With the 2022 FIFA World Cup less than four weeks away, all 32 participating countries have submitted their provisional squads to FIFA as of last Friday, October 21.
Until now only the Netherlands and Uruguay have made public their initial squad lists, while all other nations are yet to disclose the players provisionally selected to go to Qatar next month.
Perhaps one of the nations with a host of players to choose from would be England. Gareth Southgate has several selection headaches to mull over and he ought to carefully choose his final 26-man squad which will represent their country at the showpiece event in the Middle East.
Last month marked six years since Southgate’s appointment as England manager and the upcoming World Cup is set to be a third major tournament since he took charge. Despite his strong hand in mainstreaming the next-generation into the senior national team, an unfavourable showing in Qatar could mean the 52-year-old is shown the door at St. George’s Park.
Southgate and England could not have endured any worse preparations for the tournament as they ended winless in their six UEFA Nations League clashes with Germany, Hungary, and Italy, culminating in the Three Lions finishing bottom of their group and being relegated to League B.
Southgate must properly harness the unlimited potential in his ranks. The England boss has come under scrutiny for sticking with the same chunk of players irrespective of their levels of form and confidence.
We take a look at the five main positions in which Southgate will have to think long and hard about before confirming his final squad list for Qatar.
(Photo by Eddie Keogh – The FA via Getty Images)
– Goalkeepers
With the four primary candidates all playing regularly at Premier League teams, Southgate’s first selection dilemma stems from the goalkeeping department. In the most recent international break Jordan Pickford missed out due to a thigh injury but the Everton goalie is now back in action and poised to be England’s starting keeper at the World Cup and beyond.
Pickford, 28, played every minute at the 2018 World Cup as well as Euro 2020, albeit this season at club level he has kept the fewest clean sheets (2) among his fellow England keepers. Pickford has made 43 saves, the fourth-most in the Premier League.
No keeper in the Premier League has kept more shut-outs than Nick Pope this term, with the Newcastle shot stopper on five from 12 matches. Pope and the Magpies currently sit in 4th place and they have conceded the fewest goals in the league (10), with the 30-year-old producing 37 saves thus far.
Of England’s options in goal, Dean Henderson has produced the most saves (49) this Premier League campaign, the second-most in the division, but Nottingham Forest have leaked the second-most goals with 23. Henderson and Forest have kept three clean sheets in the league and the 25-year-old also saved two saved penalties from international teammates Harry Kane and Declan Rice.
With Arsenal top of the table, Aaron Ramsdale has faced considerably fewer shots than Henderson at the opposite end of the table and therefore he has made less than half the saves of the Forest keeper. Ramsdale also has four clean sheets to his name, one fewer than Pope.
All bar Henderson have made more than 100 Premier League appearances although the Man United-trained keeper has a 34 per cent clean sheet success rate (21 in 61 games). Pope also boasts a clean sheet ratio of 34 per cent albeit from a far greater sample size (52 from 153), with Pickford at 25 per cent (56 from 222) and Ramsdale a lowly 21 per cent (26 from 120).
Only three goalkeepers are expected to be included and as it stands Henderson is likely to be omitted from the 26-man squad heading to Qatar. Fraser Forster and Sam Johnstone are also on standby.
GK Union. 🧤 pic.twitter.com/REuEJk15Wg
— England (@England) June 9, 2022
– Full-backs
We all know Southgate has a soft spot for right-sided defenders. The England boss is presumably sweating over the fitness of a handful of players, particularly specialist right-backs, whom are typically of utmost importance to the national team.
Southgate faces a slight injury crisis after three of England’s right-backs picked up injuries in recent weeks. Reece James is ruled out with knee ligament issues and, despite not requiring surgery, the Chelsea defender is in a race against time to reach optimal fitness levels before the World Cup.
Man City’s Kyle Walker is out with a groin problem but he is expected back in time for the tournament. Walker has been instrumental under Southgate, many a time featuring on the right of a back three.
Trent Alexander-Arnold was briefly unavailable due to an ankle injury but the Liverpool man appeared in each of the Reds’ last three outings. The 23-year-old has generally been overlooked by Southgate in the past, but his excellent passing range and nous in dead-ball situations could be of huge importance for England.
Kieran Trippier was a mainstay for Southgate in Russia 2018 but not as much at Euro last year. Newcastle’s regular skipper has been a revelation since his return to the Premier League in January and he is staking his claim for a spot in Southgate’s strongest XI. Although mainly a right-back, Trippier is more than capable of operating on the left-side of the defence.
With so many right-backs in contention, there may only be room for one or two left-backs on the plane. Ben Chilwell and Luke Shaw have featured sparingly for Chelsea and Man Utd, respectively, but both competitors have produced positive performances when called upon. Shaw played the vast majority of minutes at Euro 2020.
Kyle Walker-Peters is another right-back, but with so much competition for one position it is difficult to see the Southampton man earning a call-up for the World Cup. Crystal Palace left-back Tyrick Mitchell would be unfortunate to miss out on a call-up due to the array of talent ahead of him in the England pecking order.
– Centre-backs
Once again, Southgate has strength in numbers in central defence. The quartet of Eric Dier, Fikayo Tomori, John Stones, and Ben White would arguably be the best-performing candidates at the heart of England’s backline.
White is primarily a central defender but he has mainly featured at right-back for Arsenal this term. Tomori has been sensational for AC Milan while Dier has been a permanent fixture in Antonio Conte’s Spurs side. Stones recently returned from a hamstring strain and he previously played the vast majority of minutes at the 2018 World Cup and all but 21 minutes at Euro 2020.
Southgate has an unwavering loyalty towards Harry Maguire but the Man United captain has played just 10 minutes of league action since mid-August. If this lack of playing time persists, Southgate may have to reconsider selecting Maguire.
Chris Smalling, Joe Gomez, Marc Guehi, and Tyrone Mings are all on the periphery of the England squad, as are the Everton centre-back duo of Conor Coady and James Tarkowski.
(Photo by David Ramos/Getty Images)
– Midfielders
Despite being just 19 years of age, Jude Bellingham should be one of the first names on the teamsheet and he is quite possibly the best midfield player at Southgate’s disposal. Bellingham has taken the German Bundesliga and greater Europe by storm, captaining Borussia Dortmund (in the absence of Marco Reus) and scoring in all four UEFA Champions League group games until now.
Declan Rice is the ideal option to sit at the base of England’s midfield, just as he did last year at Euro. Jordan Henderson might not be a certainty to play every game but his heaps of experience and natural leadership will be key within the England dressing room.
Kalvin Phillips is sidelined after he underwent shoulder surgery last month but he should be in contention for selection. Similarly to Rice, Phillips was crucial in the engine room at Euro but present day the Man City player has played just a single minute of PL football and now with Bellingham in the fold, Phillips may find himself in more of a support role.
In regards to the more attacking midfielders, Mason Mount and James Maddison should realistically both be included in the 26-man squad but that is unlikely given the cautious nature of Southgate.
Eberechi Eze, Ruben Loftus-Cheek, Solly March, James Ward-Prowse, and Joe Willock are notable back-up options in the event of a late injury before the tournament commences.
3 – Jude Bellingham is the third teenager to score in four consecutive UEFA Champions League appearances after Erling Haaland (5 apps, Nov 2019) and Kylian Mbappé (4 apps, Apr 2017). Generational. pic.twitter.com/WAENKFBc8f
— OptaJoe (@OptaJoe) October 11, 2022
– Forwards
England’s greatest strength comes at the attacking end of the pitch. By no means does Southgate lack options to fire in the goals, although he does tend to deploy insufficient attacking threat in-game. There are several high-profile names available for selection but unfortunately not everyone can head to Qatar.
Certain for selection would be skipper Harry Kane. Only Erling Haaland has scored more league goals than Kane (10) this season and the Tottenham striker sits inside the top three Premier League goalscorers of all-time. At international level Kane won the Golden Boot with six goals in Russia 2018 and he is now within two of Wayne Rooney’s record 53 goals for the Three Lions.
Jack Grealish was in the spotlight last month after the Man City winger kept hold of his place in the national set-up after playing in just one of six matches leading up to the last international break. Even when he does play, he does not produce attacking returns frequently enough, in fact the £100m man has three direct goal involvements from 18 league matches in 2022.
Despite a run of poor form at club level Grealish, 27, continues to play a pivotal role at national level. It must be said he will have firm competition at the World Cup with the likes of Bukayo Saka, Phil Foden, and Raheem Sterling all knocking on his door.
Marcus Rashford is enjoying a spell of good form and he is making a very good case for Southgate to reserve a seat for him on the plane. Rashford is enduring a resurgence under Man Utd manager Erik ten Hag and the Manchester-born forward has five goals and three assists from 12 games (all competitions).
Ivan Toney received a maiden call-up last month but did not appear against Italy nor Germany. He has bagged eight goals for Brentford this season with Kane the only England player to have found the net more; Foden and Maddison have six apiece.
Tammy Abraham and Jadon Sancho are also vying for a spot in the England squad but their numbers haven’t been as impressive as other contenders’. Dominic Calvert-Lewin was selected by Southgate to go to Euro 2020, however the Everton attacker had only two brief cameos, both as a substitute.
Patrick Bamford, Jarrod Bowen, Ollie Watkins, Danny Welbeck, and Callum Wilson are all in reserve for Southgate.
(Photo by Eddie Keogh – The FA via Getty Images)
Southgate came agonisingly close to ending England’s wait for a major trophy, first reaching the semis in 2018 before losing to Italy in the Euro final. An underwhelming outcome in Qatar could mean the end of the 52-year-old’s time with the Three Lions.
The Three Lions get their World Cup campaign underway against Iran on November 21, before they meet USA four days later and then fulfil their Group B obligations versus Wales on November 29.
The Round of 16 begins December 3 and quarter-finals six days later. The semis take place from the 13th with the final scheduled for December 18 at the Lusail Stadium.
