England’s recent 1-1 draw against Uruguay at Wembley did little for any of the players who featured. It looked as though the Three Lions were set to emerge with a narrow 1-0 victory after Ben White poked home in the 81st minute. In the end, they were lucky to escape with a draw.
Real Madrid vice-captain Federico Valverde would level deep into injury time after a controversial penalty award, with White deemed guilty of committing a foul in the penalty area, going from hero to zero in barely ten minutes.
Then, Valverde thought he had found a last-gasp winner in front of 2,000 travelling Uruguayans in a tiny corner of Wembley. The ball fell to the in-form midfielder inside the box, and he pulled the trigger with the goal at his mercy, only for the returning Harry Maguire to arrive out of nowhere with a crucial block to spare England’s blushes.
Now, all eyes are on the summer. Online betting sites make the Three Lions genuine contenders to win the World Cup on July 19th. The popular Lucky Rebel Sportsbook lists them as the 11/2 second-favourite, but on this display, England will have to improve massively if they are to contend.
The upcoming friendly against Japan represents Tuchel’s last chance to analyse his players up close before announcing his World Cup squad in the summer. But which spots in his starting eleven are still thought to be up for grabs? Let’s take a look.
Which Spots Are Still up for Grabs in England’s World Cup Starting XI?
Centre-Back
For the better part of seven years, John Stones and Harry Maguire locked out the centre of England’s defence.
Then, the latter of that duo was downed with an injury that saw him miss Euro 2024, with Marc Guehi stepping up in his absence and shining. Now, Stones is coming off the back of a couple of injury-hit years, and his place at the heart of defence isn’t secure either.
Barring a catastrophic injury, former Crystal Palace captain Guehi will start England’s opener against Croatia on June 17th in Dallas. Of that, there is no doubt. The question is, who starts alongside him?
No fewer than five players are battling it out for that starting berth. Aston Villa’s Ezri Konsa currently leads the way, with Chelsea’s Trevor Chalobah just behind. Then comes the experienced duo of Stones and Maguire, as well as Newcastle’s towering Dan Burn, somewhere further down the pecking order.
All will feel like they have a genuine chance of joining Guehi in the backline. Stones has the experience, and the two played brilliantly together at Euro 2024.
Now together at Manchester City, they have a chance to build on that understanding ahead of the World Cup. However, he still has to prove his fitness to Tuchel, thus making Konsa the favourite.
Left-Back
Arsenal teenager Myles Lewis-Skelly has featured more times than anybody at left back under Tuchel, but he isn’t even in the current squad due to his lack of playing time in North London.
As such, the question is wide open as to who will start on the left-hand side for that opener against Croatia.
Both Newcastle’s Lewis Hall and Tottenham’s Djed Spence received minutes in the position in the draw against Uruguay. While neither particularly impressed, Hall has been having a stellar season with Newcastle United, while Spence has been floundering as Spurs flirt with the Premier League’s relegation zone.
Then, there’s Manchester City’s two-goal League Cup final hero Nico O’Reilly. The 21-year-old has become one of Pep Guardiola’s favourites at the Etihad, and two goals in that victory against Arsenal at Wembley will certainly help his case with the national team as well. He is probably the favourite to start at the World Cup, but it’s by no means a guarantee.
YOU MAY ALSO LIKE: Fantasy Football Matchweek 32: Buy, Sell, Injury Report
Attacking Midfield
At Euro 2024, one man had this position nailed down: Jude Bellingham. The Real Madrid man was the first name on England’s team sheet alongside captain Harry Kane, and he proved exactly why.
He scored a headed winner in the opener against Serbia before netting a stunning last-gasp bicycle kick in the round of 16 against Slovakia to keep the Three Lions’ tournament alive.
All of that came after leading Los Blancos to a famous La Liga – Champions League double, netting over 20 goals in the process.
However, his 2025/26 season has been a disaster. Fitness issues have limited his game time, raising a real concern for Tuchel as to whether he’s in the kind of form England needs him to be in if they are to end 60 years of hurt this summer.
One man who is bang in form is Aston Villa’s Morgan Rogers. He has scored ten goals and provided seven assists as he looks to lead the Villans back to the top four and toward Europa League glory.
Cole Palmer is another fan favourite. When he led Chelsea to FIFA Club World Cup glory last summer – scoring a brace against Paris Saint-Germain in the MetLife Stadium final, the same stadium that will host this summer’s final on July 19th – he was seen as practically untouchable in England’s starting eleven.
Since then, however, he too has suffered from both form and fitness issues, and that could see Rogers pip both him and Bellingham to the starting role behind Harry Kane.
Main Photo
Credit: Unsplash
