England face a tough last 16 tie against AFCON champions Senegal on Sunday night and after an impressive 3-0 win over Wales, manager Gareth Southgate has a real selection headache. He brought in Marcus Rashford and Phil Foden into the starting XI for that game and both of them delivered with goals, leading many to believe they should retain their places for the Senegal clash. But who have we put into our starting XI?
GK - Jordan Pickford
Easy choice. Experience at this level and a penalty shootout hero in England’s 2018 last 16 tie against Colombia. Hopefully we won’t need penalties, but if we do, Pickford will be ready to perform again.
RB - Kyle Walker
One of the big choices for Southgate is whether to switch to a back five, or stick with the back four that topped the group. His substitutions against Belgium gave an indication of who could start this one and Walker got 60 minutes under his belt. He’ll start here, and if England collide with France in the last eight, he’ll need to be up to speed to try and deal with Kylian Mbappe.
CB - John Stones
Stones has quietly gone about his business quite well during this tournament and is one of the first names on Southgate’s team sheet. He, along with his partner Harry Maguire, have been mainstays for the last two tournaments, and the Three Lions need them to be at their best if they are to win this one.
CB - Harry Maguire
England love Maguire. And Maguire loves playing for England. He might have come into this tournament out of form but he was sensational against the USA and solid against Wales. He’s also proven himself to be a major threat from set pieces, something England will need against the AFCON champions.
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LB - Luke Shaw
Having played every minute of the opening two games, Shaw was sensibly taken off for the last half an hour against Wales. As the only natural left-back, he is one of England’s most important players, and will definitely start this one.
CDM - Declan Rice
Another man who got a bit of a breather in England’s final group game with a look ahead to this one. Rice is a key cog in this midfield and won’t be replaced, with Kalvin Phillips not completely fit after his first World Cup appearance vs Wales.
CM - Jude Bellingham
Bellingham got his tournament off to a flyer and hasn’t quite hit the same heights, but he should still start for England here. He brings something different to the midfield three and could be key to unlocking the Senegalese defence, but the teenager will be in for a battle up against Idrissia Gueye.
CM - Mason Mount
With Pape Gueye, Idrissia Gueye and Pathe Ciss all starting in the win over Ecuador, England need a midfield that can match them for energy and physicality. If they fail to do that, they could be overrun. Calls for Phil Foden to start in a central area are wide of the mark and so Mason Mount is the man to come in for Jordan Henderson. The Liverpool man isn’t a bad option for his communication on the pitch, but Mount brings more quality and the same vital stamina. It won’t be a popular call from Southgate, but it is probably the right one.
RW - Marcus Rashford
Rashford may prefer playing on the left, and have more experience from that position, but his three goals so far this World Cup have all come from the right-wing. Southgate made a big call at half-time by swapping Foden and Rashford around, and instantly it paid off. The Manchester United man is full of confidence right now, and has to be in from the start for this one.
ST - Harry Kane
He may not appear fully fit, but he was given a slight rest against Wales and the captain is still the first name on the team sheet. Kane needs a goal, but will have to prepare himself to battle on for 90 or 120 minutes here.
LW - Raheem Sterling
Knockout football is a time for your experienced heads to produce, and this is where Sterling comes in. In the big moments in Euro 2020, he was the man. Southgate has always called upon him in crucial moments, such as that Germany tie, and he is likely to go back to him here.
Foden, Bukayo Saka and Jack Grealish present crucial options from the bench and will play a role but I’d prefer Sterling to start as he rarely has an impact off the bench. Importantly, this is going to be a 90 or 120 minute test for England. With both wingers likely to be changed around the hour mark, who starts isn’t all that important. It could be the likes of Foden, Saka and Grealish that win this game for the Three Lions from the bench.
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