Gareth Southgate has announced his final England squad before he chooses his 23 players to attend the World Cup Finals in Qatar. The big story of the announcement was Ivan Toney’s inclusion in the England squad for the first time, with names such as Jadon Sancho missing out on places in the squad.
Gareth Southgate Announces England Squad
Gareth Southgate has named a 28-man squad for our #ThreeLions' upcoming games against Italy and Germany:
— England (@England) September 15, 2022
Ivan Toney Joins the England Squad
After a big start to the season, Ivan Toney is due to take a place in the England squad. The Brentford player’s most recent performance was in a seven-goal thriller against Leeds United, in which the striker scored a hat-trick by pouncing on a series of defensive errors from the Whites. A pure finisher is just what Gareth Southgate needs after the Euros saw relatively few goals for England.
West Ham United’s Jarrod Bowen and Crystal Palace’s Marc Guehi both also retain their positions in the squad.
Jadon Sancho Misses Out
In spite of a strong start to the season in a resurgent Manchester United side, Jadon Sancho misses out on a place in the squad. This will be something of a disappointment for the forward, as anyone missing from this squad can expect their World Cup squad chances to be drastically slimmed down. Even with 28 players in the squad, Sancho was deemed to not have what the England manager needed.
The England Squad in Full
The full England squad for the Nations League matches against Germany and Italy is as follows:
- Dean Henderson – GK
- Nick Pope – GK
- Aaron Ramsdale – GK
- Trent Alexander-Arnold – DEF
- Ben Chilwell – DEF
- Conor Coady – DEF
- Eric Dier – DEF
- Marc Guehi – DEF
- Reece James – DEF
- Harry Maguire – DEF
- Luke Shaw – DEF
- John Stones – DEF
- Fikayo Tomori – DEF
- Kieran Trippier – DEF
- Kyle Walker – DEF
- Jude Bellingham – MID
- Mason Mount – MID
- Kalvin Phillips – MID
- Declan Rice – MID
- James Ward-Prowse – MID
- Tammy Abraham – ATT
- Jarrod Bowen – ATT
- Phil Foden – ATT
- Jack Grealish – ATT
- Harry Kane – ATT
- Bukayo Saka – ATT
- Raheem Sterling – ATT
- Ivan Toney – ATT
What to Look For in These Matches
Facing off against Germany and Italy, expect to see a focus on style of play rather than results. This focus on style and substance will show how England play against similar opponents at the World Cup. Southgate’s side lined up in a 3-4-3 against both sides at Euro 2021, so look for a change in style as an indicator of what’s to come in November.
🏴 Brentford's Ivan Toney has been named in the England squad for the Nations League games against Italy and Germany.
Toney this season [league rank]:
◎ Goals: 5 [=3rd]
◎ Big chances: 7 [3rd]
◎ big chances created 4 [=3rd]
◎ xG [5th]Data: @FFScout #ThreeLions pic.twitter.com/6glohai4hd
— Fantasy Football Scout (@FFScout) September 15, 2022
