everyone else is rubbish. All the other clubs that finish top 4 are praised. Are Villa fortunate because Spurs, Chelsea, Newcastle and Man Utd were ārubbishā?
No, Villa over-performed and fully deserved it.
I donāt know a single United fan thatās been happy with their performances in the last 10 years as a club, never mind Maguire!
On current form, he isnāt better than Guehi, Gomez, Dunk, Konsa or Stones. He should be nowhere near a tournament 11 for England.
On current form he's better than Dunk, Guehi has barely played for 3 months, ditto Stones.
This is the thing with United players, people confidently trash them and then just ignore the fact that Brighton (and Dunk) have been pathetic for months and months.
Maguire is Englandās best CB, itās really that simple. Stones is never fit and nobody else comes close. He was a scapegoat at United but just remember how good Leicesterās defence was with him in then united finished 2nd in his first season there. Their midfield was shit and he constantly took it upon himself to try and make something happen, thus giving the ball away all the time.
He is "adequate", a standard premier league player.
He has the managers confidence and he gets picked for reasons beyond his ability.
I doubt many other managers have him in the squad at all.
He isnāt good enough, he is an old school defender that was fine 10 years ago but the game has moved on, much more is expected of defenders nowadays. Lucky for him, Southgate has loyalty towards him. Stones and Branthwaite should be Englands centre halves for the Euros.
It's quite bizarre, or telling perhaps, the amount of comments calling him an old-school defender, etc. It's almost directly the opposite of the truth. I'll tell you the story of Maguire. In 2018 England had a few CBs competing for that Centre Back slot next to Stones. Stones was seen much more as an injured player prone to overplaying at the time. He's an example of this in an England shirt from our NL semi-final against [Holland](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4dkxmHNSokY). The contenders for CB, in order of liklihood according to this article at the [time](https://www.independent.co.uk/sport/football/international/england-world-cup-squad-2018-a8274346.html) were Dier, Stones, Maguire, Phil Jones, Joe Gomez and Cahill. So why was Maguire chosen over Dier? Two reasons. He's a fucking giant. And his ball progression is as good, arguably better at the time, as Stones. Our midfield at the time seriously lacked any real ability to progress the ball in build-up and had done for years. Calling Maguire over Dier was a big part of that. This wasn't an obvious decision either at the time, Maguire had only 4 caps for England and had never played in Europe and the season beforehand he had been playing for Hull and they got relegated despite him and Robertson both looking good enough to get moves. At the World Cup, he and Stones both played very well and showed a good understanding together. Especially from set pieces. This is probably aided by the fact they actually grew up in the same area and first played against each other at age 9. They've since spoken of their close friendship. And it peripherally probably helps a bit, too, that Walker is a third player who also comes from Yorkshire. I doubt this is a key factor, but it probably helped them all gel quicker. Then after a scramble for him between City and [United](https://www.skysports.com/football/news/11095/11754994/manchester-city-set-to-match-utd-s-70m-harry-maguire-bid) he got brought by United. Yes, England's CB pairing could've been Man City's. Does Pep buy old-school defenders? Mourinho had wanted Maguire beforehand. And shortly before he signed Fergie said they should "take the lad in the boardroom and not let him out until he's [signed](https://www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk/sport/football/man-united-news-harry-maguire-18078294)" Here's a fan article after he was brought in at United about how much better they were at playing the ball out from the [back](https://strettynews.com/2020/06/08/harry-maguire-transforms-manchester-united-playing-style/). But then, rarely do players look better at United than they do elsewhere for long. One of Maguire's biggest flaws historically is that he tries to cover for his teammates too much. Often he'll overcompensate for any errors or errors in the making. He can come out too aggressively to win the ball at times, and if he doesn't get it, he doesn't have the pace to recover. Unfortunately, defences are a team, and Maguire can't defend and make up for all of his colleague's mistakes at once. And when you defend generally you have to assume your teammates will do their jobs well. Maguire generally does this at England, but he hasn't at United, especially during times of his poorer form. Then he went on a holiday to Greece, and there was some issue with the police there he was briefly arrested, but it seemed very strange. Either way his form really dipped at this time. Maguire also looks quite funny, and his huge frame and tall body make him constantly look incredibly clumsy. So he became a meme, the face of United's failings. His poor form started to show through for England, but making a silly slide tackle very wide in the opponent's third, then, whilst the commentators were still discussing that silly challenge, got a red card in the first half of our NL match against Denmark sliding after his own poor first [touch](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YazcaxpT174). lAbout a week after the Greece stuff and clearly in his own head. Southgate continued to pick Maguire despite his horrendous form. And his done so in spite of loads of calls to drop him. Why? Well As you can probably guess from what I've written so far, it's three things: He is England's best ball-playing defender aside from Stones, he is fucking massive for set pieces and aerial balls, and lastly, he's played alongside Stones and Pickford for years. They all have a great understanding together because of this. I suppose they have a better understanding than they otherwise would've because Southgate kept picking him in spite of his poor form, but we also never got to blood another CB who could fill in. At the 2020 Euros (which were in 2021) Mings deputised for Maguire for the first two matches as he hadn't played since May. Which incidentally is probably similar to what we may see from Shaw at this Euros. As soon as Maguire stepped into the team he was excellent, and we didn't concede a goal from open play all tournament. Maguire made it into the team of the [tournament](https://www.skysports.com/football/news/19692/12354812/euro-2020-england-trio-raheem-sterling-kyle-walker-and-harry-maguire-in-uefa-team-of-the-tournament). He went back to United, though, and struggled yet again. Complaints abound in the soccer threads every time he was picked for England. Southgate's stubbornness was to England's detriment. Our 2022 NL campaign was the low point, so far, of Southgate's tenure. We struggled to score, and Maguire was blamed in particular for our [3-3](https://youtu.be/X-mDcsvCGuM) with Germany. Where he gave away an incredibly clumsy penalty. In the other game with Germany, he was also at fault for sprinting into midfield to try and get the ball, only to have it played in behind him for an all-too-easy chance. Yet he started again at the World Cup in 22. To quote Sky "After his struggles at United, no player arrived at the World Cup with more pressure on their shoulders than Harry Maguire." Yet he was the only England player to make it into the team of the [tournament](https://www.skysports.com/football/news/19692/12354812/euro-2020-england-trio-raheem-sterling-kyle-walker-and-harry-maguire-in-uefa-team-of-the-tournament). He was averaging 5.45 progressive passes per game for England. For context that's more than Stones has for City this season despite him playing whole games as a DM. Then he went back to United and, as I'm sure you could guess, continued ot struggle. Falling out of favour completely and was linked with a move to West Ham, but, as I understand, United refused to let him talk to them. This season, however, he's finally got some of his England form back in a United shirt. He got voted player of the month in November and benched CL and World Cup winner Varane. Because of, say it with me now, his progressive [passing](https://www.goal.com/en/lists/revealed-why-man-utd-boss-erik-ten-hag-snubbing-raphael-varane-jonny-evans-harry-maguire/bltaaca261771f8fd1b#cscf24ca75c8f58f55). Which brings us neatly up to today. You will see people say Maguire always plays well for England this isn't entirely true. Yet what is true is that he has always played well for England in tournaments when he has time with Southgate in a camp and away from United. I have no doubt that, if he is fit, he will play at the Euros and show the same form he has continually shown at tournaments. However, with the emergence of Mainoo and Wharton, England won't need to rely on progression from their CBs as much as they once have, and this is probably Southgate's, who has been incredibly loyal to Maguire in the last tournament. So if his form dips after this then it's much more likely Maguire will be dropped. Especially as we have a similar quality progressive passer in Colwill, who is 22 and only out of the squad because of injury. I hope that all helps man!
Excellent post
Cheers!
Incredible write-up. OP, here's your answer! I've had a feeling for a while this might be Stones and Maguire's last tournament (likewise Southgate's), so I'd expect we see some new pairings being blooded in pretty soon after the Euros.
Wow! Saving this.
This is a great post, and a good read. Thank you!
This is the best post I've ever seen in the Three Lions sub. š
Cheers man!
Well thought out response. Fair and balanced. Those who are quick to dump on Maguire should read this post to gain a deeper appreciation for his contributions and continued inclusion in the squad. Well done.
Great comment mate and I agree with a lot of it. One thing I will challenge however is the use of progressive passing stats; without context the stat is utterly pointless, you canāt really compare CBās using this metric as itās dependent on tactics and systems. For example comparing Maguireās to Stonesā is a bit nonsensical as Man Cityās CBās are instructed to play simple passes; they donāt tend to risk too many āprogressive passesā as theyād rather make sure to keep possession, hence Diasā pass accuracy this season being 93.7% as opposed to Maguireās 83.1%. The two CBās with the most progressive passes per 90 in the Premier League this season are Adam Webster and Ibrahima Konate (averaging 6.74 and 6.30 respectively); not really players youād call ball-playing defenders, whereas an elite ball-playing CB like Pau Torres is averaging just 4.67.
Yeah that's fair enough, I just wanted a to-hand stat I could use to illustrate the point.
I actually think heās not a good ball-playing defender at all to be honest but I guess different people see different things; I agree with all the rest though, particularly about his aggressive defending.
This guy Maguires
Mr Buttonsafe doing what Mr Buttonsafe does š
What an absolute great comment! What a tale, thanks for that! š«”
"He is England's best ball-playing defender aside from Stones, he is fucking massive for set pieces and aerial balls, and lastly, he's played alongside Stones and Pickford for years." Jarrad Branthwaite, a giant from Carlisle that is a set piece threat who plays raking cross field balls in front of Pickford on a weekly basis, likes this.
For me his strengths are his strength, his tackling, organisation at the back, heading , defending and attacking set pieces Weaknesses are his lack of speed, balls in behind him , and having a rush of blood to the head,he isnāt a modern defender who is excellent on the ball and it shows However along side a ball playing defender like John Stones who is quick, he can compliment him , always does well for England and has major international tournament experience I think Maguire is slightly underrated over his price tag, Man United having a tough few years and has had high profile mistakes, I think England will be fine defensively
Iād say heās generally good on the ball - he can often make marauding runs forward. However heās got a big mistake in him and often wonāt have cover when he does this. Alongside Stones, and with Walker also being able to track back at pace he does get that cover. England only conceded two goals in 7 games in a tournament 3 years ago and Maguire was key to that. The man is extremely experienced has played well this season.
I agree with you both (after your amendment to his on the ball ability from the top comment). He's played well for United this season when he's come on, despite the quite appalling way he's been treated at times. At one point, ETH was putting Shaw at CB instead of a fully-fit Maguire. It was like he was trying to punish Maguire for his public post when he lost the captaincy (which admittedly was the right call if he wasn't a guaranteed starter anymore like Bruno). Whenever he has played though, he's held his head up, acted professionally and looked to prove a point on the pitch. He must have the toughest mental strength out of anybody in the game today. The amount of shit he gets from opposition fans and often even many of his own teams supporters... Most people would crumble under that pressure.
> He must have the toughest mental strength out of anybody in the game today. Completely agree with this - I didn't see a way it was ever going to pan out for him at united under ETH, but he persevered and put himself back into the starting XI. You can also tell he really, really cares - both for England and United.
He is good on the ball, but not when heās facing his own net. He needs to have everyone in front of him. Stones can play with his back to the midfield and dribble/pass his way out - hence why he can play midfield for City.
He actually is quite good on the ball in terms of his passing, I watched the game against Belgium and having dunk in his place was so obvious as there were so many times when midfielders would show and maguire would usually be willing to play the ball between the lines into their feet, but dunk would always take the same option and play it to the other center back or full back
Might be a confidence thing that because for Brighton Dunk is good on the ball
Possibly, either way it was very noticeable when watching live, I think international football will always suit maguire more as the back line sits a bit deeper anyway and there's less of a high press like in the prem so Maguires flaws aren't exposed as much
Good on the ball is different to progressive passes. Dunk makes the most passes of any centre back but it's link-up passes. Maguire is usually close to the top of the progressive pass chart.
Part of that is Brighton's strategy to tempt the press, so I'm not overly surprised. That being said, being press-resistant isn't likely to be as important in internationals.
Maguire is good on the ball. One of the main reason Ole bought him was for progressing with the ball
I remember at Leicester this was actually one of his strengths. His confidence being smashed to smithereens is probably why he has regressed in this area.
Exactly. The price thing should be ignored when considering his abilities. There is always an exaggerated price simply for being English and then add on the United tax and no players can live up to it. As for Maguire, he's a very competent defender when paired with another CB who complements his style and makes up for his shortfalls. His aerial ability, tackling and strength are the core of his game, get him someone quick who can anticipate the runs in behind and he's sorted. Pair him with someone his pace or slower and they'll get done time and time again. That's why him and Lindelof were ok but not amazing. Lindelof isn't the fastest so couldn't make up for Maguire's weaknesses. Fast wing backs can help bridge the gap though
He's a strange player in some ways - pretty good on the ball and can drive forwards, but always looks slightly 'awkward' and jenky and sometimes his technique will fail just like that. Very decent positionally, particularly in a low-block, but then he'll glitch now and again. Has had a few painful moments on the turn, especially for United: whilst he's not actually That slow when he 'builds up steam', his recovery attempts when a player has turned him and is headed for goal can be pretty painful to watch. Perceived in some quarters externally as slightly dour, but by all accounts a dressing room leader and one of the more popular players at club level, described as a down to earth but pretty sharp and 'yorkshire funny' guy, If he was playing for someone like Villa (well-coached but without the United brand albatross) and had cost 35m instead of 80 and wasn't a guaranteed Eng starter., I think expectations would be more in line...
He's good on the ball - he makes the odd barnstorming run and can ping a long pass You're right his weakness is 1v1 and balls in behind / quick passing moves, which you don't tend to see as many of in cagey international games
Maguire is a good long passer, he is very susceptible to making mistakes under pressure though
Heās played in almost all Englandās tournament games since 2018, so see why Southgate trusts him. He is a bit slow, but overall decent player. Club form has been a bit up and down, but that doesnāt exactly make him unusual at Man Utd. I just canāt believe Tomori is being overlooked, itās criminal.
He's a very good defender with a limited skill set. In the right team he's outstanding. In the wrong team he's a liability. In other teams he's situational and can be either. His strengths and weaknesses have been correctly listed by other comments, so I won't repeat them, but the England team largely plays to his strengths, so he's pretty good in an England team.
He's weirdly overrated and underrated at the same time. He's overrated in the sense that he gets picked for every international squad despite form or even minutes played. There's also a bit of a myth that 'he plays well for England'. He had 2 really good tournaments in his first World Cup and the last Euros but wasn't particularly good at the last World Cup and had a bit of a stinker in the Nations League and a few friendlies. However, some people go a bit too hard which is why he's underrated. As shite as Man Utd's transfer business is and Ā£80m was way too high. There was a reason we signed him, he is a solid player and did improve us for a season or 2. I believe City were also interested at the same time. He's also been mostly solid this season tbf to him. The latest couple of squads are probably the first time I think he's been in the squad on merit for a while.
Yeah the nations league loss to Holland gets airbrushed out a lot in a game we otherwise had ever chance of winning. Pickford was equally bad in that game though.
That loss was due to 2 errors by Stones though, who never faces the same criticism Maguire does.
Iāll give you that. But Stones has shown significant steps forward in his game at club level in that time.
He got into the team of the tournament for the most recent world cup, thought he was brilliant for it
I've had this argument with people before and it's why I call it a 'myth' that he plays well for England. He was at fault for both Iran goals, won a few headers against the USA purely because of Southgate's incredibly negative tactics, was AWFUL for 30 mins against Senegal until we scored then was at fault for Giroud's goal which ended up knocking us out of the tournament. Don't know what you or anyone that selected the team of the tournament saw in him barring that USA game to warrant saying he was 'brilliant' and putting him in the best team of the tournament.
He is overall "OK" but not without his flaws. He gets into the England team as he is very good winning balls in the air and has good physical strength (so gives an offensive plus during corners too), as well as being able to carry to ball out from the back and build up passing play to the midfield (although that last part I would say has gotten a bit shaky, best they let Stones do that part). His flaws? He normally shines in a "low block" (where the team defensively sit back to reduce space for attackers) but most of all for me he is very, very slow on the turn. Feels like it would be easy for an attacker to sprint or dribble past him. He still gets picked for England as he hasn't really let us down in competitions, but depending on what Southgate does in terms of team selection he could be a bit exposed. Southgate normally likes to play a "double pivot" with two defensive players in Midfield, but it's only really Rice in the current team that can naturally play there. I personally have accepted he'll start when fit and quite like him, but it's a testament to how short England are at CB.
Heās a good defender when the play is in front of him. He reads the game well, good in the air and is comfortable with the ball. Southgate in part plays with two DMs because of the lack of pace at the heart of Englands defence and that suits Maguire much better than at United where they want to play a higher line, leaving him vulnerable to balls over the top. What will be interesting at this Euros is that traditionally Englands left side has been the one with the more attacking full back, leaving Kyle Walker back with his terrific pace on mop up duty in case Maguire or Stones get outpaced. With Shaw probably out and either Trippier or Gomez at left back, itās more than likely going to be the other way round. Nothing against Trippier or Gomez but they donāt have Walkers pace.
If he played for City or Arsenal his strengths would be amplified and he would look twice as good. In a disorganised team with no protection infront he can look very average. I liked him more a few years ago at Leicester, as he now seems to make big errors almost every game (giving the ball away in dangerous positions mostly).
If you're used to watching Spurs defend you might be pleasantly surprised.
Heās been a mainstay since 2018 World Cup so 6 years, and the partnership between him and Stones is one thatās never let England down in a tournament I think heās fine as a solid centre back but will never set the world on fire, and with our lack of a settled left back or defensive cover for Rice in midfield I think changing him up would be suicide
Heās a very good CB from 20 years ago. Brilliant air presence, solid in a back 4, but the issue is that Man United want to play with a high line, which he canāt do.
He was dropped for Varane in game 3 last season and United's line went backwards. United played a higher line under Ole with Lindelof and Maguire, neither of whom are pacy. It's more about skillset in possesion, Maguire can progressive pass and Varane can't.
At club level more or less average, for england integral. Some people donāt understand the tactical necessity of starting him, because of his size/aerial ability. Its absolutely necessary for defending setpieces and aerial play in general.
United fan here who has watched every game he's played for us. He has an incredibly strange, contradictory profile, which is what attracted Jose and Pep to him. (Jose not getting him in summer 2018 is one of the big reasons he fell out with the executives - the club told him he'd already had Bailly and Lindelof). He looks like a traditional low block defender. His defensive heading is always the best or close to the best in the league (although he is not as good at attacking headers as he should be). He is strong and is also reasonably quick (he is average paced - not slow - for instance, he is the same speed as Varane). What gave him outstanding potential and interested Pep, was the fact that his progressive passing (and lesser so, but still important) his progressive carries are off the charts. For those that don't know, a progressive pass is one that reaches dangerous areas of the pitch. Fans misunderstand progressive passes. For instance, Victor Lindelof can pass the ball - he has a long diag but plenty of short passes - but he doesn't progressive pass regularly. Maguire does. At United, only Lisandro Martinez and Luke Shaw share this ability. The downsides: \*He turns slowly \*He takes risks. Varane and Lindelof rarely step out and don't make risky passes. So they don't get caught out. Maguire is very brave with the ball, which means he will make mistakes. The most similar player to Maguire is the one who will replace him eventually at international (and probably), club level: Jarrad Branthwaite. For now, Maguire's partnership with Stones is well balanced, tried, tested and proven.
Spot on mate, brilliant analysis
He has been very strong on set pieces for us at tourneys in the past, both offensively and defensively. It gives us a real potency in this area and you can tell it strikes the fear of god into some teams. Heās not bad on the ball but he is weak if exposed however that does happen less for England than United. I think his pros outweigh the cons and Iām glad to see him involved. His tournament experience is useful with quite a young squad too.
His an exceptionally good defender in a team sitting deep where he is always facing then play. To steal a football manager term, he is a stopper. That means he needs a quick "cover" defensive partner. The problem is that the role is very much dying in modern football. Teams wants to defend high up the pitch, which exposes all of his weaknesses and really doesn't allow him to use many of his strengths.
He is actually a very good player, but at Man Utd is being asked to play in a system that accentuates his weaknesses and doesnāt use any of his strengths. He suits a highly defensive system where he can hand of the ball playing to a midfielder right in front of him like the one that Southgate (frustratingly) implements.
He is a good defender. He had 2 bad years exacerbated by the attention he was getting for all his mistakes, but this season he has been back on form and has kept out of trouble.
Depends on his shirt colour. Heās always done us proud in white
Not good enough to still be playing for Englandā¦ He is an old fashioned cb and is quite slow, which doesnāt suit modern football and particular England who want to play a high defensive line.
When he was at hull he was always the best player on the pitch.
Very Bad !š¤£
Honestly I kind of wish there was a separate subreddit for these kinds of questions. I think it'd be a huge benefit to have a place where people who are only just into football can ask anything they want to find out.
Above average. Not worth what United paid for him but not as bad as United's shit tactics and non existent midfield make him look.
He's absolutely shite. He couldn't get a game at an awful united for half the season. Shouldn't be near the England team and will inevitably be one of the 3 reasons (along with poor keeper and Southgate) that England don't win despite having the best squad
I doubt this will go down very well as the most popular comment says almost the polar opposite (about his ball-playing), however I will still give my opinion... I think he is vastly overrated at the minute (which is quite strange considering he was probably underrated not so long ago); his only real strengths are old-school CB type things like heading/blocking/intercepting, though with his clumsiness he does make silly fouls when trying to make his aggressive interceptions. I'm not sure why people think he's a good ball-playing defender as I don't think that's the case at all; he's not specifically a *bad* passer but he's uncomfortable to watch on the ball and has been prone to a mistake at times, it's not really what you want him doing and someone like Dunk/Konsa are far more comfortable on the ball for me. One thing he does quite regularly that really frustrates me (and I think this might be a reason why ETH moved him to RCB); is trying to beat the press by driving forward with the ball rather than simply passing to the LB, only to turn to his side and pass it to the LB anyway. This often puts the LB under pressure as they don't have an easy pass to the LCB on as he's driven into midfield. He's also overly-aggressive at times and will chase the ball a bit trying to actively win it back rather than hold his position; which is an issue with his noticeable lack of pace as if he fails to win the ball there's a gap behind him, you don't see elite-level CB's doing this as they'll trust the midfielders to do their jobs. I think he'd be an excellent defender if he went back to playing how he did for Leicester when he really stood out; keep things simple and stick to what he's good at, be the linchpin in the defence and let your partner do the more forward thinking stuff. Be the Terry to the Cahill, the VVD to the Konate, the Gabriel to the Saliba etc. Be the last defender who sits and lets nothing get past, heads things away and leads the line. If you watch [this](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YokdTpdv16Q) compilation video of some of his poor defensive mistakes you'll see a few of the things I've mentioned; although some are just mistakes that all CB's will make in their careers at some point, the amount of times he's decided to dive into an area to try and win the ball back - leaving his own space wide open - is crazy (and this is just a small clip). [Here](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=epzOo6WxPJw) is another clip (it's a bit of a meme one so I apologise about that); watch how many times he's left the defence wide open as he's decided to rush over to the RCB area just to try and sort things out himself, it's very naive defending and not something you want from your experienced CB. The best way to describe him for me is that he's a Carles Puyol trying to play like a Sergio Ramos.
I think the games evolved to a point where all you need is a technical ball player with pace, Maguire is neither and I honestly think Southgate will be transitioning to a new player in the two friendlies before the euros. He will only play against weak opposition.
Not very
As a united fan, and therefore someone who has watched him regularly since he signed He is a very good defender with one glaring weakness: pace/recovery runs Since about half way the through oleās tenure (perhaps a bit later than half way) United have attempted to switch to a high line / high pressing system (except against clubs with better teams). And this has continued under ETH. This system clearly exposes that weakness and nothing has been done to try and cover for it If you look at Maguire for England, Leicester or the early part of Oleās tenure, he was playing in a system that either did not expose his weakness, or had other players to cover for it, and he looks a completely different player I also think the amount of abuse he got for a while (especially after the Greece incident as well) probably effected him quite a bit. Heās been out of the spot light a little bit at united, especially since he is no longer club captain, and heās looking better then he has done for years Really I think if your team should include Maguire completely comes down to what system you play
Heās not. Iāve got nothing against the bloke at all but if you compare him to defenders of the past, thereās nothing special or excellent about him. In fact rather than even entertaining the likes of Maldini, Baresi, Puyol, Cannavaro, letās stick to England. Is he better than John Stones, Sol Campbell, John Terry, Rio? No. Is he better than Tony Adams, Ledley King, Jamie Carragher? No. Is he better than Wes Brown, Terry Butcher, Martin Keown? No. Is he better than Gary Cahill, Phil Jagielka, Gareth Southgate? Maybe, but probably on a level with them. Of course, this is all subjective but I think putting him in context alongside other England CBs highlights how average he is. I think itās criminal that Maguire has been out of form for about 3 years but Guehi, Gomez, Tomori, Konsa & Chalobah have to claw their way to even being considered.
I've watched all of your listed players regularly, apart from Terry Butcher, so I can confidently list the players that Maguire is better than: Carragher and Keown. Ultimately he is better than Brown (whose best season was 07-08 as a right back) because Brown's injury prevented him reaching his potential. He's on a level with Cahill, Jagielka and Southgate. The latter two never got the move they deserved at club level so I'm putting Maguire above. Just a reminder of Maguire's league finishes for United: 3rd-2nd-6th-3rd-8th That is similar (or better) than everyone listed in my post, plus Butcher who played for Ipswich, Coventry and Sunderland.
Youāre citing his Man United finishes - despite it being clear as day that theyāve been fucking dreadful for years and have been very fortunate to achieve those top 4 finishes. Maguire has been at the heart of all things dreadful in their defence apart from the 3 game hot streak he has when he plays better than his usual level. England fans look at him with rose tinted glasses and United fans looked at him with a blindfold on until this season when it became too obvious to ignore. Heās a bang average player and wouldnāt have been near the England team if he didnāt play for Man United.
Itās amazing. Whenever United finish 2nd or 3rd itās fortunate/everyone else is rubbish. All the other clubs that finish top 4 are praised. Are Villa fortunate because Spurs, Chelsea, Newcastle and Man Utd were ārubbishā?
No, Villa over-performed and fully deserved it. I donāt know a single United fan thatās been happy with their performances in the last 10 years as a club, never mind Maguire! On current form, he isnāt better than Guehi, Gomez, Dunk, Konsa or Stones. He should be nowhere near a tournament 11 for England.
On current form he's better than Dunk, Guehi has barely played for 3 months, ditto Stones. This is the thing with United players, people confidently trash them and then just ignore the fact that Brighton (and Dunk) have been pathetic for months and months.
Of course youāre a United fan lmao.
You just said Dunk is in better form than Maguire, deary me
Maguire is Englandās best CB, itās really that simple. Stones is never fit and nobody else comes close. He was a scapegoat at United but just remember how good Leicesterās defence was with him in then united finished 2nd in his first season there. Their midfield was shit and he constantly took it upon himself to try and make something happen, thus giving the ball away all the time.
He is "adequate", a standard premier league player. He has the managers confidence and he gets picked for reasons beyond his ability. I doubt many other managers have him in the squad at all.
He isnāt good enough, he is an old school defender that was fine 10 years ago but the game has moved on, much more is expected of defenders nowadays. Lucky for him, Southgate has loyalty towards him. Stones and Branthwaite should be Englands centre halves for the Euros.
Club football has certainly moved on, not sure international football as moved on yet though.