by Hoop Blah »
26 Mar 2019 12:12
Victor Meldrew Back to Butland-does playing in the Premier League make you a better keeper (he played there last year)?
If so, in what way?
I'm guessing that, like any position, you're put under more pressure and tested more by better opposition. You get punished more for your mistakes in the Premier League and, as a goalkeeper specifically, you're facing players who are much more ruthless in front of goal and so your technique and positioning can be exposed a lot more than playing in the Championship.
I still think that Butland is a better keeper than Pickford but he just isn't as good with the ball at his feet, or in his hands, and so Southgate prefers Pickford because of the way he wants to play. Butland probably needs to leave Stoke this summer to further his cause, although I think he's going to struggle to change Southgate's mind regardless.
With regards to other players, it's probably a lot to do with the make up of the squad and the position you play. It's a lot easier to come into a team as a young winger or centre forward than it is a as a central midfielder or defender. Any role that leans more on discipline and positioning is harder for an inexperienced player to break into, IMO.
On top of that Foden is up against some stiff competition for the two wider midfield roles too. Henderson, Alli, Barkley, Loftus-Cheek and Delph have all done a good job for Southgate in that position of late. They're all (Delph aside, I think) playing more than Foden. You've then got Lingard, Winks, Ward-Prowse (who'd scored 3 or 4 goals in his last few games) and Maddison challenging for those spots too.
Foden hasn't played much for the U21s yet and with the more experienced players in the squad already I'd guess Southgate thought he'd be better served being a key part of the U21s for a bit now. He can't bring too many 18/20 year olds into the squad at the same time either.