England were moments away from ending their long trophy drought last summer at the EUROs, only for Italy to down them in a penalty shootout in the final at Wembley. The Three Lions will now try and ‘bring it home’ at this year’s 2022 FIFA World Cup. As always, there’s abundance of talent available for their manager, Gareth Southgate to pick his 26-man squad from.
Unfortunately for England, injuries are going to shape their squad for the global showdown which will be held in Qatar this month. The Three Lions have plenty of old as well as fresh injury scares in their team, which could seriously hamper their chances of going all the way in the tournament. Ben Chilwell, Reece James, Kyle Walker, Kalvin Phillips, Emile Smith Rowe are all doubtful as we take a look at who are in the fray to make the cut.
England World Cup Squad – The players in contention
Goalkeepers
Southgate has youth as well as experience to choose from in the ‘keeper department. Everton’s Jordan Pickford has always been his first-choice in the goal, with Arsenal’s Aaron Ramsdale his deputy. However, the situation could be reversed since Ramsdale has been in sublime form for the Gunners, keeping 6 clean-sheets in 11 Premier League outings helping them sit atop of the table.
Newcastle’s Nick Pope and Nottingham’s Dean Henderson have been constant attendances in the England squad, but only one of them can make final cut behind Pickford and Ramsdale.
| Name | Club |
|---|---|
|
Aaron Ramsdale |
Arsenal |
| Jordan Pickford |
Everton |
|
Dean Henderson |
Nottingham Forest |
| Nick Pope |
Newcastle United |
|
Fraser Forster |
Tottenham |
|
Sam Johnstone |
Crystal Palace |
Defenders
A key area of Southgate’s England set-up, the defense has sustained heavy damage due to the injuries. While the center-back area is intact, its the flanks which have suffered a dent. Left-back Ben Chilwell [hamstring] is confirmed to miss the tournament, while right-back duo Reece James [knee injury] and Kyle Walker [groin injury] are doubtful. Walker could be a big miss since he can also constitute a back-three, apart from his usual duties on the wings.
And with Trent Alexander-Arnold displaying poor form in both attack as well as defense, Kieran Trippier looks set to reclaim his starting spot at right-wingback. Arsenal’s Ben White is an option there as well, with John Stones, Harry Maguire, Eric Dier likely to make the roster as starting ceneter-backs.
| Name | Club |
|---|---|
|
John Stones |
Manchester City |
|
Kyle Walker |
Manchester City |
| Benjamin White |
Arsenal |
|
Harry Maguire |
Manchester United |
| Kieran Tripper |
Newcastle United |
|
Luke Shaw |
Manchester United |
| Trent Alexander-Arnold |
Liverpool |
|
Conor Coady |
Everton |
| Fikayo Tomoro |
AC Milan |
|
Marc Guehi |
Crystal Palace |
| Eric Dier |
Tottenham |
|
Tyrone Mings |
Aston Villa |
| Kyle Walker-Peters |
Southampton |
Midfielders
Apart from Kalvin Phillips [shoulder injury] and Emile Smith Rowe [groin operation], Southgate has otherwise a fully fit pool of midfield to select from. Mason Mount, Declan Rice, Conor Gallagher and Jude Bellingham are some of the young guns, whereas Jordan Henderson and James Ward-Prowse could provide the experience.
Elsewhere, Smith Rowe could be a surprise inclusion should he be fit in time and available. Philipps faces a race against time to be available, but he hasn’t played much since joining City this summer, which could give Southgate second thoughts. Huge calls for James Maddison to be included have been made as well, after the Leicester City midfielder has shown sudden burst of form, racking up 6 goals and 4 assists in 12 league games so far.
| Name | Club |
|---|---|
|
Jordan Henderson |
Liverpool |
| Declan Rice |
West Ham |
|
Mason Mount |
Chelsea |
| Jude Belliingham |
Borussia Dortmund |
|
James Ward-Prowse |
Southampton |
| Kalvin Phillips |
Manchester City |
|
Conor Gallagher |
Chelsea |
| Emile Smith-Rowe |
Arsenal |
|
Harvey Elliot |
Liverpool |
| James Maddison |
Leicester City |
Forwards
Without a second’s thought, Southgate will name Harry Kane and Bukayo Saka first on the team sheet. The Tottenham striker will captain his country at the tournament and has carried out his usual scoring duties for the club, netting 11 goals in 14 league games. Phil Foden, Raheem Sterling and Jack Grealish could fight for the remaining one spot, with Marcus Rashford and Jadon Sancho making the bench.
Brentford’s Ivan Toney, West Ham’s Jarrod Bowen and Roma’s Tammy Abraham could be the rookies to make the 26-man list of the Three Lions’ boss. Toney, however is being investigated for the alleged betting cases against him, which could jeopardize his selection.
| Name | Club |
|---|---|
|
Harry Kane |
Tottenham |
| Bukayo Saka |
Arsenal |
|
Raheem Serling |
Chelsea |
|
Jack Grealish |
Manchester City |
| Phil Foden |
Manchester City |
|
Tammy Abraham |
Roma |
| Jarrod Bowen |
West Ham |
|
Ivan Toney |
Brentford |
| Ollie Watkins |
Aston Villa |
|
Marcus Rashford |
Manchester United |
| Jadon Sancho |
Manchester United |
The Strongest XI
With a shortage in wing-back options, Southgate will have to alter his formation. The England boss usually prefers a 3-4-2-1, but could be forced to go with a back-four and a 4-2-3-1 set-up. Ramsdale is the dark horse to start ahead of Pickford, with Trippier, Stones, Maguire and Shaw in front of him.
Rice and Bellingham will be the most solid partnership Southgate can name, with Saka and Foden flying on the wings, Mount pulling the strings from the middle and Kane leading the line. Here’s the strongest England XI:
Ramsdale; Trippier, Maguire, Stones, Shaw; Rice, Bellingham; Saka, Mount, Foden; Kane