Gareth Southgate seems to be having real selection problems with Euro 2020.
England has an abundance of attack opportunities for the tournament this summer and while Harry Kane is likely to be the lead actor, there is a mix of seasoned cast and exciting youngsters to choose from around him.
We asked you to evaluate the following seven options – and former Manchester City and England defender Micah Richards and former Chelsea striker Chris Sutton also discussed the possibilities live on BBC Radio 5’s Monday Night Club.
Read on to see the results of your lists in reverse order, as well as the thoughts of Richards and Sutton.
You can still make your own list below, but it will not count towards the result.
“I don’t see why Grealish isn’t number one.”
Former defender Richards, Premier League and FA Cup winner at Manchester City, believes Grealish’s creativity makes him one of the first names on the team sheet alongside Kane. Raheem Sterling and Marcus Rashford are battling for a place on the other side of a front three.
“When you’ve done a little homework, Southgate said he picks people in shape,” he said.
“If you look at the stats, Grealish has played 22 games and his ‘odds created’ are almost more than double those of others. I don’t see why Grealish isn’t number one on the list.
“Villa is a good team without him, but with him they are exceptional. He’s a player for the way England play – don’t be afraid of getting on the ball, can get out of tight situations. He’s not afraid of any. ” Print.
“You need Grealish to help Kane score the goals. He is left of a three for England.
“Rashford is of the highest quality, but I think you lose something if Grealish doesn’t play left. I’d turn Rashford and Sterling right.
“Sterling was good, he’s not been exceptional this season. I would only choose Sterling (right) because of his setbacks. He’s probably played in that position more often than most.”
“I don’t think there’s a place for Grealish in a 3-4-3.”
Sutton, a Premier League winner at Blackburn, prefers a more pragmatic and well-known Three Lions line-up, with Sterling and Rashford on either side of Kane.
“The players who complement Kane best are Raheem Sterling and Marcus Rashford. They are players who need to go beyond Harry Kane and he’s a wonderful liaison,” said Sutton.
“I understand there are different types of players, like Grealish and Maddison. Gareth Southgate is in a great position but of course he can get players off the bench too.”
“When it’s a 3-4-3 formation – it’s a nice problem for Southgate – but when you counter-attack more, the pace is crucial. Harry is the liaison, he can play as a 10 and a nine and when you have Rashford and Sterling you have the pace up front.
“I think Mount, besides possession, Gareth trusts him more and I think that’s the problem between Mount and Grealish.
“The better teams he’ll go 3-4-3 and the best balance is Sterling and Rashford. I don’t think there’s a place for Grealish in a 3-4-3. I think they’re a much better threat as well.” will get more out of Kane. “
Rory Smith, chief soccer correspondent for the New York Times, sees situations where Grealish could come to the side.
“If you play 4-3-3, you play Jordan Henderson, Mount because he’s the most versatile, and then it would be horses for courses – against teams that sit in you, you’d play Grealish, but if you against Spain or France play. ” You might need Declan Rice or Kalvin Phillips for that security. “
The seven – a quick look
| player | Games | Goals per game | Helps per game | Goals + assists per game | Chances created per game |
| Foden | 22nd | 0.27 | 0.23 | 0.5 | 1.41 |
| Realistic | 22nd | 0.27 | 0.45 | 0.73 | 3.41 |
| Maddison | 23 | 0.35 | 0.22 | 0.57 | 1.83 |
| Assemble | 28 | 0.18 | 0.11 | 0.29 | 2.46 |
| Rashford | 29 | 0.31 | 0.24 | 0.55 | 1.17 |
| Sancho | 21 | 0.29 | 0.43 | 0.71 | 2.76 |
| sterling | 25th | 0.36 | 0.2 | 0.56 | 1.28 |
| All statistics from league games this season |
The result – in reverse order
7. James Maddison (Leicester City)
England caps: 1
James Maddison’s start to the season was interrupted by a hip injury, but he was still a hugely influential player for Leicester as he sought a top four result.
He was involved in 13 goals (eight goals and five assists) and has created 42 chances for the Foxes in the Premier League in 23 games this season.
6. Mason Mount (Chelsea)
England caps: 13
Gareth Southgate had to defend his selection at Mason Mount back in October, but the Chelsea man shows why Southgate, Frank Lampard and now new blues boss Thomas Tuchel rate him so highly.
His raw numbers are below those of his rivals, with his eight Premier League goals being the lowest of the seven players, but he could potentially point to a sloppy finish from his teammates as Mount is second only to Jack Realistic in terms of opportunities that he created (68).
5. Jadon Sancho (Borussia Dortmund)
England caps: 18
Borussia Dortmund striker Jadon Sancho had an incredible season in the Bundesliga last season when he finished with 17 goals and 16 assists.
He hasn’t quite repeated this form so far this season as Dortmund struggled overall, but with six goals and nine assists in 21 Bundesliga games he was still an outstanding player for the German team. His stake in 15 goals for Dortmund is still among the best compared to the players on this list, as is his average of 2.76 chances per game, which is second only to Grealish.
4. Phil Foden (Manchester City)
England caps: 3
Phil Foden has played the fewest minutes in the Premier League of all of England’s attacking options this season, but that doesn’t mean he contributed the least – far from it.
He has six goals and five assists for Manchester City this season and also has the best passing accuracy (87.52%).
3. Marcus Rashford (Manchester United)
England caps: 40
Marcus Rashford may have performed very well off the field last year but continues to make a significant contribution to a Manchester United side that are second in the Premier League.
While his nine Premier League goals this season are the highest on the list, the forward may not have been quite as productive as he was in the 2019-20 season when he scored 17 goals. Rashford has 11 goals in 40 games for England.
2. Jack Grealish (Aston Villa)
England caps: 5
Aston Villa captain Jack Grealish deserves praise this season, and rightly so. He’s a great player for Villa and it is no coincidence that during the midfielder’s absence with a leg injury, the Midlands Club have only won one of their last seven games.
None of England’s other attack options have created as many opportunities in the Premier League as Grealish (75). He has been involved in 16 goals (six goals and 10 assists) for Villa that season and contributed 0.73 goals per game, the highest of any player on our shortlist.
1. Raheem Sterling (Manchester City)
England caps: 58
Raheem Sterling is an excellent all-rounder. Of the options listed here, he has attempted the most dribbles (111), has the second best passing accuracy (86.07%) and has been involved in 14 goals (nine goals and five assists) for Manchester City this season.
Pep Guardiola has switched squads many times to deal with the cluttered fixture list, but Sterling is one of the players who still makes regular appearances after playing 25 games for the side storming their way to the Premier League title.
Honorable mentions
Bukayo Saka, Dominic Calvert-Lewin, Tammy Abraham, Harvey Barnes, Jesse Lingard, Dele Alli, Ross Barkley, Ollie Watkins and Patrick Bamford are among those who just missed our shortlist of seven who could start for Southgate.
Richards: “I would take Bamford. I think he offers something else. He holds the lineup really well, Calvert-Lewin does it well too.
“For me, Bamford is one of the most underrated strikers in the Premier League. I just thought he had a chance for the upcoming international matches. I watched his game very closely and I think he fits in with international football.”
Do you feel passionate about any of them going to start with the Euros? Use the comments at the bottom of the page to tell us (or go Here when using the app).
