Following their heartbreaking World Cup semi-final loss to Argentina, England face one final test this summer.
The Three Lions will take on France in the bronze final – more commonly referred to as the third-place play-off – on Saturday evening in Miami.
Just three days after their defeat in Atlanta, Thomas Tuchel’s men must regroup for a meeting with a French side led by Kylian Mbappe, who remains eager to add to his tally as he chases a second straight Golden Boot.
The big question now is which direction Tuchel will take with his team selection. Will he stick with his strongest eleven or give a few fringe players an opportunity to shine?
Here are five players who deserve to feature against France:
The 21-year-old midfielder has been something of an enigma at this World Cup. Despite earning his place in the squad after a strong finish to the club season with Manchester United, he has yet to make an appearance in any of England’s seven matches – even with Declan Rice struggling with injury in central midfield.
It’s expected that Kobbie Mainoo will finally be handed a start on Saturday. He is one of just two outfield England players who have not played a single minute in North America so far.
It will also be intriguing to see what Tuchel decides regarding his goalkeeper choice. Jordan Pickford started in the third-place play-off eight years ago in Russia, where England lost 2-0 to Belgium. However, many top international sides often use this match to give their second-choice keeper some game time.
If Tuchel decides to make a change, Crystal Palace’s Dean Henderson appears to be the likelier pick ahead of James Trafford.
Trevoh Chalobah’s late call-up as a replacement for the injured Tino Livramento always seemed a little unusual. Given England’s lack of depth at right-back, Tuchel’s decision to bring in a centre-back instead of another wing-back was surprising, and it has so far looked unlikely that Chalobah would feature.
However, that could change this weekend.
Jarell Quansah, who was sent off in the group stage against Mexico, has now completed his two-match suspension and is available for selection once again. The Bayer Leverkusen defender became only the fourth England player ever to be dismissed in a World Cup match after a VAR review led to his red card against Mexico.
Tuchel has been without his services for the past ten days, but now that he’s fresh and eager to make amends, Quansah is expected to be brought back into the squad for the France clash.
Two years ago, Ollie Watkins made a real impact during the Euros. Yet at this tournament, he has played just six minutes – coming off the bench late on against Panama. England’s continued dependence on captain Harry Kane up front has restricted opportunities for both Watkins and Ivan Toney.
Kane, still chasing at least two goals to remain in contention for the Golden Boot, may start again on Saturday. However, Watkins surely deserves some time on the field in the second half, with Toney also likely to be an option – especially if the match extends beyond 90 minutes and goes to penalties.
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