Harry Maguire Presents: On Pride and Prejudice | Israel today

In the parliament in Ghana and on Dutch television, a debate developed last week: two speakers, one a politician and one a former actor, wanted to describe another person's weakness, and both chose the exact same example.

"He's like Harry Maguire, who used to be a great stopper and now gives away goals to opponents," said MP Isak Odeongo as he tried to describe the decline in the vice president's status.

"He is the German Maguire," said Raphael van der Vaart about the German stopper Niklas Zola, who was not at his best in the national team matches.

In every corner of the globe, the brake has become a derogatory name.

Prejudices are hard to change, and the one he came to Qatar with was solid as a rock.

In the eyes of many, Manchester United's playing has become a ticking time bomb, the one that for every two good actions will return one bad one.

The astronomical price tag paid for him has long seemed absurd, and this season he even lost his place in the lineup.

He came to the World Cup with 280 minutes of playing in the Premier League, and few thought he deserved to start in the national team.

It is defined as clumsy, slow, scattered, confused.

It got to the point where before England's opening match against Iran, an article was published on one of the biggest websites in Britain explaining why it is forbidden to start on the 11th.

"I don't have anything personal against him, but I think he shouldn't have been taken to this tournament at all," said commentator Chris Sutton, "after all, he's in the lineup, so I guess they'll play him."

He did start, and even scored a goal in a 2:6 victory.

Gareth Southgate is responsible for this.

If it was a casino, then the English stopper is the all-in of the national coach;

It is the biggest, most dangerous bet, and the one that will decide the future of the tournament in terms of the team and the future of the coach.

"I'm aware and go with it," Southgate said before leaving for Qatar, "I have to believe in my judgment, and I think it's very important for us."

The English coach went against the grain here.

Southgate.

A smart move?, Photo: Getty Images

Since being appointed to the position, he has made quite a few difficult decisions, including the end of Wayne Rooney's career, giving up on Jack Wilshere and choosing Jordan Pickford as the first goalkeeper, and Maguire is another difficult choice that he accepted wholeheartedly.

Despite the decline in ability, the drop in self-confidence and the enormous pressure with which the defender will have to deal, Southgate did not back down.

As a coach who advocates a certain method of play, which is based, among other things, on stationary situations, he sees him as a positive and necessary figure.

This is a loyalty built over the years.

Meanwhile, the coach hit a bull.

The player was excellent in the team's three games in the group stage, preventing attacks by the opponents and starting those of England.

"He answered everyone from the first game," said fellow defender John Stones, "I've been asked a lot about him, and I think he deserves massive credit for what he's doing here."

While in Ghana and the Netherlands it is still used as a derogatory example, in England the prejudice against it is beginning to change.

Many fans and commentators give him compliments, admitting that he performs his role in the national team in a good way.

At the moment, Southgate's calculated gamble is proving to be successful, and it will be interesting to see if you can get in and out of the casino with the World Cup.

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