Thursday, June 6th. The day where the Three Lions’ squad for the upcoming Euro 2024 tournament in Germany has been announced, and, to the surprise of many, Crystal Palace are the most represented club in the current England contingent; Adam Wharton, Marc Guehi, Eberechi Eze and Dean Henderson are the four Eagles representing their country this summer.
But outside of the South London club, not all was set in stone, as manager Gareth Southgate had some key decisions to make regarding his squad that would be heading to Germany, and here, I will be going over those decisions that the England gaffer had to make.
Goalkeepers:
Players Selected: Jordan Pickford, Aaron Ramsdale, Dean Henderson
Player(s) Omitted: James Trafford
The smallest group of players also has the lowest amount of controversy. Ever since the provisional 33 man squad was announced on the 21st May, it has been pretty unanimously known that U21 hero James Trafford would be the man with the missing ticket on to England’s proverbial Euros plane.
Trafford, who turns 22 in October, recently suffered a relegation with Burnley, having joined the Clarets from Manchester City after his penalty heroics that won England their first U-21 Euros in history. However, the campaign was not without setback for the youngster; Trafford endured a tumultous season, that eventually ended with the former City keeper dropping to the bench, with Burnley boss Vincent Kompany preferring Kosovan stopper Arijanet Muric by the end of the campaign.
This selection provided little shock to many, with the Burnley stopper considered lucky to have been included in the provisional squad by many.
Outside of Trafford, Everton ever-present Jordan Pickford is likely to retain his status as England number 1, with the Sunderland native keeping an impressive 13 clean sheets for Sean Dyche’s side, securing a comfortable mid table finsih, despite an early points deduction. Meanwhile, although Aaron Ramsdale fell down the pecking order at Arsenal, replaced by Spaniard David Raya, there was never a world in which the 26 year old stopper would lose his Three Lions place; he is still a very solid keeper after all, even if he no longer holds the number 1 spot at Arsenal.
Defenders:
Players Included: Kyle Walker, Luke Shaw, Kieran Trippier, Lewis Dunk, John Stones, Ezri Konsa, Joe Gomez, Marc Guehi
Player(s) Omitted: Harry Maguire, Jarrell Quansah, Jarrad Branthwaite.
On to the defenders, and, if you ask me, we find Southgate’s biggest mistake with selecting his squad.
Firstly, to state the obvious, Manchester City duo John Stones and Kyle Walker are obvious inclusions. When fit, they are both integral parts of the Three Lions backline, as both of them played significant roles in the World Cup Campaign in Qatar, only a year and a half ago. They will most likely be a key part of Southgate’s defence this summer, as will Luke Shaw, if he is fit enough to play. As the only natural left back in the squad, it is imperative that Shaw is able to stay fit for the whole tournament, because, if not, England have a large hole to fill; would veteran right back Kieran Tripper need to make the switch across defence onto his unfavoured left hand side?
Speaking of Trippier, the Newcastle skipper makes the cut; despite a drop in form in the latter half of the season, Trippier still had a solid campaign, and would have fund himself very unlucky to have missed out on a trip to central Europe.
As would Charlton Athletic academy graduates Joe Gomez and Ezri Konsa, both of whom made their professional debuts for the League One side. Gomez, currently of Liverpool, has seen a career resurgence over the last season, filling in in several key positions for the Reds and not looking out of place in any of them, whilst Konsa has been an excellent player for Villa this season, as they make a long-awaited return to the Champions League for 2024-25, whilst Marc Guehi helped a revitalised Crystal Palace to 10th, with the Eagles well and truly flying high under Oliver Glasner at the end of the season.
That leaves only Lewis Dunk, and, in my opinion, this was the incorrect pick. The Brighton captain brings a veteran presence towards the team, and he was solid for Brighton in tjeir first ever European campaign. However, Jarrad Branthwaite has just been better. The 21 year old from Carlisle has been excellent for Everton this season, after a strong loan spell with PSV Eindhoven in the Netherlands. Branthwaite, a 6’5 centre back brings a physical presence that the Three Lions simply do not have at the back, in addition to being the only left footed central defender in the provisional squad. He should 100% have been icnluded in the final squad, where his ball playing abilities and strength would have helped a defence lacking in those areas.
Harry Maguire will be a big miss for England, having been ruled out of the tournament due to a calf injury that he sustained in April, whilst playing for Manchester United. On the other hand, Jarrell Quansah will head home from the England camp without making his senior debut for the side, as Southgate opted not to select the Liverpool man.
Midfielders:
Players Included: Trent Alexander Arnold, Declan Rice, Adam Wharton, Eberechi Eze, Kobbie Mainoo, Conor Gallagher
Player(s) Omitted: Curtis Jones
Leave a Reply