Gareth Southgate has named the strongest England squad for a major tournament in the past 20 years, yet one which still has significant weaknesses across the pitch.
While Jack Grealish’s absence has dominated headlines, Harry Maguire’s injury is perhaps the most significant story of this selection saga, one of the most crucial figures of the Southgate era missing his first international tournament since 2016.
England remain among the favourites to win Euro 2024 by any metric, yet this can only come to fruition if they can align their world-leading attack with a makeshift defence.
Here are the four problem positions Southgate must find a solution too – and how he can do it.
Centre-back
Presuming he’s fit for the first game, Maguire’s erstwhile partner John Stones should have one of the central defensive spots locked down, despite his only appearance since 5 April being an unconvincing FA Cup final showing.
This leaves three players in line to join him – Marc Guehi, Lewis Dunk and Ezri Konsa. Joe Gomez is also capable of playing centre-back, but he has reportedly only made the final squad as cover at left-back.
On the basis of statistics, Dunk is the obvious choice here – the most experienced of the trio, a long-term leadership figure at Brighton who made the second-most passes of any Premier League player last season.
He is also among the strongest progressive passers in the world, moving the ball further up the pitch than any other outfield Premier League player last season. He has always been defensively solid and has long been considered unlucky not to play more for England.
Yet in his limited recent international opportunities, Dunk has been repeatedly unsteady and error-prone, raising the idea that while he was unfortunate not to enter the global stage earlier, he perhaps should not be involved now.
His domestic form has also suffered a drop-off, being publicly embarrassed by Romelu Lukaku for both club and country in the space of a month. Some players struggle to translate their form to the international stage, especially if they’ve waited over a decade for an opportunity.
Konsa has had an excellent season with Aston Villa and his versatility means he has earned his place in this squad, but he is also error-prone, with three errors leading to an opponent’s shot in 2023-24. He will make a solid rotation option yet alongside Stones he lacks the solidity and grit Maguire offers.
This leaves Guehi, another imperfect choice yet the most solid of the three available. At just 6ft he is on the short side for an international centre-back, and does not have anything of the aerial or set-piece prowess Maguire has so often brought to England.
Like Stones, he has also been injured for much of 2024 and, like Dunk, he was shaky against Bosnia and Herzegovina on Monday. Yet Guehi is the best of all worlds here, a leader and stand-in captain at Crystal Palace who is a stronger passer than Maguire and similarly defensively solid.
i‘s verdict: Marc Guehi
Left-back
It is no secret that left-back is England’s most problematic position. Ben Chilwell, who many had tipped to start this summer, was not fit enough to make the provisional squad, while Tyrick Mitchell was not called up.
This means Luke Shaw is the only natural left-back selected, and he hasn’t played since 28 February. Although Southgate maintains he is fit enough for selection in the final squad, it is currently unclear whether he will even make the group stage given he has not returned to full-team training.
Assuming England make the knockouts, Shaw should waltz back into the slot he has occupied consistently since Euro 2020, yet what to do during the first round is Southgate’s real problem here.
Kieran Trippier and Gomez are the two vastly-different options available. Gomez played left-back throughout last season for Liverpool and is the most defensive-minded, safe choice for Southgate, a player who very rarely errs and does exactly what is asked of him but offers little going forward – he has famously never scored a professional goal.
Trippier has played on the left for England before, but his performances for Newcastle were inconsistent for most of last season and his defensive attributes continue to wane even if his attacking talents are still strong.
But Southgate can afford to take a risk on Trippier with the more defensively-minded Walker on the right-hand side. A full-back pairing of Gomez and Walker are unlikely to offer enough going forward in a group stage England expect to dominate.
This will come down to what Southgate wants from his left-back at this tournament. Gomez is the safer option, Trippier the boom-or-bust.
i‘s verdict: Kieran Trippier
Central midfield
The identity of Declan Rice’s midfield partner is set to be the insufferable pub debate of the summer. Trent Alexander-Arnold excelled against Bosnia and Herzegovina but is naturally a right-back, while Conor Gallagher’s brand of intelligent chaos can leave sides defensively exposed when he’s deployed in a pivot.
Jude Bellingham is the most talented option but far better utilised as a No 10, while Kobbie Mainoo and Adam Wharton have played 41 Premier League games between them. In many ways this is one of England’s most talented and varied midfield corps since the Golden Generation, but the differences between each player and their individual shortcomings leaves no obvious candidate.
Alexander-Arnold is the flair pick, Gallagher the traditionalist’s choice for a runner/ sitter midfield duo. Mainoo is an exceptional but raw force – his positional discipline could leave England exposed and he doesn’t have Gallagher’s pace to make up for it.
Wharton is the hipster option, perhaps the player who best complements Rice but also the least experienced. While it is unlikely Southgate takes a risk as great as starting a player who was still in the Championship in January, he may be the best fit for this specific role.
Yet assuming that won’t happen, Alexander-Arnold appears the clearest choice. His performance against Bosnia shows exactly why his move into midfield works and he offers a creative outlet and tactical flexibility the others do not.
i‘s verdict: Trent Alexander-Arnold
Left-wing
This is not so much a debate about a position but about a player. Premier League player of the year Phil Foden has to start for England, but where he fits is still up for debate.
Bellingham appears to have the No 10 spot nailed down, meaning the left-wing is Foden’s spot to lose. Yet he has disappointed in that role before at international level and this means England will lack an out-ball and runner behind the defence to stretch opponents.
Anthony Gordon is the other natural fit on the left who better suits the tactical profile Southgate needs, but whether he will be able to play him there is an highly politicised issue.
i‘s verdict: Phil Foden
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