Gareth Southgate’s England Team are under 6 months away from their opening game of the 2020 European Championships and therefore, we’re getting to the point where he and his coaching staff will need to decide who comes with them and who will be left behind. Here’s who I would take and who I believe, won’t have a seat on the plane.
Firstly, when I say plane, I mean that metaphorically because, as we know, each of England’s group stage matches will be played at Wembley Stadium, as well as both semi-finals and the final itself. So, England have home advantage during the group stage and depending on how far they get, the semis and the final.
Southgate certainly has plenty of players who have a good enough reason to go and that, therefore, means that some players who, some may say, deserve to go, will not be included. There are also players who, at the start of the season, you may have said definitely should be going, or definitely shouldn’t go but as the season has gone on they have shown enough quality and passion to get their names on the squad list.
Firstly, the goalkeepers. Straight away, I’d put, England regular, Jordan Pickford in. Whether he starts I’m not sure yet but, for me, he’s been in the fold for England for some time now and he makes it in. The other keepers that could be included are: Tom Heaton, Nick Pope, Dean Henderson and Jack Butland.
Immeditately, I’m going to eliminate Butland, I believe he can be a good keeper but I think his time in the England squad may be over. That means that one of the other three mentioned will not be included. All of which play in the Premier League and all have had a decent start to the season. However, Heaton’s recent injury which has ruled him out for almost the whole of the remaining season, makes it an easy decision. So my keepers are; Pickford, Pope and Henderson.
On to our defenders. I’d first like to discuss the right-back situation as, it seems as if England possess almost all of the world’s best right-backs currently. There’s Alexander-Arnold, Walker, Wan-Bissaka, James and Trippier. All of which are good enough to get in to most teams but if we are only taking two, I believe that Southgate should take Trent and Walker.
Trent needs no explanation as to why he should be going but perhaps Walker does. Walker is very reliable and is still one of the best fullbacks in the world, in my opinion, but the reason I think he gets in over Wan-Bissaka, Reece James and Trippier, who have all had good seasons, thus far, is because he’s the most experienced and that’s something that the current England squad are perhaps limited on. The other three would feel disappointed not to be picked.
As for the other defenders I would bring, Harry Maguire, John Stones, Michael Keane, Tyrone Mings, Joe Gomez and Ben Chilwell. All of which have been in the squad before and I don’t think it would be a surprise to anyone of all of these players would picked. Arguably, Danny Rose and Fikayo Tomori should be in the squad but it’s just about whether they should get in over those I’ve included. If I were to swap anyone though, it may possibly for Tomori for Stones.
This is where it gets far more difficult. The midfield options. England aren’t short of midfielders, so who are some of our options. There’s: Henderson, Oxlade-Chamberlain, Barkley, Mount, Maddison, Rice, Winks, Foden, Lingard, Grealish, Loftus-Cheek, Alli and I could go on. I’m going to get rid of Foden, who just hasn’t played enough, Lingard, who is clearly under performing, Grealish, who I simply don’t think makes the England squad just yet, but could be starting by the time of the 2022 World Cup and Loftus-Cheek, who, again, hasn’t played enough recently.
Therefore, that means that I would take, Henderson, Alli, Maddison, Oxlade-Chamberlain, Mount and Winks. I have left out both Rice and Barkley, both of whom, might make many other people’s Euro squads, but for me, the others are slightly ahead of them in the pecking order. I believe James Maddison could be on of England’s stars at the Euros and I’m looking forward to seeing him get more international minutes.
Finally, we’ll asses our forwards. It’s recently been announced that captain, Harry Kane, is most likely going to miss the rest of the season and perhaps even the European Championships, which would be a massive blow for England but for the purposes of this, I will be going, with the assumption that he will be fit enough to travel.
At the start of the season you may not have thought that some players would be in the limelight to potentially make the Euro squad, such as; Tammy Abraham, Danny Ings and Callum Hudson-Odoi. Players like: Kane, Sterling, Sancho and Rashford will certainly be making my squad.
This means that there is two spots left in our 23-man squad. I’m going to give the first to Tammy Abraham, who has been Chelsea’s top scorer this campaign and if Kane was not to get into the squad, could be a suitable replacement. The final person that makes my England squad is actually going to be Callum Wilson. It was between him, Ings and Calvert-Lewin.
Ings, who already has 14 goals in the league this year, one more than Abraham, could’ve been a great option but I just don’t see him getting in to that final squad, even if Kane is injured. I believe that Calvert-Lewin is actually more likely to be included. There were also rumours that Jamie Vardy could be included, but that’s now looking unlikely.
I have also left out 19-year-old Callum Hudson-Odoi who has made more than one appearance for England’s senior team already and although he is beginning to pick up minutes in the Chelsea team, under Frank Lampard, he hasn’t done enough to get in over, Rashford, Sancho and Sterling.
There we have it, our 23 man squad looks like this:
Goalkeepers: Jordan Pickford (Everton), Nick Pope (Burnley), Dean Henderson (Sheffield United).
Defenders: Harry Maguire (Manchester United), Michael Keane (Everton), John Stones and Kyle Walker (Manchester City), Tyrone Mings (Aston Villa), Ben Chilwell (Leicester), Trent Alexander-Arnold and Joe Gomez (Liverpool).
Midfielders: Mason Mount (Chelsea), Jordan Henderson and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain (Liverpool), James Maddison (Leicester), Dele Alli and Harry Winks (Tottenham).
Forwards: Jadon Sancho (Dortmund), Marcus Rashford (Manchester United), Raheem Sterling (Manchester City), Harry Kane (Tottenham), Tammy Abraham (Chelsea), Callum Wilson (Bournemouth).
England’s Strongest Starting 11: Pickford, Trent, Maguire, Stones, Chilwell, Henderson, Maddison, Oxlade-Chamberlain, Sancho, Kane, Sterling.
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