Conor Coady put in a real captain’s performance for Wolverhampton Wanderers against Southampton yesterday.
The Wolves centre-back shone in the team’s 1-0 victory over Southampton.
It has come at a crucial time for Coady, who has been struggling for form in the past month.
Against both Tottenham Hotspur and Brentford, he did not impress defensively.
Gareth Southgate will reveal the next England squad on Thursday. Therefore, the captain’s big performance could really help his chances of staying in the England squad.
Leadership qualities alone not enough for Coady
Asides from his playing attributes, one quality that the Wolves number four has is his leadership.
Coady has been the club captain for Wolves ever since their promotion in 2018.
In September 2020, his consistent displays helped earned an England call-up.
Although he has not been the first choice centre-back for the Three Lions, his leadership qualities have been celebrated, particularly throughout Euro 2020.
It led to England assistant manager Steve Holland describing Coady as his ‘player of the tournament‘, despite the ex-Huddersfield Town defender not featuring.
Whilst it is a testament to his character, inconsistent performances at club level mean that his international future is now in doubt.
Asides from not making the England squad, some Wolves fans have been wanting the likes of Willy Boly and Yerson Mosquera to replace Coady in the starting eleven.
Pressure also seemed to be mounting when coach Bruno Lage said that ‘no Wolves player is undroppable‘.
With Coady having missed the decisive penalty against Spurs in midweek, it was a big show of faith to the captain that he was chosen ahead of Boly to play against the Saints.
Coady rewarded that trust with an excellent display.
In addition to his defending, Coady looked assured on the ball. According to FBRef, he completed more aerial passes than he had in any other league game this season.
A call-up for England’s games against Andorra and Hungary would be a fine reward for Sunday’s performance. Hopefully, Gareth Southgate agrees.