After a successful World Cup campaign in which it almost “came home”… England look to be one of the European countries with the brightest future as Euro 2020 quickly approaches. While having a lot of young talent coming through the ranks is great, it’ll certainly leave Gareth Southgate (or whoever is managing England come the Euros) with a lot of big decisions to make.

When you look at some of the most successful international sides, they are often compromised of a nice balance between old reliable players, those in their prime and the youngsters who inevitably put the world on notice in massive competitions. Take a look at France in the most recent world cup for example. Lead at the back by 32-year-old Hugo Lloris, anchored in midfield by utility man Blaise Matuidi (31) and the experience of Olivier Giroud (32) up front was key to a large part of their success. However, balancing that with the likes of Pogba, Griezmann, Kante, Varane and the young stars in Dembele, Mbappé allowed for healthy competition and a chance for the youngsters to learn from those who have done it on the big stage before.

So how does this all tie in for England? They’re coming off a 4th place finish in the World Cup that in all actuality could have been a finals appearance. While there could have been better results, a big core of the team that featured is either just starting the senior stages of their career or still in their prime which will be vital come the Euros in 2020.

The Guaranteed Starters

Starting from the back, it’ll be difficult to see anyone unseating Jordan Pickford in net. He’ll be 26 come the Euros and will really be entering the beginning of his “prime” as a keeper.

In front of Pickford is where there’s a lot of uncertainty in defense. His fullbacks will all fight for starting roles, but based on age and form alone, it feels like John Stones is a guaranteed starter in central defense. Developing well at Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City, he should continue to see heavy minutes in the coming year ahead of the competition in 2020. As for who will partner him, there are a plethora of options that we’ll dive deeper into later.

In midfield, you could argue that based on current form, none of the World Cup midfield 3 of Henderson, Alli and Lingard are guaranteed to start. However, based on age and results, I think Dele Alli will find himself staying in the lineup come 2020.

In attack, in hopes England deploy a more traditional 4-3-3, the front three should really choose itself as it’s compromised of in my opinion, England’s 3 best players. On the right, Manchester City’s Raheem Sterling will somehow just be 25 when this tournament rolls around and entering his prime. A bonafide star for the reigning Premier League champions, he’ll look to improve his goalscoring record for his country where he’s received much criticism in the past. On the opposite wing, budding star Marcus Rashford is lighting it up for the other side of Manchester with United. Playing as a #9 this season for United, he’ll have to shift out wide to make way for England’s undisputed #1 striker come 2020. Up front, there’s no debate with who will lead the line. Tottenham’s Harry Kane. A ruthless goal scorer both domestically and internationally, he’ll be going on 27 and at the height of his career. This front three for England will surely compete with other countries as best in the world.

The Tough Decisions

While I see 6 players as locks for the England starting XI, there are still 5 spots to fill. There are some key battles I’m curious to watch play out over the next 15-18 months.

Declan Rice vs Jordan Henderson

Having just declared his national intents to play for England, West Hams defensive midfield youngster Declan Rice is now very much on Gareth Southgate’s radar. Week in and week out he’s putting in composed performances for West Ham. He’s quickly becoming a target for all of the top clubs in England and his performances show why. He’s a threat in the air both offensively and defensively, boasts an impressive 86% pass accuracy and at just 20 years old, is ready to make his debut and impact on this England side.

The player Declan Rice would most likely be competing against in Jordan Henderson is at a very different place in his career. He’s playing in a dominant Liverpool side that’s fighting domestically and in Europe. However, he’s not a guaranteed starter for them and will be 30 years old come the Euros in 2020. Will his current club Liverpool look to find a replacement for his services in the coming season and see his minutes diminish? This will be an interesting one to watch.

Harry Maguire vs Joe Gomez

While I mentioned John Stones is a lock to play in central defense, there’s plenty of possible options as to who will play alongside him. England are in a fortunate position where his two main competitors have an average age of 23 years old.

The first is who was partnering Stones in this past World Cup in Russia, 25-year-old Harry Maguire of Leicester City. A brute of a defender, he’s the power to Stones’ finesse. They partnered each other well and Maguire was also a big worry for opposition defenses from set pieces. He’s playing in a Leicester side that may not show his ultimate strengths, but he was highly coveted by the likes of Manchester United following his World Cup performances. However, there’s another young CB coming through the ranks…

Joe Gomez (21) has been a massive part of Liverpool’s domestic success this premier league campaign. Playing alongside Virgil Van Dijk, the young Englishman’s numbers speak for themselves. Having played in 13 Premier League games prior to his ankle surgery, Liverpool allowed only 4 goals, a staggering number that would pace out to 12 goals over a full season, which would be a Premier League record. Without Gomez in the side, Liverpool have allowed 11 goals in just as many games (13). His impact cannot be understated and he’s my bet to start alongside Stones come 2020.

Jesse Lingard vs Jadon Sancho

If there was one criticism of this England side in the World Cup, it ultimately revolved around creativity in the middle of the pitch. Dier and Henderson won’t offer much, Alli was inconsistent and there’s certainly potential for more here.

Occupying the #10 role was at times Jesse Lingard (26) for England. Capable of playing on the wing or behind the striker, he mainly stayed central and tried to bring defense into attack. An inconsistent player, on his day he’s hard to beat. However, for England and their lofty aspirations, he’ll need to be more consistent for club and country to retain a starting spot with plenty of other options coming through the ranks.

A young player who looks ready to compete on the biggest stages, Jadon Sancho (18) is making a big name for himself across the globe as he puts in dominant displays for German leaders Borussia Dortmund. Bought from Manchester City for just a reported £8M, he’s now valued as the next £100M player. A tricky winger, he’s already put together an impressive 7 goals and 9 assists in only 7 league starts (15 appearances total). If he were to get the nod, I could see him playing opposite Raheem Sterling and putting Rashford into the role Lingard occupied.

The Full-Back Battle

As previously mentioned, John Stones feels like the only defender who’s a guarantee. That’s mainly because of all of the competition at full-back/wing-back. On the right side, there are the likes of Walker, Trippier, Trent Alexander-Arnold and on the left you have an array of styles in Danny Rose, Luke Shaw, and the youngster Sessengon. I see a situation where a lot of these players could be rotated throughout the tournament depending on the opposition and the way England lineup (i.e. 4 or 3 at the back).

Should England deploy the 3 at the back, I’d see Southgate opting for Trent Alexander Arnold and Danny Rose. If there’s a traditional 4 at the back, I’d swap Luke Shaw for Danny Rose. Shaw has seen renewed life this season at United and hopefully he can regain the form that looked so promising early in his career.

Those On The Brink

A big talking point about the current state of the English national team is figuring out when to implement the up and coming youth and start to phase out the older players. A handful come to mind when looking at this team. Fabian Delph, Jamie Vardy, Ashley Young, Kyle Walker are all players who are facing stiff competition from younger players who will put them to the test come 2020. While there are first team regulars who are pushing the older players out, there’s also a handful of young players breaking through their teams who are wild cards and could make a case for key roles in the Euro 2020 squad.

The Wild Cards

All the talk around England as a team is about the wealth of young talent coming through the ranks and the future England have as a squad. The names of Phil Foden, Jadon Sancho, Callum Hudson-Odoi, Tammy Abraham and Aaron Wan-Bissaka are just a few who are a part of a special generation of English players. Southgate has teased at the idea of bringing these players into the senior side, however, it’s largely unknown as to when they’d actually be playing in a senior competition.

Wan-Bissaka is an interesting option as he’s arguably been the most in-form RB in England this season for Crystal Palace. The 21-year-old could look to challenge the trio of Kyle Walker, Kieran Trippier and Trent Alexander-Arnold come 2020, however, he’ll likely miss out due to lack of national team experience.

If Jadon Sancho keeps up with his skyrocketing trajectory in Germany and Hudson-Odoi also jumps ship to the Bundesliga, these players could inject new life into the England side but would face stiff competition from the likes of Rashford, Sterling and Lingard.

Overall, I could see Sancho being apart of the squad in 2020, and potentially Wan-Bissaka and Foden depending on the number of minutes they get ahead of the tournament. However, none are likely to play major tournament minutes as of now based on age and experience.

The Verdict

Four at the back

Pickford

Trent Alexander-Arnold, John Stones, Joe Gomez, Luke Shaw, Jordan Henderson, Dele Alli, Ruben Loftus-Cheek, Raheem Sterling, Marcus Rashford, Harry Kane

For me, this is Englands best lineup. Stable at the back with support from Henderson in midfield and lethal up front. Sterling and Kane should be in their prime by the Euros and Rashford will only be getting better and better. This attack would give any defense nightmares.

Three/Five at the back

Pickford

Kyle Walker, John Stones, Joe Gomez, Kieran Trippier, Danny Rose, Jordan Henderson, Dele Alli, Jesse Lingard, Harry Kane, Raheem Sterling

Personally, looking at the anticipated England squad, I see them better lining up in a 4-3-3 approach. Players of Rashford and Sterlings quality need to be automatic starters alongside Harry Kane and that formation more seamlessly allows for that to happen.

Final Thoughts

Overall, England will have plenty of talent to choose from both young and old and Southgate will have players who can allow for tactical flexibility based on their opponent. I’d look for an exciting Euro run out of the Three Lions come 2020, especially if Southgate is willing to take a risk with the likes of Sancho, Rice and Gomez.

While there’ll be stiff competition both within the team and in the tournament – I look for this to be the start of the next decade of dominance from England if everyone can live up to their potential and fans of the Three Lions should be excited as for what’s to come.