Dominic Fifield

England cannot afford to be outnumbered in midfield against the French, who will inevitably be slicker in possession, so reverting to a five-man central group – albeit with attacking intent from the flanks – would help to counter the threat from Les Bleus. Steven Gerrard has felt wasted in a deeper-lying brief, so pushing him upfield to support Danny Welbeck, a more mobile lone forward than Andy Carroll, would better allow him to express himself and tap into his attacking qualities. The midfield base is crying out for the absent Frank Lampard, but James Milner has the discipline and energy to operate there alongside Scott Parker. Theo Walcott, under-used to date, would edge out Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain purely on the basis of experience.

England (4-2-3-1) Hart; Johnson, Lescott, Terry, Cole; Parker, Milner; Walcott, Gerrard, Young; Welbeck.

Daniel Taylor

Roy Hodgson has put together an old-fashioned 4-4-2 system but it has been clear against Norway and Belgium that the team lack the fluidity that comes with a 4-2-3-1 formation, with the two holding players protecting the defence while the three attacking midfielders have a certain licence to roam. This would allow Steven Gerrard to move further forward to his best position while Ashley Young would offer more on the left than either Stewart Downing or Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain. Andy Carroll gets the nod over Danny Welbeck simply because of his new-found confidence and Theo Walcott would come in for James Milner to get behind the opposition defence, something that has been conspicuously lacking in the two warm-up matches.

England (4-2-3-1) Hart; Johnson, Terry, Lescott, Cole; Jones, Parker; Walcott, Gerrard, Young; Carroll.

Richard Williams

Roy Hodgson's deployment of two wingers on the touchlines looks old-fashioned and wasteful, compromising the team's ability to keep possession. Rather than pinning two players to the touchlines, it would make better sense to ease the team towards a 4-2-3-1, the three behind the striker being encouraged to interchange. That may happen as part of a natural evolution over the next couple of weeks, with Hodgson achieving a better understanding of his resources. Oxlade-Chamberlain is not quite ready, on the basis of what we have seen so far, but the combination of Carroll and Downing can be held in reserve for late impact off the bench.

England (4-2-3-1) Hart; Johnson, Lescott, Terry, Cole; Gerrard, Parker; Walcott, Young, Milner; Welbeck.

*This article has been updated since Gary Cahill was ruled out with injury. Each writer has replaced him with Joleon Lescott