Today I will be taking a deep dive into how I think England will set up and who will play in each position for the Euros coming up in the summer this year. With a wealth of attacking talent but maybe a bit thin defensively it could be a great test for a young but exciting England side who will look to build off the back of a great world cup campaign in 2018.
Gareth Southgate
Gareth Southgate is a controversial figure in some ways, some people praise him for his efforts of bringing a more club mentality look to a national team and leading England to the Semi finals of a world cup. However others see him as a bit of a fraud and yet another FA yes man who will not do what it takes to make England climb the national ladder once again. He will be the manager going into this summers Euros though and I still believe with right set up and selection England could still go all the way.
Previous Formation
Gareth Southgate has tried a few different formations in his time as England boss but the two main contenders at the moment are a 343 setup with more wing backs than actual wingers or a standard 433 with one of the centre midfielders dropping a little deeper. The 343 above is how he set up to face Belgium recently in the nations league and he did use it in the 2018 world cup too. This formation helps defensively with the extra defender and the wing backs provide the width with the two wingers further up the pitch usually cutting inside and interchanging around with each other to keep the opponents guessing which is a fairly common tactic in premier league football with both Liverpool and Manchester City using this trick also among others.
With this the three lions have also set up with a 433 with the middle CM dropping deep which is likely this tournament to be Declan Rice. This formation is more attacking and England have looked good against weaker team whilst playing it and of course the famous win in Spain a few years ago. However against stronger opposition the fairly weak defence has looked vulnerable but with John Stones and either Harry Maguire or Michael Keane in good form this season, could be an option for Southgate.
Starting 11 and Set Up
Now above is the 343 England use and I have given my personal thoughts on who I think should be starting for our first game if we do indeed use this set up. Starting in goal is Pope and I think he is not only the best keeper England have but have had for a while now. His footwork could use a bit of work but goalkeepers are never great with that side of the game especially English ones and he is one of the best pure shot stoppers in the game as we speak. The three centre backs I’ve chosen are fairly standard with Maguire in the centre as he’s the slowest with the Manchester City pair of Stones and the pacey Walker either side of him to give him the needed pace and cover. Stones and Maguire will also give England the height from set pieces and Kyle Walker is an exceptional ball carrier.
The wing backs are the main strength of this team with two of England’s brightest younger talents in Trent and Saka. We all know by now how good Alexander-Arnold is and even with Liverpool’s bad season he has still been a bright spark for them and has one of the best passing ranges in the league. Saka for me is a no brainer is this position even though he has been used more as a out and out full back at club level. He may not be the best defensively like Trent but I believe they are both good enough for the wing backs role and will give pace and danger on the flanks that could out number teams.
Mount and Rice are the two Midfielders who you could really chop and change depending on the game. Grealish could easily come in instead of Mount or next to him if you want to go a bit more positive. Henderson would get a look in too however he may not make the Euros with a recent injury.
Foden and Sancho will give a direct threat in the final third with both having great seasons with club and no doubt will be just as good for country. I would have Foden look to cut in more with Sancho keeping his width and with overlaps from the fullbacks this could create a lot of opportunity’s for England. Then of course we have Kane up top who will score goals given service and being skipper he will look to lead from the front as he always does. Sterling and Rashford are obvious alternatives who could do just as well too.
Going on to my preferred setup even though it is riskier. The 433 will have the same back five as the 343 with the exception of Saka as I feel could be found out a bit too much defensively in big games so would replace him with Luke Shaw who’s probably England’s best left back at the moment. Walker could also be replaced by Trent depending on form and how aggressive going forward Southgate wants to be.
Mount and Rice also make the midfield in this setup too however with Rice sitting just behind Mount and next to him Jack Grealish. Very attacking looking on paper to some people but Mount has shown he can be a box to box player for Chelsea and isn’t afraid of that side of the game which would leave Grealish the freedom to dictate the game as I believe he can be one of England’s greatest assets. To be more defensive take Grealish or Mount of a replace with Eric Dier or someone of the likes.
Then for me it will be the same front 3 of Foden, Kane and Sancho with like I said earlier Sterling or Rashford coming in for anyone of them if the game suits it. Foden for me could be an England great if he carries on his growth but his inexperience could call for Sterling to take his place for bigger games.
Key Players
All the squad will be important if England are going to do well this year but I’ve highlighted 3 players who I think are irreplaceable.
Declan Rice
Rice has been on a few big clubs radars for a while now but this season he has helped West Ham be a huge surprise package. The hammers are fighting hard for European football and a lot of the success is down to Declan Rice and being so good in his defensive midfield role. He has shown signs of the same for England but this year could be his breakout year for the national team. He is a complete midfielder in some ways with a all the defensive aspects required plus the ability to see a pass and his ball retention is great too, he’s even starting adding a few goals to his game here and there. He could be a great pivot for England in the 433 and I expect him to start every game if fit.
Jack Grealish
Arguably England’s best player on raw talent has to be Jack Grealish. He’s playing some unbelievable football for Aston Villa in a good team but he is a class above the rest. For England he’s only had a few opportunities but when called upon has looked world class in my opinion and even though he may not play every game if the tactics or opponent is not right, when he does play he will be a huge positive force going forward for the three lions and could see him doing amazing things this summer.
Harry Kane
What else is left to say about Harry Kane. He’s the skipper for a reason and even though he’s never the most vocal he has players to do that for him, he just leads by example. Every season he is relentless and scores goal after goal for club and country and this year he’s adding assists to the mix as well! He will be the main goal threat for England and with the players around him should get plenty of quality service and he should be able to provide himself too. Recently if England are to do well then Harry Kane needs to be on form and he’s never really off it which is a good sign for the English.
All in all I like many people can’t wait for the Euros this summer and lets hope the boys in white can do us proud and make some memories for us all just like they did in 2018.
What do you think of England’s chances this summer and who do you think will win it all? Thanks for reading again and thanks for all the incredible support as always. Until next time make sure to check out my socials and the Fab 5 predictor and I’ll see you next time.
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