England's midfield options

England World Cup squad selector: Gareth Southgate's midfield options for Russia World Cup 2018

10:41 · FRI April 27, 2018

Gareth Southgate seems to have a plan when it comes to formation and style of play, but who will he trust in midfield to carry them out at the World Cup in Russia?

Who are the men in the middle England boss Gareth Southgate will go with for the World Cup in Russia? Friday’s friendly in Amsterdam gave us some clues but injuries may yet have the final say.

Three at the back is Southgate’s preferred formation of choice for the World Cup in Russia and in front of that he’s keen on at least one ‘holding’ midfielder – although as the display against the Netherlands showed Southgate is keen for his midfielders to do a little bit of everything.

England World Cup betting

Jordan Henderson and Eric Dier are the preferred two deeper central men – the Spurs man offers more defensive discipline while the Liverpool skipper gets around the pitch and has more quality on the ball, although he needs to show that more consistently.

The intriguing aspect of England’s midfield is now the mix Southgate will employ of attack versus defence. All will have to operate centrally with wing backs being played and all will have to be comfortable on the ball and be able to press the opposition.

Injuries may have their say on Southgate’s choice though, namely with Jack Wilshere who missed his chance to shine in the two latest friendlies, while Adam Lallana is in the same boat having struggled to shake off his injury problems.

Southgate knows how he wants to play, but does he know who he wants to use to put his plan into operation? Here are the big questions facing the England boss.

"We controlled the game and defensively looked pretty solid"

The @England boss gives his view of the performance from his side pic.twitter.com/JGltpBTpW0
— ITV Football (@itvfootball) March 23, 2018

Henderson/Dier or both?

Henderson seems to be leading the race to be the main defensive midfield man, although Dier has also operated successfully in that position. The odds suggest both will start but that could seem a touch too defensive for Southgate, especially for games against Panama and Tunisia in the World Cup.

Maybe a crunch game with Belgium could prompt Southgate to play both men, but given the recent troubles England have had putting the ball in the back of the net it could pay to have a bit more creativity in the centre of the park.

To start England’s first World Cup game (Sky Bet odds)

Dier - 1/7
Alli - 1/7
Henderson - 4/11
Oxlade-Chamberlain - 5/6
Wilshere - 5/2
Lallana - 8/1

Can Wilshere & Lallana stay fit?

Southgate is reticent to take players who aren’t fully fit, and this serves up a big dilemma as ideally he’d like both men involved in his squad at least. Wilshere offers something a bit different with his range of passing and forward drive, but missing both friendlies puts his participation in huge doubt.

Lallana was England’s best player not so long ago, but he’s played just 12 times for Liverpool this season and seems to be really struggling to stay fit after suffering multiple setbacks.

His pressing game and ability on the half-turn would blend the midfield and attack together beautifully, but it’s a big gamble to take one injury-prone midfielder in one 23-man squad, let alone two.

"It's a shame for Jack but across the two games we wanted to look at different players"

The boss @GarethSouthgate gives his reaction to @JackWilshere missing out through injury pic.twitter.com/ID9hQAlzJo
— ITV Football (@itvfootball) March 23, 2018

Style suits Ox

Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain was perhaps one of the biggest winners from Friday’s game against the Netherlands, as the formation and style of play Southgate wants to employ seems to be right in the wheelhouse of the Liverpool man.

With so many players coming from Manchester City, Tottenham and Liverpool it’s no surprise Southgate wants to play in a similar fashion, and that lends itself to Oxlade-Chamberlain playing in midfield.

He’s settling into a similar role at Anfield, he’s quick and strong when pressing but also good in possession and can offer an attacking threat going forward – with Lallana and Wilshere struggling 'The Ox' could be the main beneficiary in Russia.

Dele Alli dilemma

Can Dele Alli play in his preferred position?

Alli could be the main puzzle for Southgate to solve in time for Russia in June. He’d obviously like him to line-up with Spurs team-mate Harry Kane, but where exactly does he fit into his system? A free-ish number ten role is perhaps his best position if that can be accommodated

It’s likely he’d have to either play deeper in a tight midfield three or further forward almost up alongside Kane, which could step on the toes of Raheem Sterling or Marcus Rashford. It’s a nice problem to have but one which Southgate will have to get right.

Best of the rest

Jesse Lingard 5/2 – An interesting option given his goal scoring form for Manchester United and also his association with Southgate coming through the England age group ranks. Scoring the winner against Holland didn’t hurt

Lewis Cook 20/1 – It would take something special if he plays against Italy to thrust Cook forward into the thinking for the starting XI, his best chance to make the plane to Russia could come through injuries elsewhere.

Jake Livermore 12/1 – It’s a stretch to see Livermore even making the final squad if Dier and Henderson are both fully fit as he’s mainly a back-up to those two.