Gareth Southgate has never been one for surprises, and his 26-man England squad for the World Cup is unlikely to buck the trend. Nevertheless, he does have a few selection dilemmas to ponder ahead of his squad announcement.
The goalkeeping spots look wrapped up, with Jordan Pickford, Aaron Ramsdale and Nick Pope the men destined for Qatar. However, with 26 spots up for grabs, up from 23, there are a number of outfield players who could still force their way into the England reckoning.
Among them are Ben White, James Maddison and Callum Wilson who have found their Three Lions involvement limited in recent years and Jarrod Bowen and Tammy Abraham, whose stellar 2021-22 seasons are in danger of being forgotten. Here are five head-to-head battles which Southgate must decide on before the Three Lions jet off to Qatar...
Ben White vs Fikayo Tomori
Injuries to Ben Chilwell and Reece James and Tyrone Mings’ slump in form have opened up at least one spot in the defensive ranks, though it will still be a long way from the starting line-up. Rio Ferdinand and Joe Cole were among those pressing Tomori’s England claims after a Serie A-winning campaign with AC Milan.
"He is remarkably quick, but the way he comes out and closes down people and spaces is tremendous to see,” said Ferdinand. However, a sending-off 18 minutes into Milan’s Champions League clash with Chelsea exposed Tomori’s weaknesses and Southgate appears reluctant to take a chance on the 24-year-old. He has repeatedly left him out of his squads despite handing the former Chelsea defender his debut as a 21-year-old.
White is another player for whom international call-ups have been hard to come by under Southgate. He started March’s friendlies against Switzerland and Ivory Coast but was overlooked for the entirety of the Nations League campaign. Arsenal ’s impressive start to the Premier League campaign has helped thrust White back into the international spotlight, with the 25-year-old an ever-present as the Gunners have shot to the top of the division.
An ability to play anywhere across the back four, and even in midfield, may just swing it in his favour when Southgate assesses the merits of the defensive duo.
Jordan Henderson vs James Ward-Prowse
These two encapsulate “the type of player you only notice when they’re not there” - efficiently moving the ball around, filling gaps, breaking up play, cajoling. Ward-Prowse takes pretty impressive free-kicks but England have a number of players who can do that.
Henderson has seen his involvement diminishing at international level but has often been praised for his leadership in the England camp. The Liverpool captain has amassed 70 international caps. Ward-Prowse has 11. Is it even a toss-up between the two? Will Southgate pick them both?
Ivan Toney vs Callum Wilson
The Saturday before last, Callum Wilson had to go to the World Cup. Two weeks previously, Ivan Toney had to go to the World Cup. And while it’s not inconceivable that both could end up travelling to Qatar, given Southgate’s obsession with defensive options it is far more likely that only one of them makes the cut.
Wilson had the advantage when it came to grabbing Southgate’s attention last weekend thanks to Toney’s suspension for reaching five yellow cards. However, while Toney put his feet up, Wilson added illness to his list of potential match absences.
Calf, hamstring and anterior cruciate ligament issues have all hampered Wilson's progress over the past three seasons and against Southampton on Saturday, it was light-headedness that forced him off, coming after a week of feeling unwell.
With Gareth Southgate in attendance at St Mary’s, it was particularly ill-timed. Aside from goalscoring records and attendance records, there’s also Toney’s incredible penalty record to consider when comparing these two - there’s bound to be at least one penalty shootout. He’s netted 26 out of 27, including his last 22.
Jadon Sancho vs James Maddison
This match-up feels like it is already decided but it’s hard to see on what basis Southgate has made his choice. Sancho has blown lukewarm and cold since arriving at Old Trafford from Borussia Dortmund. Three goals in six appearances at the start of the current campaign provided a tantalising glimpse of the form which persuaded Manchester United to shell out £76.5million on the player in 2021.
However, he has faded since and was hauled off early in the second half against Chelsea recently and left on the bench for the clash with West Ham. Illness has then seen him ruled out of United’s last two games.
Maddison, meanwhile, is continuing his one-man mission to haul Leicester from the Premier League depths. Six goals and four assists in 12 appearances this season have continued his form from the back end of 2021-22 which saw him score four and assist three in the Foxes final four games of the campaign.
Southgate remains immune to Maddison’s charms, however, having failed to name him in an England squad since 2019.
Jarrod Bowen vs Tammy Abraham
Both these players would have been confident of a place in Southgate’s squad had it been a summer World Cup, coming off stellar seasons. Bowen took the Premier League by storm with 12 goals and 12 assists as West Ham showed the previous season’s sixth-placed finish had not been a flash in the pan.
The Irons’ Europa League interest and threadbare squad resulted in Bowen featuring 51 times for the Irons. However, his appearance record was eclipsed by Abraham who played an incredible 53 times as Roma went all the way in the Europa Conference League, scoring 27 times in all competitions.
Understandably given their workload, both have struggled to replicate last season’s form in 2022-23. Abraham is in the midst of a seven-match Serie A barren spell, while Bowen has yet to provide a Premier League assist this term (he has scored twice).
Both were part of Southgate’s squad for the recent Nations League campaign. But given England failed to win any of their six games, the fact the West Ham forward appeared in four of them - to Abraham’s one - was not the greatest World Cup audition.
