Premier League and Newcastle legend Alan Shearer has been busy lately with some in-depth assessments of the current crop of players who were called up to link up with the England squad in preparation for the upcoming Euros tournament.
He has now released a list of the starting eleven players he would like to see start for the Three Lions when they play their opening fixture against Croatia on the 13th of June this year. The fixture is a repeat of the 2018 FIFA World Cup semi-final clash and is one that has attracted a couple of anticipation already.
Although there are some positions in the squad that already have certified starters, there are still other positions that would require critical thinking by Southgate before he is able to pick the players that will play in those positions.
Shearer was speaking to Coral where he said what he thinks about the squad, as well as delivering a list of his favored starting eleven stars for the crunch opener while also explaining reasons for his selections.
Here is the starting team Shearer suggested:
(4-1-2-3): Pope – Alexander-Arnold, Stones, Maguire, Chilwell – Rice – Mount, Foden – Rashford, Kane, Sterling.
Aston Villa midfielder Jack Grealish and Liverpool midfield star Jordan Henderson are both currently sidelined with injuries and are missing from Shearer’s suggested team. The players are expected to be fit for the tie but Shearer believes they should not be starting the match because there are better options.
Fans would expect Shaw to be starting ahead of Chilwell judging by the form of both players but Shearer thinks the Chelsea man should get the nod.