This archive report was first published on 15 November 2019.
England's Path to EURO 2020 ¶
As England's manager, Gareth Southgate has a long list of challenges to tackle ahead of EURO 2020. One of the most pressing issues is the aftermath of the Raheem Sterling and Joe Gomez incident, which has left a bad taste in the mouths of some team members.
Southgate's initial decision was to instruct Sterling to leave the camp altogether, but he later backtracked on this decision, opting to leave him out of the game against Montenegro instead. This compromise shows the complexity and sensitivity of the situation, and Southgate will need to ensure that the bad blood does not linger.
With six players from Liverpool and Manchester City in the latest England squad, including Sterling and Gomez, Southgate will be aware of how club divisions undermined previous England teams and will be wary of how the rivalry between the two clubs is intensifying.
Southgate has used six different centre-back partnerships in 13 games since switching from a back three to a back four last year, and he clearly intends to persist with the new formation. However, the chopping and changing suggests he has still not settled on his preferred personnel.
He has used Harry Maguire and Michael Keane most commonly during this period, but while the former's place appears safe, the latter's prospects look bleaker than ever after his shaky form cost him his place in the side against Bulgaria last month.
Southgate turned to a new face in that game, with Aston Villa's Tyrone Mings impressing on his debut, helping England secure a clean sheet and also keeping his composure in the face of sickening racist abuse from sections of the home fans in Sofia.
Against Montenegro, however, Southgate went back to John Stones, who returned to the side with something to prove having made two glaring individual errors on his last appearance for England. Southgate will hope his solid showing on Thursday can help him put his recent struggles behind him.
Mings will continue to stake his claim, and Gomez and Fikayo Tomori will be eager to force their way into the team too. But stability and familiarity are crucial to all good centre-back pairings, and Southgate must pick his man and stick with him ahead of next summer's tournament.
England's midfield control has been a long-standing issue, which was glaringly apparent in last year's World Cup semi-final defeat to Croatia and again at the Nations League finals against the Netherlands. Southgate has been able to find ways around it in the past, but a little more technical proficiency in the middle of the park is surely a must if they are to go the distance next summer.
Southgate has been encouraged by what Harry Winks has brought to the team, and he may decide to go with Winks ahead of Declan Rice in the midfield. However, Southgate requires creativity in his midfield as well as control, and England were largely reliant on their wing-backs for creativity at the World Cup.
Southgate has chosen Ross Barkley for that job for much of England's qualifying campaign, but the Chelsea man was absent with an injury for the thrashing of Montenegro, and Mason Mount and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain were brought in instead. Oxlade-Chamberlain was tidy enough, but it was he who most strongly staked his claim for a starting spot.
Of course, Oxlade-Chamberlain and Mount are not the only others in the frame, and Southgate must decide who to go with. England are blessed with impressive depth at full-back, but that depth creates dilemmas for Southgate. Who will occupy his full-back spots for the first game of EURO 2020?
Against Montenegro, he opted for Trent Alexander-Arnold at right back and Ben Chilwell on the left. The latter provided a hat-trick of assists and has now played more minutes (360) than any other full-back during England's qualifying campaign, suggesting he has edged ahead of Danny Rose in Southgate's pecking order.
At right-back, however, it seems Southgate still has a decision to make. Alexander-Arnold also impressed against Montenegro, his cross setting up Kane's hat-trick goal, but it was only his second start in qualifying, with Southgate generally preferring Kieran Trippier up until now.
Those two are not the only ones vying for the place either. Manchester United's Aaron Wan-Bissaka, Manchester City's Kyle Walker, and even Chelsea youngster Reece James will also be eager to catch Southgate's eye in the months ahead. The England boss will be monitoring them all closely.
