Whether you agree or not, Chelsea players Mason Mount and Raheem Sterling face an anxious wait now to see if they get the go-ahead to start England’s next game.
Gareth Southgate’s men play in their round of 16 match against Senegal on Sunday, and they are going to be a very tough opponent to beat. Southgate will have some big decisions to make with his team selections.
Both Mount and Sterling were rested (or dropped, however you want to look at it) for England’s midweek win against Wales, and both Phil Foden and Marcus Rashford played well at the start.
It would really be hard enough to drop any of them. And also, Bukayo Saka has been playing well and is also hoping for a start. Jack Grealish has been good off the bench and I’d feel he’s earned a start as well, and there’s also James Maddison and Conor Gallagher waiting in the wings for a chance.
Surprisingly, Gareth Southgate has taken the back four, and I think he will continue this again on Sunday. This is what I think he will look for:
(4-3-3): Pickford; Walker, Stones, Maguire, Shaw; Rice, Bellingham, Mount; Sterling, Kane, Saka.
I think Southgate will bring Saka, Sterling and Mount back after they rest, although that could be tough on Rashford and Foden. Although this is what I predict, I’m not entirely sure Southgate will bring the Chelsea lads back. And you know what? It would be a totally justified decision if he didn’t.
For me, I would go for something like this:
(4-2-3-1): Pickford; Walker, Stones, Maguire, Shaw; Rice, Bellingham; Grealish, Foden, Saka; Kane.
Sorry Mason and Raheem, but I think we need our best attacking talents on the pitch if we are to open up Senegal. Jack Grealish, I rate him a lot and he needs to play, just like Phil Foden. Saka, Bellingham and Rice are also there to fight. But to me, this is the kind of exciting attacking lineup we could put out.
Obviously I would love to see Mount and Sterling start the game as they are Chelsea players and it’s always Chelsea above all else. But I think they might be breaking a sweat before the game with the amount of competition they have.
