England, our best team, and the fact that we might actually have a chance at next year’s World Cup

By Joseph Connolly

England beat Slovenia on Thursday night in less-than-impressive fashion to secure their place at the 2018 FIFA World Cup. I’d actually begun to write this article before the game had taken place, but after a stuttering Wembley win, the Three Lions join the pool for the group stage in Russia, and I have to rewrite the entire intro.

It’s hard to judge international teams like you can club teams. The win against Slovenia wasn’t pretty. If it was a league game, it’d be fine to say ‘it’s the points that matter’. But against the world’s 55^th best team, it’s more than that.

Harry Kane celebrates scoring the winning goal against Slovenia

England’s team on Thursday, which included another controversial selection from Gareth Southgate with Joe Hart retaining his goalkeeper’s spot, stuttered past their opponents with a 90^th minute scrappy goal from poster boy Harry Kane. Kane is one of England’s shining lights and continues to be amidst under-par performances against average teams.

The gap between England and Slovenia in the rankings is 40 places. In league terms, that’s like us being West Ham and them being Fleetwood. You’d expect West Ham to beat Fleetwood by more than one goal at home, wouldn’t you?

Perhaps we are too harsh on England. After all, that West Ham comparison doesn’t particularly have much backbone, since national teams are full of the country’s very best players. So there’s probably less of a gap between our players and theirs. After all, they had Jan Oblak in goal.

England’s players also have less chance to bond with each other than they do for their club sides, which may explain poor performances from our best league players when they step foot on the Wembley pitch. But then again, it’s the same for all international teams.

Now we’re qualified though, we can relax a bit. Gareth Southgate can trial with the team a bit more, swap some players around, find his best team, although if I was him, I’d have all but chosen my World Cup team now so they can get used to playing together before the tournament.

Southgate has been in charge for over a year now.

The truth is, he’s got a lot of work to do. Between now and kick off on 14^th June, England have probably around seven games to play. We need to spare a thought for international managers. Southgate has got to tamper and toy with his team to find out what his best side is, giving the best part of maybe thirty players a run out in that time, in seven games, That isn’t a lot. Don’t forget the fact that there’ll be a three or four month break in between November’s friendlies against Germany and Brazil and our warm-up games in March/April time. Players’ form can change massively in that amount of time. People get injured.

Our team is better than it has been for a long time. Harry Kane is one of the world’s best strikers, Dele Alli and Marcus Rashford continue to show bags of potential and we have a strong selection of goalkeepers at our disposal.

So, in light of England advancing to the last 32 with a victory against Slovenia, here’s who I’d pick if we were playing Spain in the quarter finals, tomorrow.

Formation: 4-3-3

Goalkeeper: Fraser Forster

Forster is widely regarded as England’s third or fourth choice keeper, with many pundits opting for Hart, Butland and Heaton as better shot stoppers. But the 6-foot-7 giant has been in fine form for Southampton and has shone for them amidst some poor results. His side have only conceded seven goals in seven games this season, largely down to him, and if the goalscorers were on form, Southampton could be much further up in the league. He expertly saved Saido Berahino’s penalty on last weekend and is brimming with confidence, and his flailing arms allow him to make saves that other goalkeepers couldn’t make, aswell as making him a massively imposing figure to strikers. He pulls off wild stops much like David De Gea, glancing shots over the bar fingertip saves. he hasn’t done a lot wrong, and needs a chance to prove his worth for the national team.

Forster impressively saved Saido Berahino's penalty in his side's 2-1 loss to Stoke City.

Right back: Kyle Walker

The full-back position is one that recently has been a struggle to fill for English managers, not due to a flood of talent, but due to them all being just about as good (or average) as each other. Kyle Walker has impressed this season for Manchester City, is fast and aggressive in the tackle. Kieran Trippier would be a close second shot but Walker is more experienced. He has also got two assists this season and can deliver a mean whipped cross. The only worry is his tendancy to be left wanting too far up the pitch, and some of his tackles can be a bit wayward. But he’s our best bet.

Centre backs: Phil Jones and Gary Cahill

England haven’t had a strong centre-back partnership since Rio Ferdinand and John Terry, but if Phil Jones manages to keep himself fit, these two could learn to play together. The latter has been majorly responsible for Manchester United’s incredible tally of six clean sheets this season. He is very strong in the tackle and times them right; he has a 60% success rate this season. He also wins most of his duels, on the ground and in the air. He just needs to stay on his feet more when faced by quick players – his main weakness is falling for a feint too easily. It remains to be seen whether he is good enough to conquer the world’s best players.

Jones has been in good form for Manchester United.

Cahill has been an England stalwart for quite a while. His best asset is probably his leadership – he’s good at commanding his defence. He can also head very well. However, he’s prone to mistakes. For me, it would be a toss up between him and John Stones. Cahill isn’t unfamiliar to a wry pass or a mistimed tackle, but he’s a strong defender, good at shielding the ball and usually has a good game.

Left back: Ryan Bertrand

Like with right back, this is another position we’ve struggled to fill lately. Ashley Cole was a world-class defender, but most of our full-backs now are too attack-oriented. Surprisingly, I do think Bertrand is coming into his own a bit this season. He is resilient and can also provide a good ball into the box, and unlike Walker, isn’t found out of position much. Preferably, we’d have someone more defensive, but we’ve got to take what we’ve got.

Defensive midfield: Eric Dier

England are abundant with attacking players to choose from at the moment, but with defensive midfielders, it is a more difficult choice. In this formation, Eric Dier would protect the defence as, growing up playing both right back and centre back, he is the best defensive option we have, and protection for the back two is key when we’re being countered. He’s also a decent set piece taker, can pass and well and can time a challenge. Jordan Henderson, for me, is too much of a journeyman player and his qualities don’t fit what we need in an England side. He isn’t that quick and can misplace a pass, and we already have a leader in Gary Cahill in the side. It remains to be seen whether James Milner is in contention come next summer, and he could be another option, having played left back for Liverpool for most of last season.

Centre midfield: Jonjo Shelvey and Dele Alli

Here comes the controversy. I skimmed down a BBC article of the same vein as this one and Chris Waddle made a very good point of noting that the players that we have in the England squad now, midfield wise, do not play the defence splitting passes that Harry Kane can latch onto to score. But Shelvey does. He’s a temperamental player and needs to work majorly on his attitude, but he’s a CM rather than an AM so can get up and down the pitch, and, though some may disagree, his range of passing is second to few. He has that Kaka-champions-league-final cutting edge ability, and though maybe not on the same level, could provide a game changing opportunity and needs to be given a chance to shine, like Forster. He could be very important for Newcastle this season.

Dele Alli in action for Tottenham Hotspur

Dele Alli is now one of the first names on the team sheet. Alongside Shelvey as the attacking midfielder in a 4-3-3 formation, he has license to roam and can get all over the pitch. He’s a good dribbler, a good shooter, has a great link with both Kane and Dier and if he gets his discipline in check too, can be very important for England. He also has that knack for a game-changing moment, as we’ve seen multiple times. Now a no-brainer for Southgate.

Right wing: Marcus Rashford

Rashford, despite his youth, is also becoming a no-brainer for the manager. A prime example of how giving youth a chance can pay off, Rashford is brimming with confidence and plays like he would on the park, which is exactly what you want from a player. He doesn’t look bogged down by pressure, moves with freedom, but also plays with intent. He’s tricky and defenders find him hard to play against, he’s extremely quick, can pick out a pass and knows where the goal is. The only issue is where to play him. My pick would be as close to a striker as possible, and Southgate will have to think about this, but he can be utilised in many positions.

Euro 1996 was the last time England reached
the semi finals of a major tournament

Left wing: Raheem Sterling

A surefire opinion divider, Sterling can appear world class at times, and at other times, looks like he should be playing for Preston. When he’s on his game he’s a good dribbler but lacks composure, especially infront of goal, and doesn’t score enough, aswell as not getting back defensively either. But he’s a special talent, and we haven’t got many other options winger-wise. He’s been in good form for City this season and just needs to replicate that for England. And score more. But maybe by the end of the season, he’ll be inspired once again.

Striker: Harry Kane

Playing one striker is always a risk, even if it’s in a proven 3-4-3 like Antonio Conte played for Chelsea last season. But Kane does it for Tottenham and has scored eight goals in his last four games for club and country. His form is scarily good and he simply isn’t afraid to shoot. He’s strong, powerful, can dribble too, can use post feet, has a very accurate shot, can shoot from long distance and generate immense power. He’s almost on Lewandowski or Suarez level and is the best striker in the Premier League at the moment. In fact, if he continues in his current vein, he'll undoubtedly be a better football player than both Wayne Rooney and Michael Owen. If he turns up for England and gets chances, he could be the difference between us doing well in the tournament and being knocked out early on.

How they'd look:

The subs: Butland, Trippier, Stones, Rose, Henderson, Walcott, Defoe

Controversial? Thought so.

Alright, so maybe I don’t actually think we have a chance at the World Cup. Even if we had a team full of the world’s very best players, we’d probably still falter just due to the fact that they know they’re playing for England. It’s almost like their duty is to fail.

Pessimistic, I suppose. But for an avid England sceptic, I for one am pretty positive about the current form, and look, of the England football team. Some of our own are actually amongst the best performers in the Premier League at the moment and actually provide entertainment. We’re relying less on foreign players to light up the league than we have done for an age. And that, considering I didn’t think I’d be saying that this soon, is something worth allowing yourself to get maybe just a little bit excited about.