Month: May 2024

Euro 2024: England Provisional Squad

Euro 2024: England Provisional Squad

With the Premier League over for another season, thoughts of many football fans in England turn to the summer football, namely Euro 2024.

3 years ago, Gareth Southgate’s England made it to the final of the delayed Euro 2020 competition, where they agonisingly lost to Italy on penalties. Today, Southgate named a provisional training squad of 33 players, with upcoming matches against Bosnia-Herzegovina (3ʳᵈ June) and Iceland (7ᵗʰ June), and a deadline of midnight after the second game to cut the squad to a final 26-man tournament squad.

So who will make the squad and how far can they go?

The squad

Goalkeepers: Dean Henderson (Crystal Palace), Jordan Pickford (Everton), Aaron Ramsdale (Arsenal), James Trafford (Burnley)

Defenders: Jarrad Branthwaite (Everton), Lewis Dunk (Brighton & Hove Albion), Joe Gomez (Liverpool), Marc Guehi (Crystal Palace), Ezri Konsa (Aston Villa), Harry Maguire (Manchester United), Jarell Quansah (Liverpool), Luke Shaw (Manchester United), John Stones (Manchester City), Kieran Trippier (Newcastle United), Kyle Walker (Manchester City)

Midfielders: Trent Alexander-Arnold (Liverpool), Jude Bellingham (Real Madrid), Conor Gallagher (Chelsea), Curtis Jones (Liverpool), Kobbie Mainoo (Manchester United), Declan Rice (Arsenal), Adam Wharton (Crystal Palace)

Forwards: Jarrod Bowen (West Ham United), Eberechi Eze (Crystal Palace), Phil Foden (Manchester City), Anthony Gordon (Newcastle United), Jack Grealish (Manchester City), Harry Kane (Bayern Munich), James Maddison (Tottenham Hotspur), Cole Palmer (Chelsea),  Bukayo Saka (Arsenal), Ivan Toney (Brentford), Ollie Watkins (Aston Villa)

So first off, let’s look at the keepers, and with 4 in the provisional squad, it makes sense that one of these players will miss out, as 3 allows for 1 to be injured/ill and there to still be a starter and replacement available on the bench. Though Aaron Ramsdale would be my number 1 in an ideal world, he has barely played this season due to Arsenal bringing in David Raya on loan. However, he is not the only one who found himself warming the bench at club level come the end of the season, with James Trafford dropped by Vincent Kompany in March. That all-but guarantees Jordan Pickford will retain the number 1 shirt and Dean Henderson will also make the squad after a strong end to the season with Crystal Palace. As for the final spot, Trafford struggled with the physicality of the Premier League before being dropped, so I expect Ramsdale, who is the finished product, to take the third and final seat on the plane.

In defence, Kyle Walker will surely be the starter on the right with John Stones in the centre. Southgate’s loyalty will likely see Maguire partner Stones assuming he recovers from injury, so we can expect him to make the squad. Left back is where things get interesting, though. Luke Shaw would eb the obvious choice, but is currently injured, though I think he may still travel if he looks close to a return as the only natural left-back in the squad. Kieran Trippier would be the most likely to fill his spot in the starting line-up, having previous experience of covering that side despite being more comfortable on the right, but he has had a mixed end to the season. As such, expect to see Joe Gomez on the plane due to his experience playing across the defensive line. As to the remaining centre-backs to make the squad, it could come down to who performs best in the warm-up matches, but Jarrad Branthwaite’s familiarity with Jordan Pickford could help him onto the plane after a strong season. Villa’s success could also help Ezri Konsa’s case, while Marc Guehi has been a regular in the squad recently when available. Brighton’s mixed season may have hurt Lewis Dunk’s chances, while this may be a little too early for Quansah, though he will certainly benefit from being part of the wider squad and will surely establish himself in the squad over the coming years.

Moving into midfield and we can guarantee Jude Bellingham and Declan Rice will start, though (assuming Southgate sticks to a 3-man midfield) the final spot in the starting line-up is up for debate. Such is his talent, Trent Alexander-Arnold will surely make the squad despite injury, similar to Luke Shaw. The great news here is that Southgate has finally dropped the dead weight (Kalvin Phillips & Jordan Henderson) and picked midfielders on form in this wider squad. Mainoo impressed on his England debuts and will likely make the squad, while Adam Wharton’s rise continues and his strong end to the season with Palace could help him edge out Jones, while Gallagher’s ability to play a more attacking central role could help him make the team should England need to change to a more attacking tactic.

And so we reach the forwards, and what a beautiful array of talent we have here! Marcus Rashford and Raheem Sterling are deservedly missing given the depth of options. Harry Kane will obviously go, as will Phil Foden (who could feature on the left or in a more central role if Southgate opts to play a more aggressive system with just one holding midfielder) and Bukayo Saka. Despite their relative inexperience at this level, Cole Palmer and Anthony Gordon have to travel given their form this season, while Palmer’s 100% success from the spot will also be a positive factor given England’s history in shoot-outs. Ollie Watkin’s incredible season must surely see him travel as Kane’s back-up, but who will take the third and final striker spot? At first glance, Ivan Toney would be the obvious option, but he has struggled for goals as of late, and I think that Jarrod Bowen’s ability to play across the front line could give the West Ham forward the advantage here. One player who I feel may find himself missing out is Jack Grealish, who has found himself on the bench too often for Manchester City at a time when other English wide players are flourishing, and with others able to play both wide and centrally, this lack of gametime could cost him.

The 7 players dropped (assuming Shaw, Maguire and Alexander-Arnold are close enough to fitness) will be: James Trafford, Lewis Dunk, Jarell Quansah, Curtis Jones, Eberechi Eze, Jack Grealish, Ivan Toney

So how will England do at Euro 2024?

Well, a pool containing Serbia, Denmark and Slovenia is one that such a strong England team should be topping with 3 wins from 3, while also being able to rotate the squad somewhat to keep some of their stars fit for the later rounds. That should give them a 3ʳᵈ-place team in the Round of 16, before facing the winner of “Runner-up Group A v Runner-up Group B”.

And here is where things get challenging, as Group B contains Spain, Italy and Croatia, who I think would likely emerge victorious against Group A’s runner-up. Now on paper, I think that England can match up against any of these teams and win, however the limiting factor is Gareth Southgate.

While Southgate has brought pride back to the England team and taken them closer to glory than they have come in a long time, he has also consistently chosen to play too defensive and that has cost England, who arguably will never get a better chance to win a major tournament than they had in the last 2. Despite England currently being ranked 4ᵗʰ in the world, their record against teams ranked in the Top 10 is shocking under Southgate, and all 3 Group B teams mentioned above happen to be in the top 10. Can Southgate finally learn from past mistakes and encourage his team to do what it should do best? If so, England can put a strong run together, but I’m expecting another disappointing quarterfinal exit to finally bring an end to his tenure as England manager.

Who do you think will make the final squad? How do you think England will do at Euro 2024?

Thanks for reading!

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Seat on the Plane

Seat on the Plane

The final round of the Premiership Rugby season has come to an end, and that means that as 4 teams prepare for the playoffs (and Gloucester for their season-defining European Challenge Cup Final), the attentions of other players and fans will be starting to turn towards the summer. This summer sees England go to the Southern Hemisphere for a 3-match tour: 1 Test against Japan and a 2-Test series against New Zealand. But who will be making the squad for these fixtures.

I have previously discussed how I feel that the summer tours are the perfect opportunity to rest the regulars after a long season and build depth in the national setup by taking the fringe players and those who were outside the squad but have impressed during the season. And while I doubt that will happen with a foe as mighty as the All Blacks, there are still players whose exploits this season could put them in with a solid chance of earning a seat on the plane this summer, especially once injuries, retirements and international exiles are accounted for.

So today I look at 5 players who did not feature in the Six Nations, who I feel have earned a call-up this summer. Let me know who you think should be on this list.

Curtis Langdon

While it is my belief that this is the summer where Theo Dan should finally overtake Jamie George as the starting hooker, England desperately need to increase their depth at this position. This time 2 years ago, Langdon would have been preparing to leave Sale for Worcester, unaware that just a few months later he would be left without a job as his new club collapsed. Luckily, he found employment in the Top14 for the rest of last season, before moving to Saints and becoming a key part of their 2023/4 season success that has seen them narrowly lose to Leinster in a Champions Cup semi and top the Premiership Rugby table. Previously capped against the USA and Canada in 2021, Langdon has developed so much as a player since then and, now aged 26, appears to be playing the best rugby of his life. His and Northampton’s success this year deserves to elevate him above other hopefuls like Jamie Blamire and Jack Walker.

Ollie Sleightholme

Tommy Freeman and Immanuel Feyi-Waboso may have earned the starting spots for now with their Six Nations performances, but Freeman’s fellow Saint Sleightholme surely deserves a chance in the squad this summer after helping fire Northampton to the top of the Premiership table. With 15 tries from 15 games this season (at time of writing), he is finally getting discussed as a potential option for England, but he has generally been prolific throughout his senior career, with 42 tries from 58 senior appearances (despite going scoreless in the 21/22 season). A solid all-round wing, Sleightholme deserves the chance to step up and see if he can replicate his form in the Test arena and should be looking to start against Japan.

Zach Mercer

Yes, Ben Earl is one of the form number 8s in Test rugby this season, but England would benefit from moving him to 7 and bringing in Zach Mercer at 8. Even on a bad day, he has been one of Gloucester’s stand-out performers following his return from France in the summer, despite injury and the disappointment of twice being let go by Steve Borthwick. A player who has stood out in both the Premiership and Top14 and has been integral to Gloucester’s run to the Challenge Cup final, he is a leader on the pitch and an incredible talent, able to tackle, carry, pass and even kick well, while his combination of strength and footwork sees him regularly break the gainline even from a standing start. A back row of Mercer, Earl and an enforcer like Cunningham-South could be deadly.

Harry Randall

A player who I have been a fan of since his days at Hartpury, Randall was the first of his generation of 9s coming through to break into the England squad, playing 4 out of 5 games in the 2022 Six Nations, but injury saw him fall down the pecking order. Now, he is back to his best with Bristol, where he can manage the game with good kicking while also being a constant threat around the fringes and supporting on the break. With Ben Youngs and Danny Care gone, England need to look at their options. Ben Spencer is 32 this summer so there is no guarantee that he will be available come RWC2027, and while Alex Mitchell may have benefitted from his rival’s injuries to become the incumbent, I think that there are still questions about his game management, especially the kicking game. On the fringe of the senior squad during the 6 Nations, and eventually given the start for England A, Randall is in the mix and after a strong end to the season with Bristol deserves a chance to win the 9 shirt back, while it also wouldn’t be a shock to see Jack van Poortvliet pushing for a return to the squad after injury denied him a spot in the 2023 Rugby World Cup squad.

Rusiate Tuima

It’s rare that Maro Itoje plays his best rugby for England, and the Saracen could probably deserve a summer off, while Ollie Chessum is missing the summer tour through injury. George Martin is the most likely to profit from this with a spot in the starting lineup, with Saints’ Alex Coles also looking to get more Test minutes under his belt, but Tuima would be a smart option to take on tour. While England have some fantastic technical locks and some incredible engines, Tuima offers the size and heft in the tight five that we see teams like South Africa and France regularly deploy to dominate the set piece and put them on the front foot in attack. Tuima has the chance to do that for England, while also exploiting his offloading ability and dynamism in the loose from his years playing in the back row. One of the stars of England A’s farce of a match against Portugal, he deserves the chance to step up to the Test arena like fellow Exeter kids Dafydd Jenkins, Christ Tshiunza and Ross Vintcent have done over recent years.

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