When Gareth Southgate announced the list of those gathered near the "3 Lions" national team, last week, the reactions were very different. Many sports analysts expressed that the coach has trusted more than he should, players who have not been in their best form recently. Others commented that Southgate has made the right choice, as the current set of players have never let him down.
Despite the different opinions, the high competition for a place in the English national team has made many positions in the basic formation of the team to be the subject of discussion. But what are the key points that have divided the fans and the sports opinion?
The inclusion of Harry Maguire has been one of the most discussed points, as the player has been left on the bench at Manchester United by coach Ten Hag. Statistically, Everton's Conor Coady and Arsenal's Ben White have performed far better than Maguire this season, but neither feature in Southgate's selection. The main reason is thought to be the lack of experience at the international level.
Another highly commented decision has been the inclusion of Luke Shaw in the defense department. The latter, like Maguire, has encountered serious difficulties at club level this season. Southgate has also selected Chelsea's Ben Chilwell, although the latter is still recovering from injury, and has not played many minutes on the pitch with the London club.
In terms of attack, the activation of Harry Kane is more certain, but it seems that Southgate has not yet found other reliable options in the offensive department. Marcus Rashford has never been 100% convincing with his performances for United, while Ivan Toney of Brentford is a good option, but the player has no experience at the level of international competitions. On the other hand, Jack Grealish and Jadon Sancho are also 2 very promising players, but the strikers have produced very few goals at club level in recent weeks.
