England’s national football team has one of the best teams in the world, but they cannot get over the hump. They are the squad to beat in the upcoming EURO 2024 tournament, and there are no excuses for not going all the way this year. The English crew leader, Gareth Southgate, must win it all with his group, and they do not have a chance to fall short again.
Players like Jude Bellingham, Harry Kane, Bukayo Saka, Phil Foden, Jack Grealish, Declan Rice, Marcus Rashford, John Stones, Kyle Walker, and Trent Alexander-Arnold are the ones whose level of play would allow them to be a part of any national team in Europe. It is obvious to everyone that most of these players are in their prime, and when you watch them play like this – you cannot understand how much better they can be in the future.
England National Football Team – Gareth Southgate
The English squad has the best depth out of all the European teams. Gareth Southgate has all the tools to guide this team to a long-awaited title. His period with England is good enough to give him one more chance.
• FIFA World Cup 2018 – 4th place
• EURO 2020 – Runners-up
• FIFA World Cup 2022 – Quarter-final
After all these results, G. Southgate still envisions the grandest victory of English football since 1966. The win in the EURO 2024 tournament would be the first major title for this young squad. His decisions sometimes cause incomprehension because he tends to stick with players who do not perform well at the club level.
For instance, Harry Maguire and Jordan Henderson still play regular minutes despite not being in the best condition. The coach’s mentality will not change, but he will have to decide soon because the competition for a spot in the roster will only heat up even more before heading into the upcoming German European Championship.
England National Football Team – Potential Roster
As mentioned, England has one of the deepest rosters out of all the national teams. Only France and Spain are comparable, but their squads still do not look so stacked. The squad size for the EURO 2024 tournament is a maximum number of 26 footballers.
Before every EURO match, each participating nation must choose and provide a team’s staff list, and there must be:
• 11 starting players
• 12 substitutes
• 11 staff members
A maximum number of 12 substitutes and 11 assistants may sit on the team’s bench. However, the potential English roster for the upcoming EURO 2024 looks like this:
1. Harry Kane – Bayern Munich – Centre-Forward – 30 years
2. Ollie Watkins – Aston Villa – Centre-Forward – 28 years
3. Jude Bellingham – Real Madrid – Attacking Midfielder – 20 years
4. James Maddison – Tottenham – Attacking Midfielder – 27 years
5. Cole Palmer – Chelsea – Attacking Midfielder – 21 years
6. Bukayo Saka – Arsenal – Right Winger – 22 years
7. Phil Foden – Manchester City – Right Winger – 23 years
8. Jack Grealish – Manchester City – Left Winger – 28 years
9. Marcus Rashford – Manchester United – Left Winger – 26 years
10. Conor Gallagher – Chelsea – Central Midfielder – 24 years
11. Jordan Henderson – Ajax – Central Midfielder – 33 years
12. Declan Rice – Arsenal – Defensive Midfielder – 25 years
13. Kalvin Phillips – West Ham – Defensive Midfielder – 28 years
14. Kyle Walker – Manchester City – Right-Back – 33 years
15. Trent Alexander-Arnold – Liverpool – Right-Back – 25 years
16. Kieran Trippier – Newcastle United – Right-Back – 33 years
17. Reece James – Chelsea – Right-Back – 24 years
18. John Stones – Manchester City – Centre-Back – 29 years
19. Marc Guéhi – Crystal Palace – Centre-Back – 23 years
20. Harry Maguire – Manchester United – Centre-Back – 30 years
21. Ezri Konsa – Aston Villa – Centre-Back – 26 years
22. Luke Shaw – Manchester United – Left-Back – 28 years
23. Ben Chilwell – Chelsea – Left-Back – 27 years
24. Jordan Pickford – Everton – Goalkeeper – 29 years
25. Sam Johnstone – Crystal Palace – Goalkeeper – 30 years
26. Aaron Ramsdale – Arsenal – Goalkeeper – 25 years
The English team’s age average is 27,15, which is a perfect rating that shows this team has the experience, skill, and talent to show off at the highest stage.
England National Football Team – EURO 2024 Situation
In case you forgot, the 17th European football competition will take place this year – from the 14th of June to the 14th of July in Germany. There was one more country that made a bid to host the EURO 2024 – Türkiye. However, Germans received the opportunity to host the tournament for the first time since the Federal Republic of Germany hosted the 1988 edition. Also, the 2024 tournament is extra special because it will be the first time Germany hosts the European Championship as a reunified nation.
It is the perfect occasion for England to show off how good they are. We will be witnesses of more than fifty (51) EURO 2024 games. This quantity of games signifies that the schedule will be very extreme, and neither team will have the chance to screw up. England will have a lot of pressure applied on them, but this team can accomplish it all because they have a mix of experience and youth. The Three Lions will play in Group C alongside Denmark, Serbia, and Slovenia. Let us peek at all the EURO 2024 groups:
• Group A: Germany, Scotland, Hungary, Switzerland
• Group B: Italy, Spain, Croatia, Albania
• Group C: England, Denmark, Serbia, Slovenia
• Group D: Winner/play-off A, France, Netherlands, Austria
• Group E: Slovakia, Belgium, Romania, Winner/play-off B
• Group F: Portugal, Turkey, Winner/play-off C, Czech Republic
The knowledge of your group and your opponents is an advantage compared to other TOP teams like France, Belgium, and Portugal. The biggest question is whether G. Southgate and co can strike when the occasion calls for it. It sounds straightforward to execute that, but they did not complete their job in the last few tournaments. The positive aspects of the English national team are depth, stacked midfield, J. Pickford’s ability to step up when his team needs him the most, and an incredible goal threat up front – Harry Kane.
England National Football Team – Previous Results
The English national team maintained an unbeaten streak and has not lost a single game in the European Qualifiers. The Three Lions won six games out of eight, scored 22 goals and conceded only 4. They collected 20 points, took first place, and secured a ticket to the EURO 2024 tournament. Their results in the Group C of the European Qualifiers look like this:
• Italy 1 – 2 England / W
• England 2 – 0 Ukraine / W
• Malta 0 – 4 England / W
• England 7 – 0 North Macedonia / W
• Ukraine 1 – 1 England / D
• England 3 – 1 Italia / W
• England 2 – 0 Malta / W
• North Macedonia 1 – 1 England / D
Now, let us glance at the top performers of the European Qualifiers 2024.
• Bukayo Saka – rating of 7.60
• Harry Kane – rating of 7.51
• Trent Alexander-Arnold – rating of 7.45
• Jude Bellingham – rating of 7.20
• James Maddison – rating of 7.17
• Luke Shaw – rating of 7.17
• Kieran Trippier – rating of 7.15
• Harry Maguire – rating of 7.14
• John Stones – rating of 7.10
• Marc Guéhi – rating of 7.08
England National Football Team – Prediction
We can call the English national team favourites because hosts Germany are in crisis and trying to figure out how the German national team should play. Italy does not look similar to what we used to see. They struggled in European Qualifiers and did not make it to two World Cups in a row. Two legendary football powerhouses look far from being called the title challengers this summer.
Furthermore, everyone must pay attention to teams like Spain, France, and Portugal, which belong to the group of the EURO 2024 favourites. England might be the only nation with the lowest number of concerns. France is not as formidable without K. Mbappé, one of the best forwards on the planet. Spanish striker Álvaro Morata cannot become a reliable option up front against a big team.
Likewise, it will be a challenge for the national team of Portugal because coach Roberto Martinez did not achieve anything with Belgium. The most worrying aspect should be how the coach and his staff will accommodate the main superstar, Cristiano Ronaldo, who will be 39 when the European Championship begins.