Best Starting 11 for England in World cup 2018

The Three Lions have not been the best national side for quite a while. Currently sitting 15 in the world, England have never seen huge success when it comes to ranking or winning global competitions. They might have had great individual talents in past but even the best of the best could not help England gain the reputation as a force to reckon with. The Premier League might pride itself for having world class talents but when it comes to home grown players, everyone have to scratch their heads.

Beckham, Scholes, Lampard, Gerrard, Rooney, Terry, Ashley Cole and a lot more names can be added to the list but not even they could help England win gold.

However, looking at the present times, it seems that England can be hopeful in the coming world cup and the reason for it, is the emergence of many bright young talents. There is still the need for a lot improvement and the major reason for that is the lack of chemistry between the team. A more detailed view of this topic will be covered in a different post but for now, with the world cup nearing and with England happy with the squad at their disposal, let’s have a look at the best starting eleven that we can produce with the squad in hand.

Goal Keeper       : Jack Butland

The Stoke City goal keeper might not have records under his belt and even might not have many clean sheets but that does not overshadow his skills as a goal keeper. His is young and athletic. He might concede many goals but that is all mostly due to his teams’ defensive errors. Individually he has great capability and some of his saves are just jaw dropping.

Defenders          : Kyle walker – John Stones – Michael Keane – Ryan Bertrand

Yes, there is no place for Gary Cahill in the starting 11. He is good but he definitely is past his prime. He could serve as a decent backup. Walker and Bertrand as full-back is a dream match. They can easily threaten any defence with their pace and accurate crossing. Also, they are pretty good defenders.

When it comes to the Center Backs, there cannot be any other players who are as young and experienced as Stones and Keane. They get continuous game time and are destined for greatness. Under the leadership of Guardiola, the young ball playing defender, John Stones has matured into such a player that he’s a regular for the Manchester city team. Also, many teams, including Manchester United were on the hunt for Keane’s signature. This proves that he has impressed many pundits and has the required talent to play at top level.

Midfielders         : Adam Lallana – Ross Barkley – Eric Dier

Henderson is a decent player but he has never produced any eye-catching performance and has never shown great potentials in neither attack nor defence. The mixture of attacking, defending and stability is what these three players will bring to the team. Dier might be young but his stamina and defensive capabilities are second to none. Barkley has the physicality in him that can be used to provide that required defensive duties and his passing skills are also decent. Lallana will provide the attacking threat from midfield. Though he is approaching 30 years of age, he still has the quality to stay right in between the midfield and attack and provide those forward passes to the attackers.

Attackers             : Marcus Rashford – Harry Kane – Dele Alli

The movement of these three players when in their best form is so fluid and natural that any defence will find it hard to stop them. The pace of Rashford, the directness of Kane and the creativity of Alli is just a fabulous combination.

There are many other players who can run with pace, Welbeck too is a decent attacker but they are not in their best form as these three currently are. There cannot be a better attacking line-up for England.

So, this team is what I think is the best eleven for England. Agreed?