Eight months out from the World Cup and with the draw looming on Friday, there’s already a major conundrum for England manager Gareth Southgate waiting in the wings.
It’s what football managers like to call a good problem, a welcome problem, a problem they would rather have than not. And if there are no questions about Southgate’s man-management skills, what lies ahead will test his tactical acumen and the ability to analyse opponents.
What does Southgate do with all his wingers? He has fast ones, ones who like to dribble and take defenders on, ones who prefer to come inside, ones who are better defensively and offer better shape and solidity.
For certain Southgate will play three up front and captain Harry Kane is as close as a player can get to a guaranteed starter as central striker. That leaves two slots on either side. And if Raheem Sterling keeps turning up when he plays for England, one of those goes to him.
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When it works for Sterling, and it often does for England, he is a menace. But if there’s a weakness to his game it’s that he can dribble down blind alleys. But say Sterling starts with Kane, that leaves one. And there are probably seven players who can stake a realistic claim for it.
Phil Foden, winner of three Premier League titles by age 21, played often as a central midfielder in years gone by but has made it clear he wants to play at the sharp end of the team. “I see myself as one of the front three, anywhere along the front three,” Foden said. “As I mature a bit, maybe becoming more of a midfielder, as I mature with age and understand the role more. But right now, I see myself more as one of the front three.”
What about Bukayo Saka, who impressed Southgate so much last year that he stood in for Foden when he was injured during Euro 2020 and took his place? Southgate likes that Saka can defend as well as he can attack.
And England’s manager had intended to try Saka at right wing-back in the friendly against Switzerland before the player was sent home due to a positive Covid test. That could point to one way Southgate will attempt to partially solve the problem.
But Mason Mount can and has played there well for Chelsea and England. With the options available is he destined for a central role? And then there’s Jack Grealish, the fan-favourite who Southgate sees as a winger.
Consider all of the above and things start to look decidedly shaky for Manchester United pair Marcus Rashford and Jadon Sancho, who failed to make it into the latest squad despite not being injured.
It may well be that Southgate does not have one fixed World Cup starting XI, that he instead switches formations and tweaks his wingers depending on the opposition. The first three group stage opponents will be revealed in Friday’s draw in Doha, leaving plenty of time to prepare.
“We did that through the Euros and sometimes players are suited to different roles and opposition teams might have weaknesses in certain positions,” Southgate said. “We’ve got different profiles of wingers that can pose a different sort of threat. All of the players have individual attributes that might be better suited to a certain game. They are the sorts of choices we’ve got to get right.”
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Southgate sees it as an opportunity to keep players on their toes, providing the motivation required to give his players an edge in Qatar.
“They can all get on with it and fight it out amongst themselves and we’ll pick the ones that are playing at the best level and who can do the job,” Southgate said.
“We’re in a fortunate position that we do have good players. You can motivate players as a manager, but there’s no higher motivation than two more on the bench that can come and take your place.
“That’s how the big clubs work and we’re starting to get that competition in most positions on the field. We’re always open minded, we’re always assessing, we’re watching them every week, we see the positive qualities and we see the little bits that, ‘OK, how can we improve that a little bit?’
“We’re all wanting to develop the best possible players and the best possible team. Without a doubt, none of the players in the squad can sit and think they’re in the 23, 26 or in the 11. They’ve all got to keep playing well and keep pushing each other.”
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