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The International break has arrived, and the UEFA Nations League is about to start. For England, this is the first game after the high of the World Cup, testing their skills and showing that the World Cup was not just a combination of luck and relatively easy opponents.
There are questions regarding the squad chosen by Gareth Southgate for the game against Spain - whether Troy Deeney should have gotten an opportunity given the lack of pure strikers in the squad, whether the likes of Fabian Delph and Danny Welbeck should have been picked.
However, the decision of selecting the squad is the manager's and we can only speculate and debate. So let us look at the best possible XI which could be employed against Spain from the chosen squad. I have gone with the 3-1-4-2 formation which earned them success at the World Cup.
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#1 Goalkeeper: Jordan Pickford
Questions were raised when he was given the starting berth at the World Cup. However, his performances laid all doubts to rest.
With England not scoring a lot of goals in the competition, his contribution between the sticks was extremely important. Given his performance in Russia, starting him in goal is a no-brainer.
#2 Centre-back: John Stones
Another name that performed well at the World Cup, with 34 clearances, 8 blocks, 7 interceptions, a tackle success rate of 81.8 percent, and scoring 2 goals, his performances for Manchester City in the new season have also been quite good.
He is a smooth player, prone to the occasional lapse in concentration or the odd loose pass, but he is arguably the best centre-back option for England at the moment.
#3 Centre-back: Harry Maguire
A revelation at the World Cup, he went from strength to strength in every game. His form in the World Cup guarantees a spot for him in the England first XI for the foreseeable future. He provides the strength and power any good defence requires.
#4 Centre-back: Joe Gomez
Yes Kyle Walker was employed in this position at the World Cup, but honestly he did not look comfortable in this unfamiliar position. He was arguably culpable for 2 goals out of the 5 England conceded.
Due to this, a proper centre-back is required in Walker's place. There are 2 good options for England in this position - Joe Gomez and James Tarkowski. However, with the performances Joe Gomez has dished out for Liverpool in the first 4 games of the Premier League, he pips Tarkowski to the spot.
His displays at centre-back have been so good that he might keep a reformed Dejan Lovren on the bench, and a few pundits have also said that he has outperformed Virgil van Dijk in a couple of games.
#5 Right wing-back/Right wide midfielder: Kieran Trippier
Arguably he was England's best player at the World Cup. His deliveries from corners, free kicks, and from open play were magnificent.
He created 24 chances, the best in the World Cup. He even scored a cracking free kick in the semi-final which gave hope to England fans. He ended the tournament with a goal and an assist to his name.
Due to his contribution in the World Cup, he retains his place over the electric Kyle Walker, and the ever-improving Trent Alexander-Arnold.
#6 Left wing-back/Left wide midfielder: Luke Shaw
One of the problems England faced at the World Cup especially against Croatia is the lack of a left-footed wide player to swing in crosses. Although Ashley Young's performances were decent, he never really set the tournament on fire.
With Luke Shaw's brilliant performances for Manchester United in the current season, he is definitely the first choice on the left side of defence or midfield. He has scored 1 goal for Manchester United, and looks to have solved their left-back problem.
#7 Central defensive midfielder: Jordan Henderson
A few eyebrows will be raised at this choice. However, we can't really judge him based on one performance for Liverpool. What we can judge him on are his performances in the World Cup.
He was another player to have performed really well in the World Cup. Playing in a holding midfield position, he made that spot his own, keeping Eric Dier who was pipped to be the first choice for that role, away from the first XI.
He kept the possession ticking, started attacks and protected his defenders when needed. He had a passing success rate of 79.3 percent in the tournament. Though he was stripped of the captaincy, he is still a vocal presence in the middle of the park, and has leadership experience captaining Liverpool.
#8 Centre midfielder: Dele Alli
He blew hot and cold in the World Cup, showing glimpses of his class in parts, and scoring 1 goal. However, his quality and talent cannot be doubted for a second.
He has an impressive record for Tottenham with 47 goals and 41 assists in 150 appearances. With Adam Lallana out of the squad, he is one of the best options England has in midfield.
#9 Centre midfielder: Jesse Lingard
He is the creative force in the England team, with an eye for a defence splitting pass as well as the ability to make runs into the box to support attacks. He scored 1 goal, and assisted 1 goal in Russia. He made 227 passes, boasting of a passing accuracy of 92.1 percent, and made 6 key passes.
#10 Forward: Harry Kane
The obvious choice in the starting XI, Kane won the Golden Shoe in Russia, scoring 6 goals in 6 games.
Wearing the captain's armband, he led the team well, and was also the primary source of goals. He was magnificent at the World Cup and should be one of the first names on the team sheet.
#11 Forward: Danny Welbeck
Another questionable choice, but with Raheem Sterling out injured, and Marcus Rashford not getting much playing time at Manchester United, as well as not having featured a lot in the World Cup, Danny Welbeck is a better bet.
This is owing to the fact that Danny Welbeck has actually been in decent form for England, scoring 16 goals in 40 appearances as compared to Rashford's 3 in 25 appearances.
Apart from the front-line, England have a fairly settled team, and can only get better with the likes of Sterling, Lallana, and Oxlade-Chamberlain returning when fit - and with the likes of Ryan Bertrand, Troy Deeney, Jack Grealish, Sancho and James Maddison knocking on the door.
