England squad: Seven players Gareth Southgate should call up
With the final international break of the season upon us, Ninad Barbadikar identifies seven players Gareth Southgate should have picked.
- Published before Italy 1-2 England
This is the first time the England squad will get together since losing to France in the World Cup quarter-finals.
Although a number of regulars for the past two major international tournaments are either out of form or lacking game time, Gareth Southgate has largely named the usual core of players we have seen at the past two tournaments, with Ivan Toney the only uncapped player called up.
We pick out a handful who worthy of Southgate's consideration next time he names an England squad.
Lewis Dunk
Only Manchester City, Arsenal and Newcastle have conceded less xG than Brighton this season, whose 17.90 xGA (expected goals against) ranks them fourth best in the league for that metric, according to Opta.
Captain Lewis Dunk has been key to that. Especially standout under Roberto De Zerbi, he has been a pillar of consistency for Albion's over several seasons.
For the majority of his Premier League career, Dunk has functioned as the central player in a back three, however since De Zerbi took over at the Amex, the team has switched to a back four, which brings its own challenges.
Nonetheless, Dunk's ability in possession and his boldness has been accentuated in De Zerbi's system, with the Italian hugely impressed by what he's seen.
"For me, it’s difficult to see how he has never played for a big team in the Premier League because if you ask me what I think about him, I would say he is one of the best defenders in the league," said De Zerbi.
Dunk's ability to progress the ball with his passing and be secure in possession has been a key reason why he has excelled under De Zerbi.
The 30-year-old has earned just one cap for the Three Lions, back in 2018, but his performances for Brighton warrant a return to the national team.
Fikayo Tomori
Fikayo Tomori's stock has risen tremendously since leaving Chelsea, with him a big part of the excellent AC Milan defence that was the backbone for their Serie A title success.
A combination of World Cup fatigue and tactical issues has meant Milan have not been able to replicate their 2021/22 this term.
Nonetheless, Tomori has shown he has all the attributes to play at the top level. He has to be considered for a more permanent role in the England set-up in the coming years as he ticks a number of boxes - his ability in possession, ball carrying and ability to cover a lot of ground to allows his defence to be high and aggressive.
He played a decisive role in Milan shutting out Tottenham in their Champions League last-16 tie and was rightly given the MVP (most valuable player) award.
Solly March
Another Brighton player who has been pivotal to their success under Roberto De Zerbi is the hugely underrated Solly March.
The 28 year old has six goals and four assists to his name this term, and has added a lot to his offensive arsenal since De Zerbi became Brighton boss.
March is capable of playing wide on the right or left and is hugely productive with his ability to carry the ball towards the opposition penalty area to create chances for himself or team-mates.
In fact, his 34 chance-creating carries ranks him within the Premier League's top 10 for that metric according to Opta, even better than a certain Kevin De Bruyne.
Compared to his Brighton team-mates, only Danny Welbeck (2.57) and Alexis Mac Allister (2.31) average more shots from open-play per 90 than his (2.29), reflecting his willingness to test oppositions defences time and again.
Defensively March is industrious and he is also capable of providing width when required, or inverting into the half-spaces.
A versatile weapon - for club or country.
Morgan Gibbs-White
Nottingham Forest midfielder Morgan Gibbs-White has been on Southgate's radar for some time now and after a superb 2021-22 season in the Sky Bet Championship, he has continued to do well in the Premier League.
The former Wolves man has two goals and five assists to his name for Steve Cooper's relegation-battling side.
The 23-year-old has been deployed in various roles this season but is most comfortable as an attacking midfielder as the primary creative outlet.
Gibbs-White's creative prowess is underlined by his 1.50 chances created per 90 figure, for which he ranks highest in the Forest squad this season. He also takes more shots on average than any other Forest player, taking 1.93 shots per 90 from open play, as per Opta.
Although there is a great deal of competition in his position for England, Gibbs-White is well worth an opportunity given his obvious talents.
Having tracked him for a while now, this could have been the perfect opportunity for Southgate to give him a chance.
Harvey Elliott
Harvey Elliott's importance at Liverpool has grown significantly this season, a huge silver lining in an otherwise poor campaign.
Elliott has five goals and two assists in all competitions, adjusting to a more box-to-box role in Klopp's midfield trio of late.
In a team where Cody Gakpo, Darwin Nunez and Mohamed Salah have been at the centre of everything, it is in fact Elliott who leads the squad for open-play xA per 90 as per Opta with his average of 0.25.
There were doubts previously about his defensive ability but he has clearly improved on that front as well, playing a crucial role in Liverpool's 7-0 thrashing of Erik ten Hag's Manchester United.
Whether his future lies in wide areas on the right, where has thrived in the past, or in this new midfield role it is clear Elliott's talents have to be considered by Southgate for a call-up.
Given his form of late and the improvements to his game, an England call-up might come sooner rather than later.
Ollie Watkins
Aston Villa's Ollie Watkins has been one of the form strikers in the Premier League since the league resumed from World Cup action. Under Unai Emery, the striker's output has gone to the next level.
He is now on nine goals and four assists in the top flight and should comfortably reach the 15-goal mark at the very least before the end of the season.
His tally of nine has come from an xG figure of 11.37 according to Infogol, with Watkins averaging an impressive 0.49 xG per 95 in the league.
Watkins has become a lot more effective in the box as a result of Emery's simple instructions.
"I sometimes want to come out of the box, but he literally says ‘Don’t go there,” said Watkins. “He says it as bluntly as that — ‘Don’t go, stay there’. It makes me laugh, but it works.”
Watkins provides a lot to the team out of possession with a tremendous work-rate and has clearly taken strides in improving his box presence as a number nine.
Despite missing out this time around, Watkins will certainly be considered in the future if he finishes the season strongly.
Folarin Balogun
This list would be incomplete without the most in-form striker in Ligue 1, Stade de Reims's Folarin Balogun.
The Arsenal loanee has been tearing it up in France under Will Still's tutelage and has scored more goals than Lionel Messi and Neymar already so far.
Balogun has 16 league goals already, including four penalties. Only Kylian Mbappe and Jonathan David have more, both scoring 19.
His underlying numbers back up everything, averaging an excellent 0.62 xG per95 as per Infogol, underlining his ability to find himself in good positions to get shots away.
That is another key asset of his game, averaging about 3.57 shots per 95 in Ligue 1.