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England’s March mission has been a success. Three wins out of three against San Marino, Albania and Poland have them on their way to Qatar 2022.
Gareth Southgate may not have learned much from the two victories over the minnows, but there was some valuable insight into the team’s shortcomings against Poland.
That was the last action for the Three Lions before it had to choose which 23 players will represent the nation at this summer’s European Championships.
Some players have guaranteed picks, others still have question marks on them, and many are unlikely to make the cut simply due to the shape, injury, or weight of the numbers in their position.
We assess who in the extended pool of England players is likely to make the Southgate squad for the summer in our power rankings.
At the top are the players most likely to be selected among the 23, with a decreasing probability of inclusion as we go down.
1. Harry Kane – Captain, talisman, top goal provider, top penalty taker … Pray he won’t be injured between now and June.
2. Raheem Sterling – England’s main man to make something happen in the toughest games of the Euro. A confident starter, his speed and skill will annoy most opponents.
3. Harry Maguire – Southgate will seek Maguire’s leadership and experience at the England baseline. It’s not his best season, but he brings the much-needed authority (and he can break the ball, as Poland discovered).
4. Jordan Pickford – Former England number one under Southgate, who values his distribution skills. Prone to mistakes, but very likely to stick with gloves in the summer.
5. Mason Mount: As Southgate admitted the other day, Mount’s effortless class and versatility mean he can’t be left out. An excellent season and a mainstay of England for years to come.
6. Marcus Rashford – England will want you to be fit and ready. He has played well for Man United this season and Southgate hopes the scoring form will translate into the Euro.
7. Declan Rice – Now England’s starting midfielder, he’s expected to anchor things and keep the team running through the toughest games this summer.
8. Kyle Walker – The ability to play as a conventional right back in a four or right central in a three-man defense solidifies his place in Southgate’s plans.
9. Ben Chilwell: favored against Poland, suggesting that he is still the first choice as a left back. He produced a spirited performance to stake his case over the summer.
10. Luke Shaw – He has enjoyed an excellent season with Man United to force his way back into the fold of England. It will go to the Euros as the first or second option on the left side of the defense.
11. Jadon Sancho – He missed the last series of international matches with a blow, but after another very good season for Borussia Dortmund, he surely has to be included among a lot of exciting attacking options.
12. Nick Pope – He hasn’t done enough to get Pickford out of the number one goalie spot, but he will definitely go to the Euro as a substitute.
13. Kalvin Phillips – After three straight starts, Phillips looks like a certainty for the team in the summer, especially if Jordan Henderson doesn’t make it.
14. Phil Foden – He surely has to make the team after a great season. It may not start the games, but what a fancy option to have in reserve when an opponent’s defense needs to be unlocked.
15. John Stones – His mistake against Poland was a concern, but after his club’s form this season he has rightly returned to England’s bottom line and will be Maguire’s teammates in the summer.
16. Kieran Trippier: It hasn’t been the easiest season with his betting ban, but it’s clear Southgate values him a lot and he may get the go-ahead amid a glut of right-back options.
17. Jordan Henderson – Increased optimism now that Henderson will be fit and tournament ready after groin surgery. But the lack of sharpness in the game no longer means that the seasoned midfielder is an automatic starter.
18. Dean Henderson – Given the tradition of picking three goalkeepers in a tournament squad, the Man United man is likely to take third place and rightly so.
19. Dominic Calvert-Lewin – A substitute center forward for Kane is a must and Everton’s Calvert-Lewin is enjoying a good season. It looks like the forward most likely to make an impact from the bench if necessary.
20. Eric Dier – His Tottenham form has dropped a bit, but the fact that Dier can fit in on both defense and midfield makes him a very useful player to include.
21. Jesse Lingard – He is loving his loan football again at West Ham and is making a career out of it at the perfect time for the inclusion of England. A good end to the season will see him chosen ahead of other attacking possibilities.
22. Jack Grealish – Will will have been devastated by missing the final round of matches due to injury, as his fall performances in England made him look like a perfect candidate for the team. Now he has work to do.
23. Conor Coady – He is in the best position to go to the Euro as the backup center half for Maguire and Stones, although with Dier another possibility, the Wolves man may be lost in the end.
24. Harry Winks – His case has not been helped by injuries and José Mourinho benched him in many recent Premier League games. You need to impress from now until the end of the season to get in.
25. Reece James – He has done very little wrong and is unfortunate at the sheer weight of other options at his position. He’s holding his own as a winger against the competition, but does Southgate plan to play that way?
26. Tyrone Mings – Probably one or both Mings and Coady will be missing this summer. The fact that he was left on the bench against Albania and Poland does not bode well for Villa’s man.
27. James Ward-Prowse – Happy international fortnight for the Southampton man, who scored his first England goal against San Marino. He offers a free kick threat, but he’s likely in the pecking order of midfield.
28. Trent Alexander-Arnold – The victim of the fact that England have too many right-backs. It didn’t bode well for the Liverpool man’s Euro prospects with Southgate saying he hadn’t scaled the heights this season.
29. Ollie Watkins – He was delighted to score in the win over San Marino. It has been an incredible increase for Watkins these last few years, but there are too many attackers ahead of him for the fairy tale to end in this Euro.
30. Jude Bellingham – The midfielder is exceptional for 17, but his youth means he will also have many more opportunities in tournaments with England. Of course, sometimes a manager chooses a joker like him.
31. Bukayo Saka – He had to retire this time due to a hamstring injury and therefore did not join his four international matches. This tournament is probably too early for the 19-year-old.
32. Ainsley Maitland-Niles – Enjoys soccer regularly during his loan to West Brom and is the definition of versatile, but he’s not likely to make the cut.
33. Patrick Bamford – After an excellent scoring season with Leeds, there was talk of Bamford breaking into the team this time, but it didn’t happen and the opportunity has probably passed save for massive injuries.
34. Sam Johnstone – Baggies’ keeper is England’s fourth choice. It would require an injury closer to the tournament for him to be chosen.
35. Michael Keane – He was not drafted this time and given the other defensive options available to Southgate that point to a summer watching on television despite Everton’s good form.
36. Danny Ings – Goals have dried up for Southampton after a positive start to the season that saw them involved in the Nations League in the fall.
37. James Maddison – He still has the only international game for England and, after an injury ruined any chance of being called up here, he could stay that way for a while.
38. Mason Greenwood – It has not been his season for Man United with only five goals. But at 19 it is very likely that he will experience tournaments with England in the future.
39. Harvey Barnes – Knee surgery last month could mean you miss the rest of the season for Leicester and, by extension, for the Euro.
40. Tammy Abraham – The Chelsea player is behind the other attacking options in the count despite the club’s 12 goals this season.
41. Joe Gomez – Unfortunately an injury has ruined his chances of being part of the team.
Source: m.allfootballapp.com
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