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England head coach Thomas Tuchel threw out several curveballs when he announced his 26-man squad for the World Cup on Friday, and the players left out of the travelling party raised as many eyebrows as those that were included.
While Phil Foden, Cole Palmer and Harry Maguire will have to watch on from home like the rest of us this summer, there is still healthy competition when it comes to who will start England’s opening match of the tournament against Croatia in Texas on June 17.
England’s potential starting line-up to face CroatiaFormation: 4-2-3-1Goalkeeper: Jordan Pickford
The easiest decision – bar Harry Kane up top – would appear to be who starts in goal, and Jordan Pickford is just 1-50 to be between the posts at the AT&T Stadium.
Pickford, a veteran of four previous major tournaments, has never let England down and, barring any fitness concerns, he is a shoo-in to start against Croatia.
Dean Henderson, 18-1 to start, would be the man to come in if Pickford were unavailable, while James Trafford at 33-1 could perhaps be England’s number one in the years to come, but for now both will have to make do with a watching brief.
Defence: Reece James, Ezri Konsa, Marc Guehi, Nico O’Reilly
Reece James is a firm Tuchel favourite from their time together at Chelsea and if he is fit – a big if given his injury record – the 26-year-old more than justifies odds of 1-3 to start the Group L opener at right back.
At the heart of England’s defence it appears to be two from three, with John Stones (13-8 ), Ezri Konsa (1-3) and Marc Guehi (1-12) all in the running to start.
If fit and firing, Stones is without doubt England’s best centre-back but he has been limited to just a handful of starts for club and country over the past 12 months, and Konsa and Guehi have both usurped him in the pecking order.
Left-back is also an interesting position given the absence of Lewis Hall from the squad. There is no real specialist in the position but Tuchel is a fan of Nico O’Reilly, who has impressed in the role for Manchester City this season.
O’Reilly is 1-3 to start against Croatia and is likely to be the go-to choice for Tuchel in the opening few games. However, should England advance to the latter stages, there may be one or two questions to ask regarding his defensive capabilities.
Midfield: Declan Rice, Elliot Anderson
Declan Rice is England’s – and perhaps the world’s – best midfielder and the 1-33 shot will no doubt form part of Tuchel’s engine room against Croatia, with Elliot Anderson expected to join him in the middle of the park.
Anderson is 1-8 to start and while he made his England debut in September, he has become a key member of the team and a strong showing in North America will only increase talk of a move away from Nottingham Forest during the off-season.
Attacking Midfield: Bukayo Saka, Morgan Rogers, Marcus Rashford
Bukayo Saka will be England’s right winger, and odds of 1-6 that he starts leave little room for debate, but the other two positions behind the central striker appear a lot more conested.
It was not too long ago that Jude Bellingham was considered not just a certain starter, but the first name on the team-sheet for England, but Tuchel is yet to be convinced by the Real Madrid ace, who is out to 6-5 to start, and appears to have a lot more trust in 8-13 Morgan Rogers.
No player has featured in more England matches for Tuchel than Rogers, who has won 11 of his 13 caps since the German’s appointment. The Aston Villa star probably will start against Croatia, but he will perhaps be just one mediocre display away from being replaced, with Bellingham waiting in the wings.
On the left, Anthony Gordon appears to be a Tuchel favourite but his lack of gametime at Newcastle of late means even-money chance Marcus Rashford is perhaps the right choice to start. Fresh from winning La Liga with Barcelona and having scored three times at the last World Cup, that would make a lot of sense.
Striker: Harry Kane
Fresh from his 61-goal season with Bayern Munich, Harry Kane is 1-33 to start against Croatia and he will be keen to get off to a flyer as he bids to live up to his 7-1 odds to finish as the tournament’s top scorer.
Ivan Toney and Ollie Watkins may have roles to play from the bench as the tournament develops, but barring injury, their minutes will surely remain limited.
Read more on the World Cup:
From Montiel to Marchena: Why those who don’t start are so important at the World Cup
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