Soccer fans love a great Renaissance story. And for England supporters, Harry Maguire could provide another great story this summer.
Maguire missed out on Gareth Southgate’s Euro 2024 after making three successive international appearances for England, but the 33-year-old’s remarkable comeback was capped by his recall to Thomas Tuchel’s side 18 months after his last appearance in September 2024.
Maguire said this week that he feared his England career was over before Tuchel’s lifeline, while the England head coach highlighted his “excellent set-piece qualities” as well as his “very good performances” at a resurgent Manchester United side.
But is this his sentimental summer swan song as Ezri Konsa’s replacement? Or should Maguire raid England’s starting eleven? Machine football will help you solve the case…
“Tenacious 4” – Better fit than Konsa
Manchester City’s Marc Guehi is considered a shot-in, while Aston Villa’s Konsa is the player most likely to miss out if Maguire earns Tuchel’s trust. Tuchel has used Konsa more than any other centre-back, and England did not concede a single goal in World Cup qualifiers when he was on the field.
Nevertheless, Machine Football’s cohesiveness and system scores suggest Maguire could be the better option for Tuchel’s philosophy. Maguire is classified as a “tenacious 4” with a creativity score of almost 70/100, while Concert is a “balanced 4” with a creativity rating of just under 50/100.
(Image: Machine Football)
While it’s worth remembering that United and Aston Villa play very different styles (machine football sees Villa as a ‘passive controller’ while United are ‘aggressive disruptors’), Maguire’s Cohesion Score (which measures how well a player interacts with those around him based on the results of his passes) stands out.
While Konsa has been a high scorer with Pau Torres and Matty Cash, Maguire has shown a strong bond with his team-mates further up the pitch and is able to connect the midfield and attack better. This is probably even more important for England than for Manchester United. Tuchel favors an “attacking engine” style of play. This means that the centre-backs need to be able to play from the back and initiate attacks.
Konsa has great ability on the ball but is less sought after than Maguire in Villa’s more conservative and compact structure, and the United man could potentially be a more natural fit.
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Set-piece skills – the return of the “slabhead”
Combine Maguire’s aerial prowess with his ability to move the ball into forward areas more easily, and you start to see the outlines of a convincing case for an unlikely international return.
Machine Football’s database ranks Maguire in the top 10 per cent of centre-backs for headed finishes, compared to Konsa in the bottom half.
Set-pieces should be a big strength for England this summer, as Tuchel has a wealth of dead-ball specialists.
Given the slow pace of international football and the tight scorelines typical of the final stages of such tournaments, Tuchel could be forgiven for reading the Premier League manager’s handbook and leaning towards the slim margins of set-pieces – something the Three Lions manager himself has hinted at.
Maguire would certainly benefit from that. This is not a sentimental story, but a pragmatic decision that could lead to one of football’s favorite redemption arcs.
read more: World Cup glossary of buzzwords related to soccer tactics, data, and statistics
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