England will have to watch on with envious eyes as the majority of the teams in the World Cup get their tournaments underway, while the Three Lions are forced to wait. Thomas Tuchel’s side were drawn in the last of the 12 groups and won’t get their campaign going until Wednesday evening. The build-up to the tournament has been mixed, as England qualified with ease but struggled during the March internationals against Japan and Uruguay. They did however beat both New Zealand and Costa Rica in their two warm-up matches prior to the World Cup, albeit with a somewhat laboured performance against the Kiwis.
The time for talking is now done, with picking the team for the Croatia opener the next job on Tuchel’s to-do list. There have been some suggestions that the German will go for a centre-back partnership of John Stones and Ezri Konsa, meaning Marc Guehi would drop out of the starting XI. Meanwhile, Jude Bellingham is rumoured to be the starting attacking midfielder for the 1966 world champions, while a decision on Bukayo Saka’s fitness might have to be made closer to kick-off.
Micah Richards' Preferred Defence
But if it was up to Micah Richards, he’d be utilising Stones and Guehi’s Manchester City connection at the back. He told the BBC: “I would go with John Stones instead of Ezri Konsa, even though Konsa has been really reliable. I just believe on the ball at international football Stones can dictate and if we need to keep the ball in a game, he is one that can certainly do that. Guehi starting is self-explanatory. He has been excellent for Crystal Palace and Manchester City this season. At left-back, Nico O'Reilly. I know Djed Spence started at there in the friendly against New Zealand, but if I had to pick one it would definitely be O'Reilly.”
Joe Hart's Balanced XI
Joe Hart, who played 75 times for England, has urged Tuchel to start with Marcus Rashford off the left-hand side, as opposed to Anthony Gordon. The ex-City goalkeeper stated: “I hate doing stuff like this... I have picked this XI as I think it is the most well-balanced team to set the tournament up. By no way, shape or form do I think that this squad will play every game. The squad has such an important role to play. I think it is a balanced team. You could change seven of those because the squad is so good.”
Paul Robinson Backs Bellingham
Sticking with the goalkeepers union, Paul Robinson believes the rumours surrounding starting Bellingham would be the right thing to do, stating: “I think Jude Bellingham has shown in the past two warm-up games why he should start for England. It is so close between him and Morgan Rogers. I fully expect John Stones to play, but I would actually go with Ezri Konsa and Marc Guehi at the back, but so many of the others pick themselves.”
