Gareth Southgate’s team selection will come under scrutiny once again when England play Germany at Wembley tomorrow night.
Will he switch to a back five to combat Joachim Low’s wing-back system? Is Mason Mount fit enough to start after a week in isolation?
It’s important to stress – we don’t know. We’re just taking an educated guess, informed by Sky Sports’ report that Phil Foden will come back in and Mount is being seriously considered for a start.
Given Harry Kane and Raheem Sterling are surely guaranteed starters, reading between the lines, that indicates that the 4-2-3-1 system is set to continue.
If that report is accurate, England will field the same front four they did against Croatia and Scotland.
Jack Grealish and Bukayo Saka would feel a little hard done by to drop out as they were England’s best two players against the Czech Republic.
This might be making it too complicated, but if Saka started instead of Foden or Mount, England would have the potential to shift between a 3-4-3 and a 4-2-3-1 within the game, given the Arsenal man’s ability to play left wing-back.
Doing that would rely on Luke Shaw’s ability to tuck inside and play centre-half in a back three.
Kyle Walker on the other side can also play in a back three, and perhaps Gareth Southgate will keep his full-backs narrow to deal with Germany’s three-man attack.
Harry Maguire will expect to continue at the back alongside John Stones, with Declan Rice and Kalvin Phillips ahead of them.
Perhaps we’ll find the team out ahead of time. The Athletic got it early against Croatia while the Telegraph did against the Czechs.
Southgate may well shift to a back five, but based on the information we have now, here’s our estimation of the side he’ll send out in pursuit of a place in the last eight.
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