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This afternoon has seen the latest England squad announcement from boss Gareth Southgate. England face the Republic of Ireland in a friendly game later this month before taking on Iceland and Belgium in UEFA Nations League fixtures and will be looking to bounce back from their defeat last month to Denmark.
With a spot in next year’s UEFA Nations League finals still up for grabs, England will be hoping to pick up maximum points from their two matches this time around. It won’t be easy, though, as Belgium remain FIFA’s top-ranked side right now.
With all of this in mind, here are five talking points following the England squad announcement.
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#1 How highly does Gareth Southgate value Reece James?
October’s international matches were a decisively mixed bag for Chelsea youngster Reece James. The versatile 20-year old made his England debut in the friendly win over Wales and then went on to appear in the match against Belgium before being handed his first start in the loss to Denmark.
James was arguably England’s best player in that match, looking dangerous in his role as the side’s right-sided wing-back. However, after some shocking decisions throughout the match from referee Jesus Gil Manzano, the Chelsea man lost the plot at the end of the game.
As the full-time whistle sounded, an angry James confronted Manzano and had to be restrained by England teammate Jordan Henderson. The result was a red card, which means that James will miss this month’s matches against Iceland and Belgium through suspension.
With that in mind, it was a surprise to see him named in today’s squad at all, given he can only take part in the friendly against the Republic of Ireland. Of course, that suggests that England boss Gareth Southgate clearly values the Chelsea youngster very highly.
So could he be ahead of Liverpool’s Trent Alexander-Arnold in the pecking order for the right wing-back spot? Based on his appearance in this squad and that outstanding showing against Denmark, it seems very possible.
#2 Is Kyle Walker now seen as a center-back for England?
When Kyle Walker was sent off in England’s September win over Iceland, the feeling was that the Manchester City right-back had reached the end of the road. With younger right-backs like Trent Alexander-Arnold and Reece James muscling into the England squad, it seemed doubtful that Walker could make it back into Gareth Southgate’s thinking at the age of 30
However, Walker was recalled for October’s games against Wales, Belgium, and Denmark, and thanks to a tactical switch, suddenly seems like a certain pick again. That’s because Southgate has reverted to a back three, just as he deployed during England’s highly successful run in the 2018 World Cup.
To really make the most of a trio of central defenders, Southgate needs someone with plenty of pace in order to cover for the forward runs of his wing-backs, and just as in 2018, Walker provides plenty of that.
What’s more, the Manchester City man has plenty of veteran savvy, and with 51 caps to his name, he’s also one of England’s more experienced players.
The most interesting thing about this England squad, though, is that Southgate has named so many right-backs. In addition to Walker, Kieran Trippier has also been named in the squad alongside James and Alexander-Arnold too. That suggests that, for England, Walker is now seen as a center-back, which is an interesting development indeed.
#3 England forgives Foden, but there’s no room for Greenwood
When youngsters Phil Foden and Mason Greenwood were both included in the squad for England’s September matches with Iceland and Denmark, plenty of fans were excited. However, that feeling proved to be premature. Both men earned their first cap against Iceland, but they made a major error before they could feature against Denmark.
Both players were caught in breach of the current COVID-19 rules when they invited Icelandic models into their hotel room, and the result of their behavior was their expulsion from the squad. In order to punish them further, neither man was included in the squad for England’s October games, either.
Curiously though, Foden appears to have been forgiven by Gareth Southgate, as he’s been named in today’s squad for the upcoming games. However, there is no place for Greenwood, who has once again been left out. So what can we take from this?
In all honesty, the truth is probably simpler than what might well be made out. This decision is likely based around the club form of both players.
Since the start of October, Foden has made a total of seven appearances for Manchester City. He’s scored just one goal and registered a single assist, but he’s also performed excellently and was named Man of the Match in City’s 1-1 draw with West Ham United.
Greenwood has made five appearances for Manchester United and has scored one goal. But he’s also been warned by boss Ole Gunnar Solskjaer for his discipline and timekeeping.
Add in the fact that the United youngster is seemingly in competition for an England spot with Aston Villa’s Jack Grealish – who has enjoyed a fantastic start to the season – and it’s easy to see why he’s been ignored by Southgate this time around.
Greenwood’s time will definitely come, but the decision to leave him out of this squad is definitely justified.
#4 Southgate’s goalkeeping issue continues
Today’s England squad announcement has seen Gareth Southgate name the same three goalkeepers he named in September and October’s squads – Everton’s Jordan Pickford, Burnley’s Nick Pope, and Manchester United’s Dean Henderson. So what can we learn from this?
Well, the truth is that right now, England have somewhat of an issue when it comes to selecting a reliable goalkeeper.
Pickford’s club form has been questionable for a while now, and that hasn’t really changed since the beginning of the 2020-21 season. But prior to last month, it was fair to say that he’d never let England down. That changed in the loss to Denmark when his bizarre decision-making largely led to the Danes’ decisive penalty.
Pope is usually a reliable shot-stopper, but he’s also conceded 12 goals in six games this season, and the usual questions over his distributions still stand.
Henderson, meanwhile, simply hasn’t had enough first-team football this season. He made his first appearance for United in last night’s Champions League loss to Istanbul Basaksehir and hasn’t played in the Premier League for them yet.
The likelihood is that Southgate will stick with Pickford as his #1 for the competitive UEFA Nations League games at least. But if England want to win next summer’s European Championship, they probably need to sort out their goalkeeping issue quickly.
#5 Will Southgate pick a defensive central midfield duo again?
One player noticeably absent from today’s England squad is Leeds United midfielder, Kalvin Phillips. This is due to an injury, of course, but many England fans will probably be relieved to see him missing.
Phillips has performed well for England in his four appearances, but the idea of a central midfield duo of the Leeds man and Declan Rice would probably give fans nightmares after the debacle that was the loss to Denmark.
The midfielders named in today’s squad are instead Rice, Phil Foden, Jordan Henderson, Mason Mount, Harry Winks, and James Ward-Prowse. With this in mind, the main question surrounding England’s upcoming games is whether Southgate will choose such a defensive-minded midfield duo again.
Such a duo would probably involve a combination of Rice, Henderson, and Winks. It would be extremely disappointing to England fans looking for a little more creativity from the central area this time around – something painfully missing in last month’s games.
If Southgate has learned from those matches, his starting midfield in the current 3-4-3 system should probably be one of Rice, Winks, Ward-Prowse, or Henderson alongside Mount or Foden.
Hopefully, this would take the shackles off the side and allow more involvement from England’s formidable front line. England fans can only hope that this is the case in the upcoming fixtures.
