The November international break is upon us and there’s a lot of excitement surrounding England’s latest fixtures for a number of reasons.
Gareth Southgate’s side put in a terrific performance in their last match against Spain and were worth every bit of their 4-3 victory.
After a World Cup which saw England go all the way to the semi-finals, many are feeling positive about the future under Southgate, especially with an array of talented youngsters coming through the ranks at present.
This week will also see Wayne Rooney, England’s all-time record goalscorer, say farewell to international duty for good, as the D.C. United forward prepares to make a one-off appearance against the USA in the Wayne Rooney Foundation International.
As with every international break, we’ve been busy thinking about the potential XIs Southgate may select in the coming days, but this time we’ve gone a bit rogue.
Ever put together those fantasy XIs that you know you’ll never actually see on the pitch? Yes, us too. Here are 10 alternative England XIs that we’ve had some fun with this week.
Bare in mind that we’ve picked these teams based on Southgate’s preferred style of play.
Agree or disagree with any of our selections? Let us know in the comments section below.
Players from ‘the big six’ in the Premier League
A pretty familiar selection of outfield players, but look at the goalkeeper! Manchester United’s Lee Grant is the best of the English goalkeepers that play for the Premier League’s ‘big six’.
The 10 outfield players could easily line-up in an England match today. The players that you could argue make up England’s strongest side at the moment are the likes of Jordan Pickford (Everton) and Harry Maguire, Ben Chilwell (both Leicester City).
Players outside ‘the big six’ in the Premier League
An interesting XI, right? It would certainly be fun to watch this side in action. There were some close calls here.
England regulars Pickford and Maguire are involved, whilst Michael Keane, Ben Chilwell and Callum Wilson have all been picked in Southgate’s latest squad. We should mention that Wilson’s strike partner is Demarai Gray and not Andre.
Players from northern Premier League clubs
A very strong side. Turns out the majority of England’s squad play for clubs in the north at the moment. Make of that what you will.
No Harry Kane, of course, so we’ve moved Marcus Rashford into a central role. Leicester’s players featured in the southern based XI below – controversial, we know.
Players from southern Premier League clubs
Diamonds are forever. Goalkeeper Alex McCarthy has established himself as a regular member of Southgate’s squad this season. Recent debutant Lewis Dunk is perhaps the most eye-catching inclusion in the back four.
Ross Barkley has got his career back on track under Maurizio Sarri this season and we think a front two of Harry Kane and Callum Wilson could be quite tasty.
Left-footed players
The biggest problem we had picking this side was digging out two left-footed English centre-backs. Two of Sean Dyche’s Burnley favourites have made the cut.
Playing a left-back at right-back is never ideal, but the balance of the rest of this side is actually quite good. Forza left-footed XIs.
Right-footed players
As you can see, England have a lot of right-footed players. Unlike the left-footed XI, you wouldn’t really be at all surprised to see Southgate pick this team.
The first choice front three are all right-footed and you could argue that the midfield three is also Southgate’s first choice when everyone is fit.
Players born after 2000
What an exciting selection of young players England have coming through at the moment. You’ll recognise the names of most of these players, which is mad considering that they’re all born in the year 2000.
The Sessegnon brothers catch the eye in the full-back areas. Morgan Gibbs-White, Phil Foden and Emile Smith Rowe have all featured for Wolves, Manchester City and Arsenal this season, respectively.
Jadon Sancho is, of course, already in Southgate’s senior squad. Lots of these players won the World Cup with England U17s last year.
Active ex-England internationals
From a very exciting young team to one that we wouldn’t blame you if you were not all enthused by. We’ve picked this XI based on active players that have either retired from international duty, not been selected by Gareth Southgate or not played for England for at least five years.
Ryan Shawcross, Aaron Lennon, Gareth Barry and Stewart Downing – what more could you want in an England XI?
Players that have played abroad
We suspect this XI will look very different in a year. Playing abroad is becoming more and more appealing for young English players. The likes of Jadon Sancho and Reiss Nelson are having excellent seasons in the Bundesliga.
The players that you never realised ever played abroad might be Eric Dier (Sporting Lisbon), Micah Richards (Fiorentina) as well as Lewis Baker, Mason Mount and Dominic Solanke (Vitesse Arnhem).
Players from the Championship
This was possibly the most difficult XI to pick out of all them. There are a lot of very talented young English players in the Championship at the moment, especially attacking midfield players.
Jack Butland, Jake Livermore and Mason Mount have all featured in Southgate’s recent squads. Kieran Gibbs has played for the Three Lions on plenty of occasions in the past.
The post 10 alternative England line-ups: From North v South XIs to left-footers only appeared first on Squawka News.
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