If Gareth Southgate is planning any wild card for his World Cup squad, he is now going to leave it as late as possible to play that hand. The last England squad before Qatar, for next weekend’s Nations League games against Italy and Germany, was predictable and only really notable for Eric Dier’s return and names in for injury. Ivan Toney benefited from Marcus Rashford’s lack of fitness, Dean Henderson from Jordan Pickford’s.
It illustrates that the main tension between now and the naming of the final squad is whether any fringe players can force themselves in, and any established players out.
“There were certain players we wanted to keep involved this time, but that said it doesn’t mean that this is the end for some of the others who aren’t involved,” Southgate explained.
While the inclusion of Dier and Toney should give players such as Harvey Elliott, Conor Gallagher and Ben White hope in that regard, the general feel of this squad indicates it is going to be a tough challenge for anyone on the outside.
Even Trent Alexander-Arnold, whose form has led to renewed doubts, has stayed in.
Southgate has overwhelmingly gone for the tried and trusted, just before a World Cup that is supposed to represent the peak of a cycle as well as a 10-year plan. There is a natural logic there alone – albeit one that also poses questions.
Southgate is admittedly in an almost invidious position here, with perception of every call dictated by twin pressures from either side of the tournament. One is of course the World Cup itself, which frames everything, and discussion around all of that fired by England’s dismal June performances. On the other side, there are the actual tournament performances themselves, which will really dictate the merits of his decision-making.
If it goes well, all of this will be a masterstroke, and Southgate will have been vindicated for carefully building up a core he can trust. If he doesn’t, it will be another sign of the staleness that has started to be talked about.
Right now, at a remove of two months from the tournament, that is the unavoidable feel of this group. There’s nothing all that exciting about it.
The flip side to that is that there aren’t many names on the outside that feel like a necessity. It’s not like Southgate has been reluctant to give players a chance, or that someone as talented as Jude Bellingham is insisting on his opportunity.
That is why, although many can point to Southgate’s conservatism here, the real onus is on those not picked to considerably up their game. Toney should be their inspiration. On that, it shouldn’t be overlooked that this is a real opportunity for the Brentford striker too. What a time to get your first call-up. There’s a golden chance to make the World Cup, out of almost nowhere in terms of your international career. The timing of this really can’t be overlooked. And just being around the squad will ensure that it’s a lot more difficult for Southgate to overlook him. Club performances are only half of this, after all. Southgate usually makes final decisions on how players are around his camp, what they’re like, how they train. It is why this break has much greater importance than usual.
That is why he has an advantage over figures like Elliott, although players like the Liverpool midfielder and Arsenal defender White can really only keep doing what they’re doing with their clubs. There’s enough time in that sense for them.
There are also chances for those not getting much game time at all.
“Clearly, we have a number of players including Ben Chilwell, Luke Shaw, Harry Maguire and Kalvin Phillips who are not playing a lot of minutes with their club,” said Southgate. “It is not ideal but we feel they have been, and can be, important players for us. It is not a perfect situation but there is still a lot of football to be played before Qatar.”
That was also highlighted with the returning – and the resurgent – Dier.
“With Eric Dier, he has been playing well for a period of time. We think it is a really close call across our centre-backs and he has deserved to be back in the group. We know what a good character he is. He fits in with the culture and has great international experience and leadership qualities.”
Southgate otherwise spoke about a generally chaotic period, even if it won’t necessarily cause ructions in his selection.
“Reflecting on the last couple of months, clearly as an international manager, you don’t have any games to quickly put the disappointment behind you. We have had a long period to reflect but now we are really looking forward to two high-quality matches that will be a great test for us and a crucial part of our preparation for the World Cup. It is only eight weeks until we will be naming our squad for Qatar so every minute counts.”
That, for once, is very true of this international break.
