Gareth Southgate recently announced his squad for the World Cup in Qatar. Before the announcement, there were plenty of questions that had to be asked and now that the squad has been announced, there are different questions that have presented themselves.
His choices have highlighted a clear indication as to how he will set the team up, how he wants his team to play and the mentality that he will take into the finals in November and December.
Some players pick themselves, some have punched their ticket on merit and some players are arguably there because Southgate has trust in them from previous tournaments.
Goal Keepers
Realistically, as long as the three goalkeepers that Southgate has selected, Jordan Pickford, Nick Pope and Aaron Ramsdale were fit, they were always the three men going to Qatar. Pope and Ramsdale in particular have been in a rich vein of form as of late, keeping a combined 14 clean sheets this season.
Pickford has had an up-and-down season, however, is a Southgate favourite and has been given the #1 shirt ahead of the tournament.
Dean Henderson will likely serve as the alternate, although he hasn’t been in great form himself this season, keeping just four clean sheets and conceding a huge 30 goals across 15 games.
Defenders
The defenders are where the first hints of contention begin to creep into Southgate’s choices. Unfortunately for the England boss, he was unable to select Reece James and Ben Chilwell due to injury, two players that would have been guaranteed a spot on the plane.
Starting with the right backs, Trent Alexander-Arnold, Kyle Walker, Keiran Trippier and Ben White are all the options that could play on the right-hand side of Southgate’s defence.
There isn’t a whole lot of debate as to who should have gone at right back, the main question is ‘Do England need to take four right backs?’. With that being said, White and Walker can certainly do a job as the right-hand side centre-back in a back three, however, are also competent at playing on the far right of the defence. Trippier will also likely be used as a back-up left-back, and due to his form this season, he had to be on the team sheet.
The centre-back options throw up a lot of debate. John Stones picks himself without question. He’s been performing well and is another Southgate faithful. Ben White can play at centre half and also deserves his place in the team.
The contentious call-ups are Harry Maguire, Eric Dier and Conor Coady who could all have reasonably been left at home. Maguire has been in poor club form as of late, has been injured and only recently made his return. He’s slipped down the pecking order at Manchester United, becoming the fourth-choice centre-back.
Eric Dier recently got recalled to the squad and has kept four clean sheets across 15 Tottenham games. Importantly, however, he often plays in a back five system under Antonio Conte and therefore can slot into Southgate’s defensive style well.
Conor Coady is supposedly a ‘great person to have around the dressing room’, however, there is very little chance that he will get any game time. He’s way down the list with regards to starting positions and doesn’t offer much tournament experience having been called up to the Euros squad, however, didn’t feature.
Fakiyo Tomori can feel extremely hard done by not getting his name on the team sheet. Southgate has gone with his faithful favourites at centre-back. Statistically, he’s one of England’s better players in those positions, has experience of winning big trophies (having won Series A with AC Milan last season) and would benefit massively from the experience. Realistically, will Coady or Maguire make the world cup squad in 2026? It’s unlikely, however, Tomori will be in and around the England squad for years to come.
Luke Shaw is the only out and out left back selected by Southgate. He’s regained some form as of late and is a logical choice to go to Qatar. Saka can play left-wing back, however, we don’t get to see him at his best in this position. Trippier can play on the left hand side of defence, however, we’ll likely see Shaw starting.
Midfielders
Amongst the crop of Gareth Southgate’s midfielders, there is one major controversial pick, one that makes sense based on experience and one player that surprised many by being selected.
The controversial pick is Kalvin Phillips. There is no doubt about Phillips’ ability. The new Manchester City man signed for the club for £42 million in the summer after having two successful Premier League campaigns with Leeds as well as making seven Euro 2020 appearances. There is no doubting his ability to break up the play, get forward when he needs to and provide protection for the back four. However, the issue is is that he’s been chosen as another Southgate favourite. He’s suffered a shoulder injury and consequently made just one appearance for City this season in the league. He’s featured for just 53 minutes this season meaning that not only is he not match-fit, but he won’t be in form, won’t be sharp and is an injury risk.
Jordan Henderson is another potentially controversial pick. He hasn’t been in great form with Liverpool struggling in all competitions this season. He’s also suffered a hamstring injury this season which kept him out of five club games. With that being said, he’s a winner. He’s the Liverpool captain who helped them to trophies last season. He’s a proven England reliable having made 70 appearances and is a leader on the pitch. He’s a logical option to take to Qatar, despite not being in the best form and suffering slight injuries this season.
James Ward-Prowse is certainly unlucky not to make the squad. He’s Southampton’s captain, making 16 club appearances this season, scoring two goals. He’s a set piece specialist and with the likes of Phil Foden, Jack Grealish and James Maddison in the squad, players who pick up a lot of fouls, it would have been beneficial to take him. He, like Dean Henderson, will likely act as an alternate for any potential midfield injuries.
The player that surprised many with his call-up is James Maddison. Southgate should have selected Maddison for the last round of Nations League games, however, he didn’t get the call-up. Across 13 Premier League games this season, Maddison has 11 goal involvements, highlighting just how good form he is in. Experts believed that Maddison deserved to be on the plane and luckily, Southgate realised his value and named him in the squad.
Conor Gallagher is another player who is a potential surprise to be on the plane. He only made his England debut last year and has made four appearances. On loan at Crystal Palace last season, he performed well, being involved in 11 goal involvements across 34 games. At Chelsea this season he’s made 12 appearances across two managers. At 22, it’s logical to take him and give him the experience of a big tournament ahead of potentially being in a number of future squads for major tournaments.
Forwards
Similar to the defenders, many of the forward players pick themselves on merit, form and reputation. The likes of Bukayo Saka, Phil Foden, Harry Kane and Raheem Sterling were always going to make the 26 man squad. They’re all reliable, in reasonable form and have performed well for England. Don’t be surprised to see Kane break the England goals record as he only needs three more.
The interesting selections come in the form of Jack Grealish, Marcus Rashford and Callum Wilson. Grealish is an England regular now, however, plays in the same position on the wide left as either his Manchester City teammate, Foden and Arsenal’s Saka, both of whom will likely be preferred to him in Southgate’s mind. Half of his 24 England appearances have come from the bench and he notched two assists at last year's Euros. For club, Grealish has been in reasonable form, having featured in every Champions League game this season.
Marcus Rashford has been recalled having not played for England since the Euros final last season. Playing for Manchester United this season, Rashford has hit a good run of form as of late. He’s made 19 appearances, scoring eight goals and recording three assists. He’s quick, versatile (he’s played both off the left and through the middle for United) and offers something different from the other attackers selected.
Callum Wilson was preferred to Ivan Toney or Tammy Abraham. Abraham isn’t in the best form, having only scored once in his last nine Series A appearances. He made just one appearance in his last six England call-ups so is clearly not fancied by Southgate.
Ivan Toney can feel quite hard done by not getting the call-up. He’s recorded 11 goals and recorded three assists in 16 games. He offers something different to Harry Kane, with the ability to hold the ball up better and acts as more of an out-and-out striker. He’s quick and in a blistering run of form as of late having scored twice against Manchester City on the final day of the season prior to the world cup. Due to his FA investigation regarding betting, it’s probably best in hindsight that he didn’t get the call-up.
Callum Wilson has six goals in 11 premier league appearances this season and again, offers something different to Kane. He’s certainly an injury risk, however, if he can stay fit is a dangerous option to bring off the bench for the opposition.
The two players in forward positions who were in Southgate’s Euros squad who haven’t made it to Qatar are Dominic Calvert-Lewin and Jadon Sancho. The two men were never in the running for a place in the squad. They’ve both been out of form, injured and were never likely to make the squad, so no real surprises there.
Overall
Ultimately, there aren’t any major complaints about Gareth Southgate’s world cup squad. Aside from Harry Maguire and Kalvin Philips, who both don’t deserve their call-up based on form, everyone else is a logical pick. The selections of James Maddison, Ben White and Conor Gallagher have to be commended, especially that of Maddison.
How far can England get in this tournament? The strength in depth isn’t quite there, however, stranger things have happened.
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