Why Harry Maguire should 'gatecrash' Thomas Tuchel's World Cup - straight into the starting XI

Football fans love a great renaissance story - and for England supporters, Harry Maguire could provide another fine tale this summer.

Maguire missed out on Euro 2024 under Gareth Southgate after appearing at three international tournaments in a row for England and his recall to Thomas Tuchel's squad 18 months after his last appearance in September 2024 has capped a remarkable turnaround for the 33-year-old.

Maguire spoke this week about fearing his England career was over before Tuchel's lifeline, while the England head coach has highlighted his "very, very good performances" for a resurgent Manchester United, alongside his "outstanding qualities on set-pieces".

But is this a sentimental summer swansong as Ezri Konsa's understudy? Or should Maguire gatecrash England's starting XI? Machine Football helps us set out the case....

Manchester City's Marc Guehi is seen as a shoo-in, so the man most likely to miss out should Maguire earn Tuchel’s trust is Aston Villa's Konsa. Konsa has been used by Tuchel more than any other centre-back so far, and England didn’t concede a single goal during World Cup qualifiers when he was on the field.

Nevertheless, Machine Football's cohesion and system scores suggest Maguire could be the better option for Tuchel’s philosophy. Maguire is categorised as a 'tenacious 4', yet has a creativity score of almost 70/100, whereas Konsa is a 'balanced 4' with a lower creativity rating of just under 50/100.

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While it’s worth remembering that United and Aston Villa play in very different styles (Machine Football see Villa as “Passive Controllers” while United are “Aggressive Disruptors”), Maguire’s cohesion scores - the measurement of how well players interact with those around them based on passing outcomes - stand out.

Konsa scores highly with Pau Torres and Matty Cash, but Maguire has strong cohesion with teammates much further up the pitch, demonstrating his ability to better connect play with the midfield and attack. This is arguably even more important for England than it is for Manchester United . Tuchel favours an “Attacking Engine” playing style, meaning centre-backs need to be able to start attacks by playing out from the back.

Konsa is capable on the ball, but less is asked of him than Maguire in Villa’s more conservative, compact structure, making the United man potentially more of a natural fit.

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Couple the ability to move the ball more readily into forward areas with Maguire’s aerial prowess, and you begin to have the outlines of a compelling case for the most unlikely of international comebacks.

Maguire ranks inside the top 10 percent of centre-backs for headed finishing in the Machine Football database - Konsa, by comparison, is in the bottom half.

Set pieces should be a major strength for England this summer, with the plethora of dead ball specialists available to Tuchel.

With the slower pace of international football accounted for, and the tight scorelines typical of the latter stages of such tournaments, Tuchel could be forgiven for taking a leaf from the Premier League manager’s handbook and leaning into the fine margins of set pieces - something the Three Lions chief has himself hinted at.

If he does, Maguire will surely benefit. This is no sentimental case, but a pragmatic decision that could result in one of those redemption arcs football loves to deliver.

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