Southgate should not rely on bit-part players

GARETH SOUTHGATE calls it 'recency bias' - the rest of us call it 'form'.

- ANDY DUNN

And, as form goes, Kalvin Phillips and Harry Maguire have precious little.

Indeed, it is a good job the England manager is not biased towards recency... because, the combined recency of Maguire's and Phillips' football activity amounts to one Premier League start this season.

And yet Southgate (right) still keeps the faith, selecting them pretty much on their form in a tournament two years ago.

Southgate's loyalty has become the foundation of everything he tries to build with this England team.

But there were times during this match when loyalty was made to look like stubbornness.

Phillips could not get a Premier League game for Manchester City even when Rodri joined Kevin De Bruyne on the missing list.

And, for periods of this intriguing game, he performed like someone who is, basically, having to relearn the fundamentals of elite, intense competition.