Following the announcement earlier today of the 33-man provisional squad for the postponed Euros, Gareth Southgate must now narrow down his list to just 26 names - no easy task, that's for sure. Let's help him out, shall we?
Here's the provisional squad in full:
First up, the 'keepers.
Goalkeepers
With Nick Pope (my personal pick for the No.1 shirt) seemingly out injured, Southgate's options here are slightly more limited, but it could have been far worse. It looks likely that Pickford will keep his place in the side given his international tournament experience, with Dean Henderson as his understudy having succeeded De Gea at United. The reserve keeper will be one of the remaining two, and I'd put my bet on Sam Johnstone, who has had a good season under heavy fire at West Brom. Ramsdale looked excellent for Bournemouth in the 2019/20 season, but has not quite been able to match it for Sheffield United this season, and so I think will lose out to Johnstone.
My picks - Jordan Pickford, Dean Henderson, Sam Johnstone
Centre-backs
Though the starting pair of Maguire and Stones seems a near guarantee at this point unless Southgate throws us all off with a back five, the other two (or maybe three?) central defenders in the squad are the subject of much debate. The provisional squad has four - Conor Coady, Tyrone Mings, Ben Godfrey, and Ben White. The last two are complete rookies, and to be honest, the other two don't inspire me with much confidence either - I personally would like a more experienced backup like Michael Keane in there. As Gary Neville has repeatedly pointed out while working as a pundit on Sky, if either Maguire or Stones gets injured, the others (Mings, Coady, and now Godfrey) are probably not good enough to play in a back four. Could that mean Southgate takes five central defenders instead of the traditional four? With an expanded squad, this could be facilitated, but it would mean sacrifices elsewhere. Kyle Walker could, if picked, fill in a back five, however, and given the inexperience of all other options, this seems a reasonable compromise.
My picks - Harry Maguire, John Stones, Tyrone Mings, Ben Godfrey, (Kyle Walker)
Right-backs
Undoubtedly the most overpopulated position on current squad, Southgate will have a real headache cutting out right-backs for the final squad, let alone deciding who starts against Croatia. He has already overlooked Wan-Bissaka, who starts every week for Man United, and is left with four - but he can only take three at a push. As I've said above, Kyle Walker seems like a good option given his versatility, though his experience and quality alone would likely get him in the squad anyway. After being dropped, Trent Alexander-Arnold returns, along with regulars Reece James and Kieran Trippier. The debate over this position has been intense, with every aspect of each player's game scrutinised at depth; who is the better defender, the better crosser, the more powerful etc. etc. Trent unquestionably is the best going forward - his assists in the PL make that very clear. Reece James is probably the best defender (apart from Walker) and is the most powerful, while Trippier's dead ball delivery wins out - he also has the most international experience, having played at the World Cup in 2018. I think James will unfortunately be the one who gets the cut; Walker will be the reliable defensive option, and as good as he is, there are just better options in every mould.
My picks - Kyle Walker, Trent Alexander-Arnold, Kieran Trippier
Left-backs
Comparatively, left-back has pretty much sorted itself out for Southgate. Luke Shaw has had an excellent season for United, while Chilwell, who looked to be a shoe-in not even a year ago, has fallen in stature after dropping in and out of the Chelsea team under Tuchel. Shaw will therefore likely get the nod, but both will undoubtedly be in the final squad.
My picks - Luke Shaw, Ben Chilwell
Central Midfielders
I ignore Lingard and Mount in this discussion - Southgate likes to play two proper defensive midfielders, and these two don't fit that bill. That leaves Henderson, Phillips, Rice, Ward-Prowse, and Bellingham. Southgate need to drop one of these five for the final squad - Henderson and Rice seem to be a guarantee, and will likely both start the first game. Southgate also seems very fond of Phillips, as am I, and he seems a reliable pick as backup if either of the main two gets injured. Ward-Prowse is an experienced Premier League player, but has little of the same in the international game, while Bellingham is a young, exciting talent playing at an incredibly high level at a very young age. I could see Ward-Prowse getting in based on age and delivery alone, but I personally would lean towards Bellingham - he's young, has played in the Champions League, and giving him tournament experience now would be good for his development.
My picks - Jordan Henderson, Declan Rice, Kalvin Phillips, Jude Bellingham
Attacking Midfielders/Wingers
Given the amount of quality in these kinds of areas that we are blessed with, a 26 rather than 23-man squad is a real blessing, and means that we only need to drop one man. Some names do not need to be discussed whatsoever - as far as I'm concerned, Sterling, Foden, Mount, Rashford, and Jack Grealish are absolutely non-negotiable. Sancho is a little bit of a question mark, but there's still plenty of room to include him, and his talent is hard to exclude. That leaves three. As an Arsenal fan, I would love Saka to go - he's an unbelievable talent, and absolutely deserves a place, especially given his versatility if an injury catastrophe were to happen at left-back, say. And then there's someone who we were not talking about even six months ago - Jesse Lingard. After moving to West Ham on loan in January, Lingard has been one of the form players in the Premier League. I think Southgate will find it hard to leave him out, given he has previously committed to picking players on form, not club. And then there's Mason Greenwood, who returns to the squad after *that* incident, another top young talent who has had a good end to the season, and can play up front if needed. Because of this, I think Southgate will go with him over Saka - but I disagree.
My picks - Raheem Sterling, Phil Foden, Mason Mount, Marcus Rashford, Jack Grealish, Jadon Sancho, Jesse Lingard, Bukayo Saka
Strikers
For me, this is very straightforward. Kane will always start unless he gets injured, and Calvert-Lewin will be his backup. Given Rashford and Sterling are in the squad, there is no need for the likes of Ollie Watkins or Mason Greenwood. Though I agree with many on Twitter that Patrick Bamford probably deserved to be in the provisional squad over Watkins on form, but it likely won't matter anyway as neither would have made the final squad.
My picks - Harry Kane, Dominic Calvert-Lewin
Final squad:
Jordan Pickford (GK)
Dean Henderson (GK)
Sam Johnstone (GK)
Harry Maguire
John Stones
Tyrone Mings
Ben Godfrey
Kyle Walker
Trent Alexander-Arnold
Kieran Trippier
Luke Shaw
Ben Chilwell
Jordan Henderson
Declan Rice
Kalvin Phillips
Jude Bellingham
Raheem Sterling
Phil Foden
Mason Mount
Marcus Rashford
Jack Grealish
Jadon Sancho
Jesse Lingard
Bukayo Saka
Harry Kane (C)
Dominic Calvert-Lewin
And there we have it! My 26-man England squad.....It's coming home!
Remember to follow us on Instagram and Twitter for regular updates, and subscribe to receive emails about our posts!
Comments