England squad announcement - When is it and who should Southgate consider?
Lockdown 2.0 is unfortunately timed with the return of international football. The endless stream of domestic football will come to an end after this weekend and will be put on the backburner for two weeks. International football will once again put a strain on clubs, who are doing all they can to keep their players COVID-19 free.
With three fixtures again being packed into the space of two weeks, Gareth Southgate is expected to name another big squad for upcoming matches against Ireland, Belgium and Iceland when the official announcement is made at 14:00 GMT this afternoon. After two turbulent international breaks already this season, the Three Lions' head coach has plenty to ponder ahead of his latest squad announcement.
Southgate will be forced into at least two changes with both Kalvin Phillips and Danny Ings ruled out through injury. With Reece James suspended for both UEFA Nations League matches with Belgium and Iceland, the Chelsea right-back may also be left out by Southgate this time around. Harry Maguire too is banned for the Belgium fixture and could do with a break after a poor start to the season.
England head in to the November internationals still unclear who their best goalkeeper is. Nick Pope appeared to apply some pressure on Jordan Pickford last time around but the Burnley shot-stopper has been poor in the Premier League. In fact, only Kepa (5.48) and Mat Ryan (5.90) have garnered worse WhoScored ratings than Pope (6.19) of all goalkeepers in the Premier League this season.
There is perhaps an argument Karl Darlow deserves recogniton by Southgate after his superb displays for Newcastle. Darlow, who is actually Newcastle's No.2, has played through the pain barrier for most of the campaign and is currently the top WhoScored rated goalkeeper in the division (7.39) having made the most saves (32).
England are well-stocked at right-back and can easily cover for James' absence. Kyle Walker's international career looked to be coming to an end but he has arguably been England's most improved defender this season, while Kieran Trippier is also playing well in Spain with Atletico Madrid. Trent Alexander-Arnold is the future for England but there have been suggestions Southgate thinks otherwise. Aaron Wan-Bissaka hasn't done enough for Manchester United to warrant his call-up, potentially opening up the door for Aston Villa's Matty Cash and Brighton's Tariq Lamptey. Few other surprises are expected in defence.
The big question in midfield is who replaces Leeds star Phillips. It's a position England have struggled in but Jude Bellingham could now be in with a real shot of making the senior squad, having only made his U21 debut in September. The 17-year-old is making headlines for all the right reasons with Borussia Dortmund, starting four of their opening six league matches. Bellingham has already made his full Champions League debut and has an assist in each competition.
Phil Foden is expected to be recalled to the fold after sitting the last international break out as punishment for breaking COVID-19 protocol on England duty back in September. The 20-year-old has been in good form for Manchester City this season, with two goals in the Premier League and a WhoScored Man of the Match display off the bench in a recent draw away to West Ham. There may also be a reprieve for Mason Greenwood. The Manchester United starlet has endured a rocky spell off the pitch and hasn't quite been at his best on it but there is a feeling he will return to the squad now Ings is out.
🏴 The suggestions we've had to replace the injured Danny Ings in the England squad...
— WhoScored.com (@WhoScored) November 5, 2020
🗳️ Would you call up any of these?
However, England aren't short of in-form strikers should Southgate is not satisifed with Greenwood. Having each netted a Premier League hat-trick already this season, Leeds United striker Patrick Bamford and Aston Villa's Ollie Watkins will hope to be considered. Bamford has answered his critics with six goals in seven league appearances, including a treble against Villa, while Watkins scored three against Liverpool and has four in total for the campaign. Callum Wilson has not been involved for England since 2019 but has scored six goals in his first seven league appearances for Newcastle and is pushing for a recall. Meanwhile, ex-Newcastle forward Ivan Toney has race to 10 goals in the Championship for new club Brentford but may be one to consider for England in the future.
