The English national team are quietly going about their business and are eight games unbeaten, with draws against Germany, Brazil and Italy plus a victory against the Netherlands in that span.
Not bad, Gareth Southgate. Not bad at all.
Following their 1-1 draw with Italy at Wembley on Tuesday, Southgate has no more games or training sessions before he names his provisional 2018 World Cup squad on May 14.
There’s no debate that Southgate’s boys should play in a 3-4-3 formation which has worked extremely well for them (they have only conceded one goal in their last six games and that was a late penalty kick, award by VAR, against Italy this week). But there is plenty of debate around the 23 players England should take to the World Cup this summer and the starting lineup too.
Below is a look at the current roster prediction for the young Three Lions squad, as the bookies currently make them eighth favorites to win the World Cup and obviously fancy England’s chances of getting out of Group G alongside Belgium, Tunisia and Panama.
England squad
Goalkeepers: Jack Butland, Joe Hart, Jordan Pickford
Defenders: Kyle Walker, Kieran Trippier, Joe Gomez, John Stones, Gary Cahill, Harry Maguire, Phil Jones, Ryan Bertrand, Ashley Young
Midfielders: Eric Dier, Jordan Henderson, Jack Wilshere, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, Dele Alli, Adam Lallana, Jesse Lingard, Raheem Sterling
Forwards: Harry Kane, Jamie Vardy, Marcus Rashford
England starting XI (3-4-3 formation)
----- Butland -----
---- Stones --- Cahill ---- Maguire ----
---- Walker --- Dier --- Alli --- Bertrand ----
---- Sterling ---- Kane ---- Rashford ----
