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This week has seen Gareth Southgate name his latest England squad for the Three Lions’ upcoming UEFA Nations League matches against Iceland and Denmark.
And while there were plenty of talking points around the inclusion – and eventual removal – of Manchester United captain Harry Maguire, the squad was also curious due to the absence of a number of notable names.
England regulars such as Ross Barkley and Dele Alli were not included but perhaps didn’t merit inclusion this time anyway.
However, the following five players definitely made a case for being part of this squad and were surprisingly overlooked.
Here are five players who should’ve been included in the England squad.
#1 Jack Grealish
Perhaps the most talked-about absence from the current England squad is Aston Villa’s Jack Grealish. The Villans captain has enjoyed a tremendous first season back in the Premier League. But despite performing tremendously, he’s still awaiting his maiden senior cap for the Three Lions.
Grealish definitely has the stats behind him to justify a call-up. Despite Villa’s struggles in the 2019-20 campaign – surviving relegation on the final day of the season – Grealish was still able to contribute eight goals and six assists.
But that’s not all. The Villa captain also created more chances (91), won more free-kicks (167) and received more Man of the Match awards from Sky Sports than any other English player. So why wasn’t he included?
Essentially, Southgate has justified his decision by suggesting because Grealish largely played in a wide role for Villa this season. He’s in direct competition for a spot with the likes of Jadon Sancho, Raheem Sterling, and Marcus Rashford – proven international performers.
Of course, that’s not the full truth. The Villa captain is more of a traditional playmaker who happens to be used in a freer role for his club as the majority of their attacks go through him. And England’s current system doesn’t tend to use a traditional playmaker – or #10 – as would be his preferred position.
However, that doesn’t mean his form doesn’t warrant a spot in the squad. If nothing else, Grealish could provide the kind of maverick spark that England have lacked at times in the past. If his form continues into 2020-21 though, surely Southgate won’t be able to ignore him for much longer.
#2 Bukayo Saka
To say the England squad named by Southgate this week is somewhat unbalanced would be an understatement. For reasons known only to him, the Three Lions boss has called up three right-backs, four centre-backs, but no recognised left-backs.
Admittedly, Southgate had good reason to leave out the three left-backs he’s used in recent internationals. Ben Chilwell of Chelsea and Luke Shaw of Manchester United are both carrying injuries. Danny Rose of Newcastle United has been out of form. However, to not take a left-sided specialist seems baffling.
The issue only becomes more confusing when you consider that Bukayo Saka of Arsenal. He has been used as a left wing-back on numerous occasions and was in tremendous form throughout the 2019-20 campaign.
When the season recommenced after lockdown, in particular, Saka was fantastic for the Gunners. He scored the first goal in their 0-2 win over Wolves and ended the season with a total of four goals and 11 assists in all competitions. For comparison’s sake, Chilwell totalled three goals and as many assists, despite starting far more games.
It’s true that Saka is still raw at 18 years old and may not end up playing as an orthodox left-back. But with Southgate’s England using their full-backs as a primary attacking outlet, calling him up for these games seemed like a no-brainer.
Instead, Saka has been called up by England’s U21 side. And while that’s all good for now, you can’t help but feel like Southgate missed a trick by not handing him a debut senior cap in the upcoming games. He could have sealed Saka's future for England in the process.
#3 James Tarkowski
Prior to the removing of Harry Maguire, the current England squad contained a total of five centre-backs – Maguire, Joe Gomez, Eric Dier, Tyrone Mings and Michael Keane. All five are solid defenders who have prior experience with England, but did Southgate overlook better options in the position?
Many fans would argue the answer is yes. One man who’s been overlooked, but definitely had a claim to a spot in the squad is Burnley’s James Tarkowski. First capped by England back in March 2018, Tarkowski was one of the Three Lions’ reserve players for that year’s World Cup. He last appeared for his country in September 2018.
However, he’s been in seriously strong form this season, starting in all 38 of Burnley’s Premier League games. Across those matches, Tarkowski was awarded Man of the Match by WhoScored.com on six occasions. And his average of 1.7 successful tackles and 1.7 successful interceptions per game puts him ahead of Gomez, Keane, and Mings.
Where Tarkowski may fall down in comparison to the players who have been called up is in his passing range. He averages less passes per game than the afore-mentioned trio and his success rate of 70.8% is also lower.
However, he also helped Burnley to concede just 50 goals, a total that was less than the goals conceded by Mings and Keane’s sides.
When you take also into account the errors made by Keane in his previous England appearances – and the fact that Dier has only recently converted into a centre-back – this snubbing seems even more confusing.
#4 Lewis Dunk
Another centre-back who could consider himself hard done by when it comes to this squad would be Lewis Dunk of Brighton & Hove Albion. The Seagulls’ captain last played for England in their friendly against the USA in November 2018. But there’s definitely an argument to be made that he warranted a spot this time around.
Dunk made 36 appearances in the Premier League in the 2019-20 campaign, scoring three goals and registering as many assists in the process. And like Tarkowski, he registered better statistics in terms of tackles and interceptions per game than Keane, Gomez, and Mings.
In this case though, Dunk also gave away less fouls or offsides than any of those three players. And unlike Tarkowski, there can be no questions about his passing ability. The Brighton man completed more passes on average per game than Mings and Keane, and also had a higher average pass success rate than both.
It’s true that Brighton struggled defensively at times during the 2019-20 campaign. But in all honesty, Dunk was rarely at fault for the goals they conceded. And it was hardly surprising to see him linked with moves to bigger clubs like Arsenal and Tottenham Hotspur.
Quite why Keane – who hardly performed well during his last England appearances – and Dier, who has never played as a centre-back for his country, got in ahead of the Brighton captain is definitely a question worth asking.
#5 Aaron Wan-Bissaka
Another curious omission from Southgate’s latest England squad is Manchester United’s Aaron Wan-Bissaka. The right-back moved to Old Trafford from Crystal Palace in a £50m deal last summer and has enjoyed an excellent debut season for the Red Devils. But he is still waiting for his first senior England cap.
The decision to exclude him seems even more confusing when you consider that Southgate has actually named three right-backs in his squad – Trent Alexander-Arnold, Kieran Trippier, and Kyle Walker.
Alexander-Arnold’s inclusion is a given. The Liverpool man was phenomenal throughout 2019-20, registering a staggering 13 assists while also proving to be defensively solid. However, why Trippier and Walker have been chosen in front of Wan-Bissaka is a major question mark.
Firstly, both men are far older at 29 (Trippier) and 30 (Walker) respectively. To call them up seems to fly in the face of Southgate’s attempt to pick an ever-younger squad, which he’s done this time by calling up Phil Foden and Mason Greenwood.
However, Wan-Bissaka doesn’t have just youth on his side. 2019-20 saw him average 3.7 successful tackles, 0.4 blocks and 1.9 successful interceptions per game – more than any of England’s other three right-backs.
And while he doesn’t offer the attacking threat of Alexander-Arnold, he did complete more dribbles per game (1.5) than Walker or Trippier. Wan-Bissaka also had a higher pass success rate (81.3%) than the Atletico Madrid man – although Walker scored even higher at 88.6%.
Essentially, there’s no reason why Wan-Bissaka shouldn’t be England’s second-choice right-back behind Alexander-Arnold at this stage. He’ll be hoping he can impress Southgate in the early part of 2020-21 – and make the spot his own in the near future.
