As the England players met their families in Frankfurt after a dismal draw with Denmark, there was a “tension”, and it wasn’t all to do with the result. Some relatives of squad members feel that Gareth Southgate has made “commitments” to certain players, but is not picking those who deserve it or are in form. It started to seep in afterwards. A concern is growing that Southgate is too wedded to certain senior players. There have been acerbic comments about not wanting to “upset” them.
It should be acknowledged that that perception goes against the huge decisions he made in selecting this squad, where he left many big names out. Some of this is also the natural irritation that comes when a player is left out, and when results are poor. Everything feels different after an encouraging performance. It’s also a risk of letting families in after games in the way England have maturely tried to do.
