EURO 2020 Qualifiers: How England should line up against Montenegro

How will the Three Lions line up against Mont?
How will the Three Lions line up against Montenegro?

England kicked off their EURO 2020 qualifiers this week with a very impressive 5-0 win against the Czech Republic.

With the squad featuring a number of new faces, like Callum Hudson-Odoi and Declan Rice, and Montenegro likely to offer even less resistance than the Czech Republic, the team that starts on Monday might be some way from a full strength squad.

While there may be some personnel changes, we can expect to see Gareth Southgate persevere with the new 4-3-3 formation that he utilized against the Czech Republic.

With that in mind, here's a look at the players who should start for the Three Lions and those that should remain on the bench:

Goalkeepers:

Butland first featured for the Three Lions in 2012
Butland first featured for the Three Lions in 2012

Starter - GK - Jack Butland

There was a time when Jack Butland looked like a surefire bet to take over the England number 1 role for a number of years.

Even following his relegation with Stoke at the end of last season, the talented keeper was regularly linked with the Premier League's big hitters.

While he's somewhat dropped off the radar this year playing in the Championship, he still could be England's top choice in years to come and in a fairly safe environment against Montenegro, taking a chance on him here would be a good decision.

Bench - Jordan Pickford

Pickford is England's current first choice keeper and is probably the favorite to start even this game. With England unlikely to face an offensive barrage, however, it might be more useful for them long term to try out someone else between the sticks.

Bench - Tom Heaton

Heaton has had mixed success in the Premier League this season and given his age, he'd need to be doing extraordinary things to overtake any of England's talented, young goalies. While he deserves his place in the squad, starting Heaton would be a mistake here.

Defenders:

Fulham FC v Liverpool FC - Premier League
Fulham FC v Liverpool FC - Premier League

Starter - RB - Trent Alexander-Arnold

Alexander-Arnold may very well be the future at right-back for England. With weaker opposition on the table on Monday, it seems a prime opportunity to give him some significant playing time.

Starter - CB - James Tarkowski

Tarkowski has been excellent this season in the Burnley defense and while he is far from the first name on the teamsheet, he deserves a trial run here as he could be England's third choice centre-back behind Maguire and Stones.

Starter - CB - Harry Maguire

Maguire has been consistently excellent for England and while Southgate might be tempted to rotate him out of the squad, keeping him in to solidify the team's defence and add to his already substantial international experience seems a better option.

Starter - LB - Ben Chilwell

While fairly inexperienced at the international level, Chilwell impressed against Czech Republic and has been exceptional for Leicester City this season. Continuing Chilwell's development with another start on Monday is the best option for England with an eye to the future.

Bench - Kieran Trippier

Trippier is still in the conversation for the best right-back in the world but should step aside here and allow England's right-back of the future to get the start.

Bench - Kyle Walker

Walker has been another consistant performer in the England defence and is someone Southgate knows he can rely upon. For that exact reason, Walker should be benched so that some other player can be trialed to see if they can be trusted to the same degree.

Bench - Michael Keane

Keane had little to do against Czech Republic but given that he had his chance to start in that game, Tarkowski ought to be preferred in this one.

Bench - Danny Rose

Rose, like Walker, is a player Southgate knows he can trust. Playing Chilwell over Rose makes more sense as he has more to prove to the gaffer.

Midfielders:

England v Czech Republic - UEFA EURO 2020 Qualifier
England v Czech Republic - UEFA EURO 2020 Qualifier

Starter - CM - Declan Rice

While Rice saw some minutes against the Czech Republic, his outstanding form in the Premier League this season warrants him making a full start on Monday.

Starter - CM - James Ward-Prowse

Ward-Prowse is another man on form in the Premier League. While he didn't feature against the Czech Republic, it would be great to see him start against an inferior Montenegro side.

Starter - CM - Ross Barkley

Barkley has seen increased playing time at Chelsea recently and looked good after coming on early against the Czech Republic. Giving him a start here can only help his confidence moving forward.

Bench - Dele Alli

Alli can be the spark that turns a game for England, particularly when they are playing opposition who will be looking to nullify the attacking threat. Southgate may choose to use him as a substitute option if this turns out to be the case on Monday.

Bench - Eric Dier

The versatile defensive-minded option injured himself early against the Czech Republic and so will almost certainly not be risked against Montenegro.

Bench - Jordan Henderson

While Henderson was exceptional at the World Cup, he's been a little less impressive this season with Liverpool and therefore might be benched against Montenegro as Southgate looks to evaluate alternative options at the position.

Attackers:

Sancho has 8 league goals for Dortmund already this season
Sancho has 8 league goals for Dortmund already this season

Starter - RW - Jadon Sancho

Sancho is still unproven in an England shirt and being the only player in the squad plying his trade abroad, he needs as many minutes with the other English boys as possible.

Starter - STR - Callum Wilson

While Kane is head and shoulders above him in England's pecking order, rotating the squad to see if Wilson is a viable option up front for the Three Lions would be a smart move here.

Starter - LW - Callum Hudson-Odoi

The most talked about inclusion of Southgate's squad, Hudson-Odoi is somewhat of an unknown factor given how little time he has spent playing Premier League football. He looked solid in his brief stint against the Czech Republic and so Southgate should continue to introduce him to international football here.

Bench - Marcus Rashford

Rashford seems to be carrying a knock at the moment so should not be risked here.

Bench - Harry Kane

Kane is Southgate's striker of choice and is undoubtedly England's best number 9. Kane will only be the victim of experimentation from Southgate if he is to sit out on Monday.

Bench - Raheem Sterling

England's best player on Friday, Sterling again will only miss out on a starting spot if we do see significant reshuffling by Southgate.

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Edited by Arvind Sriram
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