With England’s first game of the Euros against Croatia just two months away (June 13), attention is now on manager Gareth Southgate and who will make the cut for his 23-man squad.
We are entering an era where teenagers like Jude Bellingham and Phill Foden are bursting on to the scene almost as the finished product, meaning Southgate has a welcomed headache to consider. The Three Lions boss will have to fine-tune his squad from a pool of 30 players, which will be no easy task.
Harry Maguire
During Sky Sports’ Monday Night Football on April 5, former England players and now pundits Gary Neville and Jamie Carragher chose their 23-man squad. During the discussion, Neville – who was part of England’s coaching staff during the Euro 2012, 2014 World Cup and Euro 2016 – said that losing Harry Maguire would be a bigger problem than losing Harry Kane.
‘If you lose Harry Maguire, that’s a big problem for Gareth Southgate.
‘I think it’s his biggest problem, because if you’ve got John Stones as your other centre back, and you’ve got [John] Stones and [Tyrone] Mings, Stones and [Conor] Coady, Stones and [Eric] Dier. I’m not having it.’
The argument made by Neville is that losing Maguire would rule out the possibility of playing with a back four due to a ‘lack of depth of a dominant centre back behind Maguire’. The remaining options would be Conor Coady, who normally plays in a back three, Eric Dier, who has played little football for Spurs recently, and Tyrone Mings.
The comment visibility surprised Carragher who couldn’t believe that Neville had said Maguire’s absence would hurt the team more than Kane, who won the golden boot, at the 2018 World Cup.
Neville also spoke about the importance of Declan Rice and his current injury worry.
‘I think Maguire, Kane and [Declan] Rice are the three players you wouldn’t want to get injured… due to a lack of depth behind them.’
England are not short on defensive midfielders. However, Rice has had a superb season, helping West Ham push for Champions League football this season. Winning over half of his aerial battles and his physical duels and having 58 interceptions means he is dominating games and having a big effect on the team.
Gareth Southgate’s options at right back
Possibly the biggest area for debate comes in the right-back position. Southgate will have to choose two or possibly three depending on the formation he goes with.
Trent Alexander-Arnold is currently at the centre of a massive debate about his defensive capabilities following a 3-1 loss to a Real Madrid side without several of their best players. This lack of defensive ability will probably mean the 22-year-old will only get game-time if England revert to wing-backs, which suited them well in the summer of 2018.
Due to a resurgence in league form, Kyle Walker looks set to start against Croatia. His ability to play in a back three is also important if certain players get injured or a change in tactics is needed.
Reece James has cemented himself as a top Premier League right-back this season. With a combination of Walker’s physicality and athleticism mixed with Alexander-Arnold’s crossing ability, he is a real talent for the future. He also has the defensive capabilities that the Liverpudlian lacks. He may however miss out due to a lack of tournament experience. However, if Southgate decides to move to a back three, James could see himself as a second-choice wing-back behind Alexander Arnold.
Kieran Trippier was a shining light at the World Cup in 2018, playing as a wing-back. His set-piece delivery was on point throughout the tournament. Not to mention raising the heartbeats of the nation by about 30 beats-per-minute when his free-kick in the semi-finals nestled in the back of the net.
Although he doesn’t possess the outstanding physical attributes the other fullbacks possess, he is a trusted member of Southgate’s team and has improved a lot defensively under Diego Simeone at Atletico Madrid.
Lastly is Aaron Wan-Bissaka. The Manchester United player is likely to miss out due to a lack of first-team football in an England shirt. His main criticism is his lack of attacking quality, which has is an aspect of his game that will take time to develop.
On the other side of the coin, he is one of the best one-versus-one defenders in Europe, his athletic speed and the timing of his tackles is up there with the best defensive players in the world. This means if he can get his attacking side up to standard, there is going to be a lot of competition for Southgate to choose from.
By Will Tyrell
