'%20x='0'%20y='0'%20height='100%25'%20width='100%25'%20%0A%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20xlink%3Ahref='data:image/jpg;base64,/9j/2wBDAAYEBQYFBAYGBQYHBwYIChAKCgkJChQODwwQFxQYGBcUFhYaHSUfGhsjHBYWICwgIyYnKSopGR8tMC0oMCUoKSj/2wBDAQcHBwoIChMKChMoGhYaKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCj/wgARCAAHAAoDASIAAhEBAxEB/8QAFQABAQAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAb/2gAIAQEAAAAAmH//xAAUAQEAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAG/9oACAECEAAAAD3/xAAUAQEAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAC/9oACAEDEAAAAD//xAAdEAACAAcBAAAAAAAAAAAAAAABAgADBBIhUdFh/9oACAEBAAE/AJtUS6uy2Lo51yLqc5CjPp5H/8QAFhEAAwAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAEh/9oACAECAQE/AFT/xAAYEQEBAAMAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAACAQADIf/aAAgBAwEBPwB76yTZOZ//2Q=='%3E%3C/image%3E%3C/svg%3E)
Disclaimer: The views of the author do not necessarily reflect those of Sportskeeda.
It’s been a tumultuous decade for the England national football team; the Three Lions started in 2010 with a disastrous World Cup campaign under Fabio Capello, being eliminated by Germany in one-sided fashion in the Round of 16, and from there things largely went from bad to worse – for a while at least.
Capello made way for Roy Hodgson in 2012 and the veteran boss took England to a Quarter-Final spot at Euro 2012, but his following two tournaments were abominable; the Three Lions crashed out in the group stages of World Cup 2014 and were then eliminated by Iceland at Euro 2016 in truly humiliating fashion, resulting in Hodgson’s departure.
After Sam Allardyce’s bizarre one-match reign ended in swift fashion, Gareth Southgate was parachuted into the managerial hot-seat – and to everyone’s shock he’s done a phenomenal job since, surprising everyone by taking England to the semi-finals of the 2018 World Cup and making even more progress since.
Here, we take a look at the best players to have represented England in this decade and create a team of the decade for the Three Lions.
Defence
Goalkeeper: Jordan Pickford
England goalkeepers have hardly crowned themselves in glory during this decade. We started off with the unfortunate Robert Green – who infamously let Clint Dempsey’s shot squirm under his body during the 2010 World Cup – and then after a brief return for veteran David James, the highly-rated Joe Hart became England’s undisputed #1.
But Hart – who was Manchester City’s #1 goalkeeper for the majority of his England career – failed to live up to the hype, and it was largely down to his weak wrists and poor positioning that the Three Lions conceded four bad goals at Euro 2016.
Current keeper Jordan Pickford gets my nod in this spot, then. He’s not flawless of course, and has made a number of silly mistakes in his time as England’s #1 – but he also had an outstanding 2018 World Cup and became the first England keeper since David Seaman in 1998 to save a penalty during a shootout.
For his penalty heroics in that Round of 16 game with Colombia, Pickford takes his spot as England’s goalkeeper of the decade.
Right-Back: Kieran Trippier
It feels almost cliche to simply pick the majority of the players involved in England’s run to the 2018 World Cup semi-finals, but then-Tottenham right-back Kieran Trippier was absolutely fantastic during the tournament, and his contributions in Russia mean he’s an easy pick for the team of the decade over and above the likes of Glen Johnson and Kyle Walker.
Trippier was an ever-present in England’s World Cup side, playing as an attacking right wing-back for the most part, and it was the Tottenham man who was relied on to deliver the majority of England’s set-pieces, as well as crosses into the box aimed for striker Harry Kane.
When he became only the third man to ever score for England in a World Cup semi-final – alongside legends Bobby Charlton and Gary Lineker – Trippier became a genuine England legend. How could he not be in this side?
Centre-Back: John Terry
John Terry might’ve been a figure of controversy during his time with England – his part in the Wayne Bridge scandal may have sown the seeds for England’s disastrous 2010 World Cup campaign – but despite playing his last match for the Three Lions in 2012, it’s hard to argue that their defence wasn’t much stronger with him involved.
England weren’t the most attractive team in Euro 2012, but their defence was rock-solid for the most part and that was largely down to the leadership of Terry at the back. The Chelsea captain was simply fantastic throughout the tournament and made a game-saving goal-line clearance in a key group game against Ukraine.
When Terry retired from international football later that year it was hard to argue that England were better off without him – and their defence has never really been the same since.
Centre-Back: Harry Maguire
If we’re talking about a pair of steady hands and experience here, then Gary Cahill would probably warrant a spot in England’s team of the decade – but his performances were often lacking and a mistake was never far from his door. Therefore I’ve gone for the strongest centre-back of Gareth Southgate’s current side, Harry Maguire.
Maguire might have just one international tournament under his belt, but it was the 2018 World Cup – the first time England had made the semi-finals since 1990 – and the then-Leicester City defender played a huge part in that success, proving himself to be a rock at the heart of the defence, as well as a danger from set-pieces.
His headed goal against Sweden in the quarter-finals of that tournament elevated him to cult status with the fans, and his skills on the ball and passing range make him a key man for Gareth Southgate going forward.
Left-Back: Ashley Cole
Like John Terry, Ashley Cole ended his international career relatively early in the decade; the Chelsea left-back chose to step away in 2014 following his omission from that year’s World Cup squad. After England’s performance in that tournament though, it was hard to argue that boss Roy Hodgson had done the right thing by cutting him.
Ben Chilwell may finally be a long-term solution to this problem position, but it’s fair to say that since 2014 England haven’t really been able to replace Cole, who represented the perfect blend of defensive skills and ability on the ball to allow him to contribute in attack, too.
Leighton Baines, Luke Shaw, Ashley Young and Danny Rose have never been able to come close to Cole’s consistency in the big games – and so I’ve got no qualms in naming him in this side.
Midfield
Central Midfield: Steven Gerrard
Since the beginning of the 2010’s England have struggled to find the correct blend in the central midfield areas, despite being able to call upon some truly fantastic players. So for this team, picking three worthy players is tricky. But as a deeper-lying midfielder – although not a true holding man - Steven Gerrard performed excellently in Euro 2012 and in the 2014 World Cup, despite the bitter ending to both campaigns for England.
The Liverpool legend could always be relied upon for an accurate ball into the box – as we saw when he assisted for goals for Joleon Lescott and Andy Carroll at Euro 2012 – and his experience often helped England through some tricky times, notably in qualifying for the 2014 World Cup.
Gerrard was always a formidable leader, too – taking the captaincy after the removal of John Terry in 2012 – and his goal against Poland in a 2013 World Cup qualifying game remains one of the most memorable at the new Wembley.
Central Midfield: Jordan Henderson
Jordan Henderson is a tricky player to put your finger on; too often it’s probably fair to say that it’s hard to see what he actually adds to the cause, particularly with England. But even his doubters – myself included – can probably accept that he had a tremendous World Cup in 2018.
Henderson acted as both a holding man and a deep-lying playmaker during the tournament, and in England’s wins over Sweden and Panama in particular, the Liverpool man’s passing at the base of the Three Lions’ midfield essentially made the whole side tick.
Question marks many hang over his England future given his limitations and his age (29), but for his performances in the 2018 World Cup – and his solid showing in 2014’s tournament – ‘Hendo’ is worth a place in this side.
Attacking Midfield: Wayne Rooney
This might be a controversial call, but none of England’s attacking midfielders have truly excelled in the last decade; Frank Lampard did, but his international prime came largely before the 2010s. So I’ve gone for a man who did excel for the Three Lions – albeit largely in a different position – in Wayne Rooney.
England’s record scorer – he plundered 28 of his 53 international goals in the 2010’s – tended to play as a forward for his country, but during Euro 2016, Rooney’s switch to a playmaker-type position was one of the few highs for England during their time in France.
The then-Manchester United man was fantastic in games against Russia and Wales, pulling the strings as England largely dominated proceedings. Better players may develop in this kind of position in the future, but I’d argue the Rooney we saw dictating play in 2016 deserves a spot above the likes of Jesse Lingard and Dele Alli.
Forwards
Wide Forward: Raheem Sterling
Raheem Sterling has become England’s key player over the past year; since rediscovering his goal touch against Spain last October, he’s scored 10 international goals and now looks like the Three Lions’ biggest attacking threat on the pitch, but the truth is that he’s been pretty great for the most part of the decade.
The Manchester City forward first broke into the England set-up in 2014, and his performances were one of the high points of that year’s World Cup campaign. From there he became a regular for England, and while he struggled at Euro 2016, his performances were a key part of Gareth Southgate’s team’s journey to the World Cup semi-finals in 2018.
These days, Sterling is considered a genuine world-class talent, and it’d be crazy to leave him out of a side like this considering the part he’s played since his international debut.
Striker: Harry Kane
Who else could it be? Wayne Rooney was relied upon for England’s goals during the first part of the decade, but since his emergence in 2015, nobody has scored goals for the Three Lions quite like Tottenham’s Harry Kane. In just four years, with 32 goals, Kane has already moved into 6th place in the list of England’s all-time top goalscorers – all in just 45 appearances.
Kane hasn’t simply acted as a flat-track bully, either. He’s popped up in massive games against the likes of Croatia, Scotland and Switzerland to score key goals and of course, how can you forget his performance in the 2018 World Cup, when he became the first Englishman to win the tournament’s Golden Boot since Gary Lineker in 1986?
It’s not an exaggeration to suggest that the current England captain is one of the best strikers on the planet right now, and Gareth Southgate likely wouldn’t swap the Tottenham man for any other forward. He’s that important for England.
Wide Forward: Marcus Rashford
There would probably be a fair argument to suggest that Daniel Sturridge deserves a spot in this team; England’s forwards, with the exception of Rooney, Kane and Sterling have been somewhat lacking during this decade, but Sturridge scored key goals in the 2014 World Cup and in Euro 2016, when he struck the winner in a huge match against Wales.
But Sturridge is a central striker and wouldn’t get in ahead of Harry Kane, so I’m going with the third member of England’s current attacking trio, Manchester United’s Marcus Rashford. The forward hasn’t played more than a bit-part in his two tournaments – Euro 2016 and the 2018 World Cup – but it looks like he’ll be a key part of the Three Lions’ Euro 2020 campaign, and it’s easy to see why.
Since breaking into the senior set-up in 2016, Rashford has scored 10 goals for England and always offers an attacking threat, both with his ability in front of goal and also his ability to find his teammates with a killer pass. The United man has been so good for England this year alone that he deserves a spot here over the likes of Danny Welbeck and Theo Walcott.
