Intentional or not, last Thursday’s squad announcement represented something of a turning of the page for England.
Effervescent Crystal Palace duo Adam Wharton and Eberechi Eze were among the (relatively) new faces picked by manager Gareth Southgate, while Newcastle United’s Anthony Gordon has also successfully made the step up to the senior ranks after helping the under-21s to European Championship success last summer.
Friday’s offering against Iceland may have been underwhelming, but this has the feel of a group in transition; one already markedly different to the classes of 2022, 2021 or, indeed, 2018. Only half of the 26-man squad that went to Qatar two years ago will be on the plane this time around, with Harry Maguire and Jack Grealish among the most notable — read, controversial — omissions.
It is the tale of those two players, regular squad members in recent campaigns, that has unsurprisingly prompted most intrigue since Southgate’s announcement.
In Grealish’s case, a lack of form at Manchester City – coupled with the emergence of Gordon, Jarrod Bowen and co – counted against him. Maguire, by contrast, would have made the cut again had he been able to prove his fitness in time.
As a result, it is in defence where England currently look most vulnerable.
Maguire did not recover fitness in time for Euro 2024 (Mike Egerton/PA Images via Getty Images)
Take away John Stones and the four central defensive options at Southgate’s disposal have just 36 caps between them. That lack of international experience, in particular at tournaments, is a concern.
Yet as one door closes, albeit temporarily, another opens. Maguire’s absence leaves a space free alongside John Stones — himself troubled by an ankle injury inflicted early at Wembley on Friday — at the heart of the England defence for someone to fill.
“Lewis (Dunk) and Marc (Guehi) played the other night against Bosnia, but (Ezri) Konsa has had an excellent season,” Southgate said last week.
“We’ve been using him as a full-back in some of the recent games, but he also played at centre-half for us in March and was outstanding. That’s probably his strongest position. So there are various options there as well as the fact that Joe (Gomez) can play in a number of different positions.”
Here, The Athletic assesses Southgate’s central defensive options.
John Stones, Manchester City
Let’s start with the easy one. In Maguire’s absence, Stones becomes the key pillar in England’s defence.
The 30-year-old is in his prime and constantly adding new strings to his bow, with City manager Pep Guardiola using him in more advanced positions in recent seasons.
Stones has always been known for his ball-playing ability, but even that has reached new heights under Guardiola. This season, he was in the top two per cent among his positional peers for progressive passes received and the top five for progressive carries.
Stones was substituted at half-time against Iceland after sustaining a knock to his ankle (Richard Pelham/Getty Images)
Stones is not really playing as a conventional central defender, and that would ordinarily be a concern heading into a tournament where his abilities will likely be deployed further back. But he remains a consistent, world-class defender in his own right. Dominant in the air (he won 70 per cent of his aerial duels, placing him in the top nine per cent), last season he also made no errors leading to opponent shots.
If there is a slight concern, it is over his fitness. He played just 16 Premier League games for City last year because of hamstring and hip problems, and was withdrawn as a precaution at half-time against Iceland after the visitors’ goal scorer, Jon Dagur Thorsteinsson, fell on the defender’s ankle early on.
Southgate told BBC Radio 5 Live that the decision to replace Stones at half-time was “mainly precautionary”. “He took a bit of a knock to the ankle really early in the game, but at half-time there was no point taking any chance,” he said. “We’re too close to the start of the tournament, there’s no point risking it.”
Verdict: The main man – if he wasn’t already
It was only last year that former England manager Roy Hodgson described Guehi as a potential future captain of his country.
A sheepish Hodgson would soon apologise for heaping pressure on his charge, but the Palace defender at least seems well-placed to cope with the extra scrutiny that will now come his way this summer.
Guehi, 23, is a calm, composed defender so comfortable stepping into midfield that he was deployed in front of the defence in Palace’s 5-0 final-day win over Aston Villa. Positionally astute, he rarely dives in and is deceptively quick across the ground.
Guehi is composed on the ball but might be rusty (Paul Ellis/AFP via Getty Images)
Few who have followed Guehi’s rise through the England ranks would bet against him making an impression this summer, but he is another player short of minutes heading into the tournament.
Knee surgery in February meant the ex-Chelsea man missed two months of the season and he only returned to the Palace line-up for that win over Villa on the final day. But he did looked more assured against Iceland than he had against Bosnia, suggesting he is rediscovering some rhythm.
Verdict: The favourite to partner Stones in Germany
Perhaps the most controversial of Southgate’s picks, particularly after pipping talented Everton defender Jarrad Branthwaite to a place in the 26-man squad.
Yet if England want a like-for-like replacement for Maguire, then Dunk is probably the best fit. Commanding in the air, he should be able to pose a threat from set pieces, while he is also used to playing in a Brighton side that dominates the ball — a major tick where Southgate is concerned.
One of the theories advanced since Thursday’s announcement is that Dunk, at 32, got the nod because of his experience, while there is also a feeling he will be a good presence to have around the squad. Southgate has form for this, of course, with Conor Coady selected in previous squads for similar reasons.
Dunk struggles to contain Belgium’s Romelu Lukaku in March (Chris Brunskill/Fantasista/Getty Images)
The big question mark over Dunk is whether he has the skill set to succeed at the highest level of the international game. Two errors in the March internationals against Belgium and Brazil, which both led to goals, only exacerbated those concerns.
Verdict: Fortunate to pip Branthwaite to a spot and ground to make up on Guehi
Whether at right-back or in his more favoured central role, Konsa has played a key part in Villa’s success this season.
Capable of playing in a high line — a prerequisite in Unai Emery’s system — the 26-year-old has excelled defending both one-on-one and in duels.
Ranked in the top two per cent of centre-backs from Europe’s top five leagues for the fewest number of challenges lost in one-on-one situations (0.12 per 90 minutes), he also held the best tackle rate of any defender in Europe’s top five leagues, with 91 per cent, at the start of April.
Konsa’s versatility has worked in his favour (Eddie Keogh – The FA/The FA via Getty Images)
Sometimes versatility can count against a player but, in Konsa’s case, it might well have made the difference; 27 of his 50 appearances for Villa this season came in his favoured central role, with the other 23 at right-back.
Every squad needs that kind of flexibility.
Verdict: Useful cover across the defence
There has often been a feeling that the only thing holding Gomez back was his injury record.
Heading into the current campaign, the Charlton academy graduate had made just 35 Premier League appearances in three seasons for Liverpool.
Gomez, though, finally appears to have shaken off his fitness problems and is now flourishing. Mobile, strong in the tackle and comfortable on the ball, he clocked up 51 games this season — the most to date in his nine-year Anfield stint.
Gomez has overcome his injury problems (Eddie Keogh – The FA/The FA via Getty Images)
The 27-year-old is another centre-back by trade but his flexibility and consistency was crucial as he covered for full-back duo Trent Alexander-Arnold and Andy Robertson during their injury lay-offs.
With Luke Shaw still an injury doubt, expect Gomez to provide cover for Kieran Trippier on the left of defence.
Verdict: More much-needed versatility in reserve
Southgate’s wildcard options… and the ones who missed out
Recent evidence suggests England are most likely to line up with a back four in Germany, but Southgate has used Kyle Walker as a third central defender in the past.
At 34, the Manchester City man is seen as one of the leaders in the group, something that takes on extra significance after Maguire’s omission, and remains one of the best in the world one-against-one.
While his attacking limitations from right-back have been noticeable for City this season, Walker remains a useful option in defence if Southgate needed to switch to a back three.
Declan Rice spent a sizeable portion of his youth career as a central defender, but has shone in midfield for Arsenal this season and shifting him back would surely only create issues elsewhere.
Rice and Walker could become centre-half options (Eddie Keogh – The FA/The FA via Getty Images)
Liverpool’s Jarell Quansah enjoyed a breakthrough campaign at Anfield and is on standby should England encounter any more injury problems.
Even if the call does come, the 21-year-old, who is yet to be capped at senior level, is likely to find himself behind club team-mate Gomez and Konsa in the pecking order.
“Lots of bigger names have missed out on the England squad, but he should’ve been picked to go to Euro 2024,“ former Liverpool and England defender Jamie Carragher said of Jarrad Branthwaite. “He’s their present and future.”
The Everton defender is a rare commodity as a left-sided central defender and is already attracting covetous glances from Manchester United and others after an outstanding season at Goodison Park. But the expectation on Merseyside was that he was always likely to culled from the initial 33-man squad — a view based mainly on his lack of action in the March internationals.
Branthwaite and Quansah in training with England (Richard Pelham/Getty Images)
The suspicion was that Southgate prefers to go with the tried and tested where possible, something he reinforced during Thursday’s press conference. “We think it’s just too early for Jarrad,” Southgate said.
Others, on Merseyside and elsewhere, might well be inclined to disagree.
Verdict: Walker the best bet if Southgate moves to a back three, but Branthwaite unlucky to miss out
(Top photos: Getty Images)
