England managers have never been much good when it comes to picking the country's most talented players.

Our traditionally conservative style of play favours brawn over brain and our Football Association has repeatedly gone for safe-pair-of-hands managers to exacerbate the stereotype.

Even with an increasingly limited pool of English players in the top flight, our managers have managed to mess it up.

Roy Hodgson’s side showed flashes of mediocrity in the Euros two years ago.

The highlight was toiling to a 2-1 win over Wales but ultimately the lack of bravery on the ball cost us against Iceland.

Only Wayne Rooney, who has never been and never will be a centre midfielder, was prepared to get on the ball. And give it away.

He left Adam Lallana and Ross Barkley on the bench – and brought Marcus Rashford on with five minutes go.

Paul Scholes, our own Xavi or Iniesta, was stuck out on the left wing by Sven Goran Eriksen while Steven Gerard and Frank Lampard toiled against the world’s elite.

Glen Hoddle, a ball-playing genius himself, left Matt Le Tissier and Paul Gascoigne at home for France 1998.

Le Tis could score goals most players could not even dream of – but he didn’t run around as much so we got David Batty instead.

If Le Tis was Brazilian or Spanish he would have got 100-plus caps. He got eight for England.

Kevin Keegan was as bad, preferring the likes of Dennis Wise and Emile Heskey over Nick Barmby and Kevin Phillips.

The malaise goes even further back to the likes of Charlie George (one cap), Rodney Marsh (nine caps), Stan Bowles (five caps) and Frank Worthington (8 caps).

They were mavericks and England managers didn't want to take any risks.

It's a tried and tested formula for failure.

That's why Gareth Southgate will regret leaving Jack Wilshere, Adam Lallana, Ross Barkley and Jonjo Shelvey at home.

I'm not suggesting all four should have been on the plane, but at least two should have been in the squad.

Wilshere has the arrogance to get the ball off the back four and dictate play, and pop up at the other the end and produce a crucial dribble, shot or pass.

Lallana looks too wiry for the modern game, but he can glide past players with a body swerve like a modern day Trevor Brooking.

Barkley is the closest thing I've since to Gazza - and looks what he did in Italia'90.

Shelvey is no Michael Carrick, but he's the nearest thing we've got to someone who can pass with the crispness and range of the former Man Utd man - who, whole we're on the subject of under-used players, only got 33 England caps.

Jordan Henderson, Eric Dier and Rueben Loftus-Cheek don't have the ability to dictate play and the guile to unlock defences.

Of course, you can make arguments for not including the quartet I suggested: Wilshere is injury prone, Lallana has been out for most of the season, Barkley has barely kicked a ball for Chelsea and Shelvey is a loose cannon.

But brilliance comes with an element of risk.

Southgate's squad is the most exciting we've had for some time, but he has still left the most creative midfielders at his disposal at home.