England vs Scotland at Euro 2020 promises to be a cagey affair - here's who our writers would start for the Three Lions
(Image credit: PA)
England vs Scotland at Wembley; the Auld Enemies going toe to toe on the grandest stage of all.
Gareth Southgate's side got off to the perfect start against Croatia, and the Three Lions gaffer knows a win will see them through to the next round. Playing Scotland has always been a cagey affair, however, and getting his selection right will be crucial.
The news that Harry Maguire is fit to start should be music to Southgate's ears and I implore him to get the Manchester United captain straight back into the starting lineup. Mings deputised well in his absence but, against Scotland, having two real ball-playing centre-backs in Stones and Maguire will help England dominate further up the pitch.
Grealish and Foden as wingers won't make runs in-behind in the way that Sterling and Rashford would, but I doubt that will be necessary against the Scots. Steve Clarke's side are likely to sit very deep, so having two playmakers who thrive in tight spaces will be key.
I was tempted, for similar reasons, to include Jude Bellingham - whose dynamism and aggression off the ball would perfectly suit a derby clash - yet Phillips' performance against Croatia makes him undroppable.
Let's work backwards on this one. Harry Kane is a non-negotiable in this team and the three players behind him offered fantastic balance and looked dangerous against Croatia. Phillips and Rice is a solid enough midfield to deal with John McGinn's late runs, too - should Phillips hang back a bit more than he did in the opening match.
The only changes that I've made are in defence. Harry Maguire's return is a boost and he has to start if he's fit, since getting him up to speed is vital. Scotland offer little down their righthand side for me, giving Luke Shaw an opportunity to get forward and involved in attacks. As an Arsenal fan, I'd love see Bukayo Saka there and I know he'd link up phenomenally in the final third: but it's just not fair to Shaw or Chilwell to snub them two games in a row.
Andy Robertson was excellent against Czech Republic and with a returning Kieran Tierney to underlap him, England have to be prepared for the threat on the left. That's why I'm dropping in Reece James after his magnificent defensive performance in the Champions League final. It's not that Walker's getting dropped for good - I'd just like to see how a different full-back deals with a threat from that side, ahead of England possibly running into Kylian Mbappe or Diogo Jota on that side in the next round.
Changes should be made from the Croatia team on the basis that rotation in summer tournaments is a good thing to keep legs fresh, and especially so after such a condensed season.
The difficulty in choosing a lineup for the Scotland game is that the obvious changes to make are harder to justify once the performances against Croatia are factored in.
Who would be good to bring in? Jack Grealish, Marcus Rashford and Jadon Sancho will all expect starts at some point, and with good reason. But would it really be wise to drop Phil Foden or Raheem Sterling, the brightest attackers in the first game? Probably not.
Kalvin Phillips is the most inexperienced player at international level from Sunday’s starting XI, and would be the obvious casualty to free up a space for some rotation – but he’s also the man who, by some margin, FourFourTwo readers crowned man of the match at the weekend. With Leeds not in Europe, he’s also played fewer games this season than many of his team-mates.
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In fact, based on Sunday alone, Harry Kane would be the obvious choice to start on the bench, but resting the England captain for a big game against Scotland… is not going to happen.
So the front six stays the same, for the first half at least. With five substitutions allowed at Euro 2020, there’s plenty of options for sharing out game time while rewarding good performances with starts.
The defence is a little easier. If Harry Maguire really is fit, his return over Tyrone Mings is a no-brainer – despite Mings’ impressive display in the opening game. There’s also less tactical imperative for Gareth Southgate to continue with Kieran Trippier at left-back. Move him to the right and introduce Ben Chilwell, with Kyle Walker on the bench.
Conor Pope is the former Online Editor of FourFourTwo, overseeing all digital content. He plays football regularly, and has a large, discerning and ever-growing collection of football shirts from around the world.
He supports Blackburn Rovers and holds a season ticket with south London non-league side Dulwich Hamlet. His main football passions include Tugay, the San Siro and only using a winter ball when it snows.
