Gareth Southgate’s England: how caretaker manager’s team could to line up vs Malta
GARETH SOUTHGATE will name his first England squad on Sunday after being tasked with clearing up the mess from the Sam Allardyce fall-out.
Big Sam lasted just 67 days in his dream job after being caught out in a newspaper sting.
Allardyce was given the boot by the Football Association over his off-field business dealings following revelations made by the Telegraph on Tuesday.
The FA have turned to Under-21s boss Southgate to steady the ship and the former Middlesbrough boss will hope to kick-off his temporary tenure with a home clash against minnows Malta a week on Saturday.
Despite his short tenure, Allardyce did guide England to a winning start in their World Cup qualifying campaign, as Adam Lallana’s late strike sealed a 1-0 win over Slovenia earlier this month.
Related Stories
And that matchwinning moment is likely to see the Liverpool man keep his place in attack under Southgate.
The big call for the new Three Lions chief will be whether to stick with captain Wayne Rooney.
Manchester United have recently dropped the forward to the bench, and unless he impresses against Zorya in the Europe on Thursday or Stoke in the Premier League on Sunday, the clamour for England’s record goalscoring to be left out will grow stronger.
But one of the reasons the FA turned to Southgate for the role is his calm and measured approach, and he will not be easily swayed by the media and fans.
READ MORE
- Sam Allardyce QUITS as England manager after just 67 days in charge
- Alan Shearer: Allardyce had catastrophic misdudgement, it always comes down to money and greed
- Two agents claim eight current or former Prem managers are open to 'bungs'
- One win, 67 days, no pay-off - the highs and lows of Allardyce's reign
- Ray Parlour says Allardyce saga has turned England into a laughing stock
- "I'm so sorry" - Allardyce's grovelling apology after leaving post
- Who is Gareth Southgate? The man who will take over the Three Lions
- Neil Ashton comment: Allardyce was arrogant, naive and stupid
- £3million salary not enough for wheeler-dealer brought down by pursuit of cash
- All the funniest and best reaction after Allardyce steps down
And for that reason, and no doubt not to take upset the dressing-room balance any further, it remains odds on that Rooney will be given the nod at Wembley. And with respect to the opposition, Malta could provide the perfect chance for the much-maligned forward to hit the back of the net.
And another United man looks set to join him in attack. Southgate witnessed first-hand the talents of Marcus Rashford when he fired a hat-trick for his U21s against Norway just a few weeks ago.
With the absence of Harry Kane, the teenager looks set to return to the senior set-up after his recent goalscoring form for club and country.
Jamie Vardy may feel harshly done to, but with Malta likely to camp themselves inside their own box, the new national boss may feel that his talents will be better equipped for the away tie in Slovenia a few days later.
Keeper Joe Hart, full-backs Kyle Walker and Danny Rose plus central defender John Stones are all expected to keep their place in the starting XI. Although you can expect one change in the backline, with Gary Cahill, who has suffered a slight drop in form for Chelsea in recent weeks, likely to be replaced by Chris Smalling.
Although the England vice-captain could, like Vardy, be one of the more experienced heads Southgate turns to for the Slovenia clash.
Jordan Henderson, Eric Dier and Raheem Sterling are also likely to keep their places in what will be the usual 4-2-3-1 formation.
Many would expect Luke Shaw and Dele Alli to both be included. But with no room for slip-up against the tiny Mediterranean island, both are most likely to remain on the bench – although expect to see the latter coming on around the hour mark.
Shaw has also been struggling with injury, and was sent home from Manchester United training on Wednesday with illness, so it looks unlikely he will go straight into the eleven.
Expect one or two unfamiliar faces in the squad too. Two of Southgate's former trusted defensive lieutenants at U21 level, Middlesbrough's Ben Gibson and Burnley's Michael Keane, could both receive their first call-up to the seniors.
And many believe that Southampton winger Nathan Redmond could also join them, although with the U21s still needing another win to ensure Euro qualification, it looks likely that he will remain withthis group this time.
Think we’ve got it totally wrong? Then let us know how you think Southgate’s England will line-up against Malta in the comments below.
Watch ALL the goals from the Premier League before anyone else for FREE plus all the latest news, fixtures and results and live match commentary all on the go with the new Sun Football App –