World Cup 2018: 5 high-profile players who didn't make England's 23-man squad

#4 Chris Smalling

Chris Smalling seemingly doesn't fit into Gareth Southgate's style of

playing

Despite making 29 Premier League appearances for Manchester United – the side with the second-meanest defence in the league, conceding just 28 goals – central defender Chris Smalling has become another casualty of Southgate’s somewhat ruthless selection policy. This one hardly comes as a surprise though given Smalling wasn’t selected for March’s friendly fixtures either.

Southgate’s reasoning? In his own words from an interview in March: “I have huge respect for Chris. He is a player playing at a big club. We want to play in a certain way and the players I have brought in I want to see using the ball from the back and building it up in a certain way. And that is a style thing I want to look at. I know what Chris can do.”

Reading between the lines, this suggests that Southgate believes Smalling doesn’t have the passing ability to play a role in his England side – and the stats appear to back this up. Smalling’s pass success percentage of 87% this season is lower than that of John Stones (95%), Phil Jones (91%) and Gary Cahill (89%).

It is higher than Harry Maguire’s (79%), but Maguire’s tackle success percentage is higher and he attempts more passes per game.

Again, it’s another decision that has a lot of thought behind it.

About the author

Scott is a veteran MMA writer with over two decades of experience, including his ongoing tenure in Sportskeeda, which began seven years ago. He has written over 3000 pieces for the organization, while also covering football. Before joining Sportskeeda, Scott wrote articles for websites like The Oratory and Inside Pulse MMA.

Scott has a degree in history, which drives his research skills and helps him compile accurate information. His long stint in the field helps Scott provide a clear take on important topics, such as the criticism of promotions regarding fighter pay. While he feels fighters deserve a bigger revenue share, he doesn’t want MMA to suffer with purse-split issues.

Scott’s work has been previously reshared by the former UFC middleweight champion Chris Weidman. He uses credible sources, such as the UFC’s official website, during the writing process.

His dedication to MMA writing won him the Feature Writer of the Month award for Sportskeeda in November 2021.

Outside of work, Scott likes to go to the gym, walk his dog, and travel.

Know More

Edited by Raunak J