ENGLAND EXPECTS
And Southgate has to pick RIGHT 23 names
GARETH SOUTHGATE should brace himself for some sleepless nights between now and June.
Because the England boss has 23 reasons to be waking up in a cold sweat.
Southgate has less than three months to decide who he takes in his final squad for Euro 2024 in Germany. England will head there as one of the favourites to conquer Europe and win a first trophy since the World Cup heroes of 1966. Managers like Southgate are paid the big bucks to make the even bigger calls.
And he knows he has to get them all right if he is to stand a realistic chance of cementing his name – and those of his players – into footballing folklore. It will be quite a headache. Southgate is overflowing with talent in some areas but short of world-class stars in others.
Somehow he has to decide which wingers and attacking midfielders to choose from a deep pool and who to leave behind.
Good luck cherry-picking from a list that includes Phil Foden, Marcus Rashford, Jack Grealish, Bukayo Saka, Jarrod Bowen, Cole Palmer, Anthony Gordon and James Maddison. He should count himself fortunate Jadon Sancho has been out of the equation and Mason Mount has been injured. The Three Lions boss will name an initial training squad on May 21 before whittling it down to 23 on June 8.
And he is conscious of avoiding a repeat of what former England boss Glenn Hoddle had to go through ahead of France 98, when Paul Gascoigne wrecked his room in La Manga after being told he had not made the cut.
Southgate said: “You know some of that competition we have been conscious of for a little while.
“The first squad is really going to depend on where some of the injuries are at, and also how many players are in the European finals.
“But yeah, my preference is always that players have some clarity on exactly what the role is when they come in.
“The hard part is done. But I’ll probably try to at least manage expectations in that period.
“But it’s going to be really hard to be really definitive on a final 23.”
Southgate has some conundrums to solve in defence and midfield. He has one left-back currently available in Ben Chilwell but hopes Luke Shaw is fit in time and could pick Kieran Trippier to provide cover at full-back.
What is the best position for Jude Bellingham? Where does Foden play? And who helps Declan Rice provide the midfield shield if Kalvin Phillips continues to deliver poor performances at club level?
The fast emerging option is teenage sensation Kobbie Mainoo, who was outstanding in the 2-2 draw against Belgium to earn rich praise from Southgate.
He said: “We saw that there was that fearlessness to come in and the technical ability to receive, when pressed, and find a pass and to manipulate the ball in tight areas.
“We are a little bit more open with him. But it gives us a profile of player we haven’t got. That’s hugely exciting.
“He’s playing a lot of football, he’s very young and we were conscious of it. But I’m glad we’ve been able to do it and see his performances.
“There’s a lot of big games for all of these players and we just don’t know what’s going to happen.”