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After coming so close to winning Euro 2020, many England fans were left bitterly disappointed in the summer.
It seemed as though the trophy was inches away from “coming home”, but unfortunately it wasn’t meant to be. England lost to Italy during a nail-biting penalty shootout.
Despite this, many people can’t help but feel that England’s fortunes should have been vastly different. They have one of the most talented young squads in the world and were more than capable of defeating Italy.
The reasons for their failure are up to debate. Could it be Gareth Southgate? Consisting with him could be costing England the chance of a lifetime with such a fresh-faced squad. Perhaps it was simply down to bad luck on the night. It’s hard to say.
Despite this, one thing you can’t stop is speculation. In this article, we’re going to take a look at who should be in the England Squad for Qatar 2022. The World Cup is just around the corner, and it’s time to start thinking about who will play for the Three Lions next time.
Jordan Pickford has been between the sticks for several years now at the International level. Despite mixed spells at Goodison Park for Everton, he has rarely put a foot (or glove) wrong for England.
In Euro 2020 he won the Golden Glove and took several games to even concede a goal. He also broke the record for the most minutes without conceding for an English goalkeeper.
He deserves to keep his place as the starting goalkeeper for England, but it’s important to have others in the squad who may be able to fill his spot if things go wrong.
Nick Pope has played for England several times and is widely considered to be one of the best English goalkeepers, so he should get called up again.
Relatively new to the scene is Aaron Ramsdale, who currently plays for Arsenal FC. He is one of the most exciting and competent goalkeepers in the country and looks set to be the next big thing.
If he can keep performing well for Arsenal, we could see a change in personnel in the coming years.
Another option is Dean Henderson, the exciting young Manchester United goalkeeper. At the moment, there are several excellent options for England to choose from in this area.
It is likely that we will see a similar back 4 to Euro 2020 at Qatar. Harry Maguire, Luke Shaw, Kyle Walker, and John Stones, will almost definitely feature.
One key player we didn’t see perform at Euro 2020 was Trent Alexander-Arnold. Trent is an amazing young player who many consider to be one of the best talents in world football. Playing at right-back, his attacking prowess provides Liverpool with key ingredients for success.
Some pundits criticize the player and say he is not defensive enough, but this all depends on the system you choose to play. Alexander-Arnold may not suit Gareth Southgate's style of play, but Southgate would be a fool not to utilize him in some way.
Linking up with the midfield and attacking players is important, and Alexander-Arnold would provide an easy way to do this.
We can’t forget the likes of Tyrone Mings, Joe Gomez, Ben White, and Ben Godfrey when considering Qatar 2022. All of these players offer unique attributes that would be hugely advantageous for England.
It is likely that we will see Jordan Henderson return for the Three Lions. Despite getting older, he has captained Liverpool to numerous trophies and is a fierce player to have leading any team.
A bright spark from Euro 2020 was Kalvin Phillips. The Leeds United player proved himself to be more than capable of stepping up to the international stage. Many of his teammates hailed from the so-called “big six”, yet Phillips looked completely at home amongst them.
Declan Rice continues to show us why his signature is desired by top clubs around the world. A strong, creative presence in the midfield, he would provide a much-needed aspect for the squad.
Champions League winner Mason Mount is another must, who we would love to see selected for 2022.
James Ward-Prowse, unfortunately, missed out on the chance to play at Euro 2020, but he could still feature for Qatar 2022. He is a free-kick specialist, and this could be utilized extremely effectively by Gareth Southgate alongside players such as Jack Grealish.
Grealish is brilliant at winning fouls in dangerous areas. With Ward-Prowse ready to take the free-kicks, there would be a number of dangerous players in the box ready to put England ahead.
Gareth Southgate is spoiled when it comes to attacking options. Many consider Harry Kane to be one of the best strikers in the world, if not the best. He has some issues with injuries and took his time to perform at Euro 2020, but once he was ready he was unstoppable.
Alongside this, we have Raheem Sterling. Sterling didn’t have a particularly good season for Manchester City last year but when playing for England he is essential. Scoring most of their goals at Euro 2020, he could definitely turn this on for the World Cup.
Bukayo Saka is an exciting young prospect who was key in reaching the final of Euro 2020. Despite his penalty miss, he will undoubtedly come back stronger from the experience.
One rarely needs to mention Jack Grealish when it comes to England. He is beloved by the England fans and has a lot of talent. Having recently joined Manchester City, expect him to feature more heavily during Qatar 2022 as Pep Guardiola teaches him more ways to play.
There are many more players available such as Jadon Sancho, Mason Greenwood, Marcus Rashford, and more.
With such an embarrassment of riches, you’d expect the England team to be eyeing Qatar 2022 already. They definitely have the ability to win it, but perhaps they will fall at the final hurdle once more. We can only wait and see.
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