With just one matchweek of the Premier League to go before the first ever mid-season World Cup, the minds of players and fans alike are starting to re-focus on Qatar. Gareth Southgate is due to pick his 26-man squad for the tournament this Thursday and the debates of who should and will be included have long since begun in television studios and pubs around the country.
With the unfamiliar timing of the competition, there has been the added factor of cruel last-minute injuries, with the likes of Reece James and Ben Chilwell among those who look as if they are going to be forced to miss out. Meanwhile, there is the age-old form vs past achievements debate with the likes of Harry Maguire, Jadon Sancho and Kalvin Phillips struggling for game time for their clubs for varying reasons.
With all of that to consider and weigh up, here is who I would take on the plane. Gareth, if you’re reading, take notes…
Goalkeepers:
Jordan Pickford, Aaron Ramsdale, Nick Pope
Easy-peasy here. Dean Henderson is maybe the only other viable contender but he’s made some mistakes at Forest. Pickford to start, Ramsdale as deputy and Pope to help out in training.
Defenders:
RB: Trent Alexander-Arnold, Kieran Tripper and Kyle Walker
Southgate’s favourite position, as is the joke, and certainly England’s strongest in terms of the depth available. I actually think this has gone from one of the hottest debates to one of the simplest, due to form and the injuries to Kyle Walker and Reece James. Trent Alexander-Arnold’s claims on a starting berth have weakened due to his struggles this season, but he has to go for his crossing ability from deep areas. England are going to have to break down packed defences in the group stage and wide areas is where the team will get time and space. If playing five at the back, Tripper gets in as the right-wing-back and Walker, when fit, will slot in his right-centre-back role. If James was fit, he would be there too.
CB: Ben White, John Stones, Conor Coady, Harry Maguire, Eric Dier
So, the age-old question: To slabhead or not to slabhead? Harry Maguire has been England’s most consistent defender during Southgate’s tenure as manager but has endured a miserable last year and has lost his place in the United side. My biggest issue with Southgate will not be if he takes Maguire to Qatar; I think he sort of has to now. It’s that he never gave the alternatives a chance. What was the point of putting Fikayo Tomori or Marc Guehi in recent squads if you weren’t going to give them any minutes on the pitch? It’s now too much of an ask to throw them in to a World Cup game with no real previous international experience.
Meanwhile, Ben White has been excellent for Arsenal this season and can fill in for Walker in the RCB role while he still regains fitness. John Stones is a dead-on starter whilst Conor Coady and Eric Dier make up the numbers for two reasons: they suit a back three and they’re known for being good squad members. When there’s not too much to choose between the various options, you may as well pick who you think is best for morale.
LB: Luke Shaw, Ryan Sessegnon
Everyone felt for Ben Chilwell this week. It’s hard enough being deprived a World Cup place by injury, but to get injured in the closing minutes of a dead rubber game is particularly cruel. Luke Shaw has therefore become a certain starter as England’s only proven option at left-back whilst the back-up spot goes to Ryan Sessegnon, though he’d do well to get any minutes on the pitch.
Midfielders:
Declan Rice, Jude Bellingham, Jordan Henderson, Mason Mount, James Maddison, Phil Foden, James Ward-Prowse
Some of these are nailed on and some are wildcards and gambles. Declan Rice will start as the holder and one of England’s great hopes for the tournament is the prodigy that is Jude Bellingham, who has the ability and temperament to have a Gazza-like influence on proceedings. In terms of more attacking options, Mason Mount and Phil Foden will go and probably rotate in either wide areas or as the number 10. Jordan Henderson will perform his customary “steady older head to bring on after seventy minutes” role.
And then James Maddison is the romantic option. There is so much talk around him but his performances for Leicester merit the attention. He played like Kevin De Bruyne against Everton yesterday. Plus it’s a guarantee that England are going to need to throw on a game-changer at some point in the tournament; Maddison can be that maverick who can make a difference. Finally, James Ward-Prowse goes because he’s really, really good at free-kicks and penalties. That’s literally it.
Attackers:
Wingers: Bukayo Saka, Raheem Sterling, Jack Grealish, Marcus Rashford
In wide areas, it’s a case of variety being the spice of life. We’ve got players who will dribble at their opponents, cause problems and win fouls like Saka and Grealish, and then speed merchants who can get in behind like Sterling and Rashford, who possess a greater goal threat. Those who just miss out are the likes of Bowen and Sancho, mainly because with the likes of Mount and Foden also capable of playing wide, I just don’t think you need too much of the same thing.
Strikers: Harry Kane, Ivan Toney
There’s no point even discussing Kane other than to say that for all the talk of the talent we possess, if we didn’t have his goals, we’d have as much chance of winning the cup as Iran. His back-up option has provided a lot of discussion and there are a number of names in the frame, a few in excellent form as well. To me, it’s all irrelevant. Kane’s never going to be taken off unless we’re 5-0 up so the person chosen is going to be nothing more than a glorified water-boy. Therefore, there is only one reason to pick someone here: Penalties. Southgate may well decide to repeat his tactic from the Euro 2020 final and put on his best penalty-takers in the final minutes of extra-time. And if that’s the metric, then it has to be Ivan Toney. The bloke doesn’t miss.
George F Brown 