MAINOO BOLTS INTO THE FAMOUS F365 EURO 2024 ENGLAND LADDER, WHICH HAS A NEW NO. 1
The last international break of the season is done and with it comes the last update of the famous F365 England Ladder before things get serious in the summer.
In theory, this should be the one where we’re most confident of having nailed Gareth Southgate’s first-choice 23. In reality, this is not the case. There are a lot of moving parts here.
The last ladder was in November, and if you want a rough idea of just how long ago November was, at that time Kobbie Mainoo had played 10 minutes of Premier League football.
Those November rankings can be found in full here, with the brackets below giving you some clue as to which direction certain players are moving at this late stage. Again, there really is quite a lot of movement once you get out of that first XI…
1) Jude Bellingham (2)
Maybe it was just the absence of Kane, but it’s still striking just how much this already feels like his team.
He even went full elder statesman when talking about the need not to pile too much pressure on Kobbie Mainoo, who is two years younger than him. Already England’s string-puller and architect in chief and that’s unlikely to change for the next decade or so now.
The way Brazil in particular tried to shackle him does have us fretting about the frustration-laced red card in a vital knockout game that seems certain to exist somewhere in his England future, though.
2) Harry Kane (1)
Absent here through injury and while other absences were perhaps more keenly felt there were enough reminders, especially against Brazil, of what England miss when he’s not there.
You can – and we do – shuffle him up a place or down a place every now and then, but the simple fact is he remains inked in as the most certain of starters. Even if he is a trophy-dodging fraud.
3) Declan Rice (3)
England’s most consistent performer. The emergence of Mainoo leaves Rice with at once a simpler yet also trickier job. He’s the DM now and while we know from his Arsenal efforts he can do much more than just that, what England need from him now is to provide some sort of screen for that often terrifying defence behind him.
Because what’s in front of him now looks very, very good indeed.
In ladder terms, you might as well have these top three joint first, because that’s pretty much the reality of it now.
4) John Stones (5)
Don’t be injured, don’t be injured, don’t be injured, don’t be injured. In truth, had endured a nervy and uncertain game against Brazil and a sloppy start against Belgium even before his early departure but he’s still the only England centre-back who doesn’t give us the wild sh*ts on some level or other.
5) Kyle Walker (6)
Don’t be injured, don’t be injured, don’t be injured. Fascinating and alarming in equal measure that England, land of right-backs, have become so very and thoroughly reliant on Walker’s continuing ability to defy the ageing process of mortal men.
6) Jordan Pickford (4)
Horrible early error against Belgium but has surely never faced less opposition for his place. Sam Johnstone and Nick Pope are injured, Aaron Ramsdale and James Trafford are club No. 2s. Pickford is in by default.
We like Pickford, prickly gobsh*te that he is, and he has more than earned the right to ride out the occasional error, but we’re also not entirely thrilled about the total lack of pressure he faces for his place right now. But it’s also fair to say there are other things that worry us more. Much more.
7) Luke Shaw (8)
Ben Chilwell had a horrible time of it in Shaw’s absence over the last week, and that’s a big problem. Southgate’s preference for utilising a right-back out of position whenever he’s been without both Shaw and Chilwell means there is no other left-back out there with any experience whatsoever and England now have a lot of eggs in two very injury-prone baskets.
It’s no criticism of Shaw to say England really shouldn’t be looking this desperate for him to be fit three months out from a major tournament. Planning errors have been made here given both Shaw and Chilwell’s fitness records and there’s a huge part of us that expects to see Kieran Trippier start the Euro 2024 opener.
8) Bukayo Saka (7)
England have capable understudies in the wide forward roles – Jarrod Bowen in particular had a good interlull – but also clear first-choice starters which is definitely for the best. Saka was kept out of these games and frankly a rest is of far more use to us and him than a couple more games in an exhausting season.
We require no more confirmation of Saka’s qualities. If he’s fit, he starts. But he’s below some other less certain names here purely because if he’s unavailable there are a good few alternatives that don’t bring us out in hives.
9) Phil Foden (9)
Clearly relishing working with Bellingham, and some of their interplay has been a delight to watch. But it was throwing Kobbie Mainoo into the mix that really offered a tantalising glimpse of what could be for England over the next few tournament cycles.
Mainoo’s progressive instincts and ability to move England up the pitch helped give us something far closer to Man City Foden than we’ve often seen previously for England, while also allowing him to drop deep on occasion to influence play from further back and also make some late bursts on to the scene in the penalty area.
Like Saka, now a clear starter, albeit one with plenty of capable understudies.
10) Harry Maguire (11)
Didn’t look remotely comfortable against Brazil before departing and missing the Belgium game through injury. Are we happy that he’s almost certain to start at the Euros if fit? We are not. But start he will.
All other options have either flunked an audition or not even been given one. Given a full hand to choose from, Southgate’s preference is clearly still Stones and Maguire whether you/we like it or not.
11) Kobbie Mainoo (NE)
And there was us thinking Cole Palmer was the bolter. Was ranked somewhere unspecified below Phil Neville when we did the last Ladder, but in our defence that was all the way back in November and at that time Mainoo’s entire Premier League career for Manchester United consisted of 10 minutes off the bench in a 3-0 win over Leicester last February.
Now, after what is still only a 1125-minute Premier League career and a 94-minute England one, he looks an absolute certainty for the 23-man squad and also very possibly a starter even for Captain Cautious Gareth Southgate himself.
Looks absolutely custom-built for international midfielding, works ideally with Rice at the base of that midfield and also further forward with Bellingham and Foden in particular.
We’re extremely interested to see what he looks like playing with Saka and Kane as well, and are enormously confident we’ll get to do so this summer. It’s very early but we’re very giddy and he really might be the missing piece of the puzzle in that England midfield. No pressure, lad.
READ: England player ratings v Belgium
12) Marc Guehi (12)
So many England players enhanced or maintained their status by simply not being involved at all over the last week or so. Marc Guehi, currently nursing a knee injury, is one such player. Looked England’s most assured defender during the November games and as not one England centre-back during this break appeared capable of locating his own arsehole with both hands, he remains at worst the first reserve behind Stones and Maguire.
13) Kieran Trippier (13)
Again, lot to be said for not playing. Trippier’s Newcastle form is undeniably a bit of a worry, but he is a Southgate favourite and his dual role as Walker’s back-up and the manager’s preferred auxiliary left-back if/when Shaw and Chilwell break down – which they do, frequently – makes him a shoo-in for the squad.
14) Aaron Ramsdale (21)
Ramsdale is taking the ‘boost your chances by not playing’ to its absolute extreme by playing for neither club nor country. Genius from the great man. Pickford is England’s No. 1 by default, and Ramsdale is England’s No. 2 by default. There is nobody else. There is no need to be afraid.
15) Jordan Henderson (17)
Southgate has already binned Kalvin Phillips. There is no chance he’s also abandoning Henderson in the same tournament cycle. You only have to listen to the way Southgate talks about his general, and he is at least playing halfway-serious club football now.
16) Ivan Toney (29)
It looks like a straight fight now between Toney and Watkins for the back-up striker role, with Callum Wilson, Eddie Nketiah, Tammy Abraham – who is at least now close to a return from his ACL injury, Dominic Calvert-Lewin and the rest all some way back in the distance. If Southgate was giving serious thought to Dominic Solanke he’d have picked him here.
And if it is Toney v Watkins and this break was a shootout, then it was won by Toney. He looks a more natural line-leader in international football than the more fox-in-the-boxish Watkins and his all-round display against Belgium was enough to suggest he will be the man who gets the last seven minutes when Kane comes off against Serbia and/or Slovenia.
A formidable record from the penalty spot doesn’t do him any harm either, given what Southgate attempted in the closing moments against Italy three years ago.
17) Marcus Rashford (10)
One brief substitute appearance in an international break where England were short of options doesn’t inspire huge confidence but it would still be a major surprise to see Southgate set off for a tournament without a player who, unlike any of the other wide or No. 10 options England have, can also do a job at centre-forward if absolutely necessary.
A meaningful bench option, then, albeit really no more than that now.
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18) James Maddison (20)
Given only 15 minutes to impress across this international break, but that late assist for Bellingham could mean a huge deal. It’s easy to forget now just how well Maddison was playing at the start of this season, and he offers a wit and vision that makes him a point of difference to other contenders outside the starters.
He is not the same type of player as Bellingham but is the closest match in a cheating position behind the forwards and has an ability to unpick a deep-set and organised defence that could prove vital in often cagey international tournament play.
It also does him no harm that his assist against Belgium showed he can play with as well as in place of Bellingham, who is increasingly England’s main man.
19) Jarrod Bowen (37)
Having a very good season for West Ham and an excellent game against Belgium this week. The latter shouldn’t be more important than the former, but it does feel like he needed to do something to force Southgate’s hand in England colours if he was going to stand out from the clutch of lively attacking players available.
There was a directness to Bowen’s play on Tuesday night that was particularly pleasing and offered a complementary counterpoint to the probing and precision of Foden and Bellingham. We think he just did enough and to be honest we’re pretty pleased about that.
20) Trent Alexander-Arnold (24)
A bit of a punt, and we’d have really liked to see him in this break to have a clearer idea of Gareth’s thoughts, but we’re now leaning towards TAA making it as a bob-each-way selection to cover both that problematic right-back spot and also as a central-midfield option alongside Rice.
21) Joe Gomez (RE)
We’re honestly not sure we’ve ever been less certain of Gareth’s thoughts this close to a major tournament than we are now. But what we do know is that injury clouds lurk over a great many of Southgate’s preferred defensive options, and Gomez has spent all season at Liverpool proving himself a highly capable understudy anywhere across a back four.
That’s pretty compelling, and the amount and variety of football he’s played this season at Liverpool combined with the utility-man role he would have in this squad give us further pause. He’s not in Liverpool’s first XI and he wouldn’t be in England’s, but he’s certainly not been a bit-part player this year.
22) Conor Gallagher (26)
Fluffed his lines a bit against Brazil and then watched Kobbie Mainoo grab the headlines against Belgium. But if we allow for Southgate fudging his defensive options a bit it still feels like he’s going to want four midfielders in his squad as well as Bellingham and Maddison who would be stationed further forward. Rice, Mainoo and Henderson are three and right now you’d have to make Gallagher the fourth.
Equally, though, he would appear the man most vulnerable should Southgate want to get the second specialist left-back in there. There do seem an unusual number of players on the bubble this time around. Gomez v Gallagher v Chilwell v Konsa v Grealish doesn’t feel like an obvious tussle for the final two or three outfield spots, but it could come down to something like that and the exact way Southgate decides to split the numbers across positions come the final reckoning.
23) Nick Pope (28)
An entirely unscientific guess, really, but with Sam Johnstone a confirmed non-runner we’d expect a hypothetically fit-again Nick Pope to get the third-keeper nod in May over your James Traffords or Dean Hendersons or even the Jack Butlands of this world.
24) Ben Chilwell (16)
Rubbish against Brazil. Bit less rubbish against Belgium. Crucially, still not convinced Southgate starts him if Shaw is unavailable against Serbia on June 16. And if he isn’t going to start in that scenario then is he worth a place in the 23 as a specialist left-back when stacked against more versatile options? We really think he’s struggling and it might all come down to how Southgate decides to balance the squad.
25) Ezri Konsa (40)
Played a lot of football in this international break, and it’s possible there is something significant in him getting the first chance to fill-in at right-back over the even more versatile Joe Gomez. Switched to centre-back against Belgium when Stones went off.
He’s right in the mix now, but it’s surely at best an either/or scenario with him and Joe Gomez and we’d just favour Gomez given the higher profile and greater range of his versatility. If Southgate does go down the one left-back route, than it has to be Gomez over Konsa. We think. We’re so unsure here. It’s unnerving. We used to know – or at least we thought we knew – precisely what Gareth was thinking at any time.
26) Jack Grealish (19)
He’s gone backwards in an injury-hobbled season and for the first time in a long time – since The Clamour – we’ve now got him outside the 23. We’re not sure England are quite as in need as they once were of Grealish’s brand of trickery and mischief, and there are more rounded options available. Looking at his current rivals for a bench role, Grealish lacks the directness of Bowen, the cleverness of Maddison or the versatility of Rashford. A 23-man squad is a brutal task, and there are going to be some unlucky players. Grealish might just be one of them.
27) Cole Palmer (25)
Lots of players benefited from being injured for this window. Palmer is not one of those players. His time will come, but we don’t think it’s going to be in Germany this summer. There are just so many good options for those attacking positions around the central striker and Palmer looks like being another of the unlucky ones.
28) Anthony Gordon (38)
Did he do quite enough against Brazil? It really feels like he didn’t do quite enough against Brazil.
29) Kalvin Phillips (15)
“Just please go and play some football in January, Kalvin,” we demanded in November.
“No, not like that,” we insist in March.
Southgate dropping Phillips was a decision he will not have taken lightly and whose significance will not have been lost on the England manager for one second. It is, quite simply, not a decision he takes about a player he still intends to name in his squad for a tournament that starts in less than three months’ time.
30) Jarrad Branthwaite (46)
Undeniably disappointing that he didn’t get a go during this international break given the shambling efforts of those who did get their chance, but from that we must assume he’s on the outside looking in as we approach the closing weeks of the season.
We’d also like to think this is the last major tournament for a while where that is the case.
31) Ollie Watkins (22)
Slips behind Ivan Toney in the pecking order after this international break and it’s hard to see what he might do to remedy that. Will surely need an injury to Kane or Toney to get in now, because Southgate absolutely won’t be taking three strikers plus Rashford in a 23-man squad.
32) Lewis Dunk (23)
You feel for him, but huge, goal-conceding errors in both games have probably played him out of that fourth centre-back spot even if it’s not straightforward to identify the immediate beneficiary of that.
33) Reece James (18)
Gareth Southgate expressed hope that James might return to action before the end of the season, and if he does then he is certainly in the picture given England’s sudden dearth of full-back options. That is hope rather than expectation, though, and including a just-back-from-injury James in a list of defenders that is going to be an injury-prone collection anyway looks like a gamble too far at this stage.
34) Rico Lewis (34)
Not without hope given the problems England face in those full-back positions. That he was called up as cover in this squad after making a debut in the previous international break should not go unnoticed.
35) Levi Colwill (30)
Would need a big finish to the season with Chelsea on his comeback from injury, but there is definitely a squad place available for any defender who can reach out and grab it.
36) James Ward-Prowse (32)
Having a really good season for West Ham, but it’s not going to do him a lick of good for England.
37) Eric Dier (RE)
You can scoff if you like, and this is wildly against our better judgement anyway. But look at the sort of nonsense assorted England centre-backs are currently up to and then consider there exists a 49-cap, three-tournament veteran who has captained his country five times currently to be found playing pretty regularly for one of the biggest clubs in world football. It cannot be ruled out.
38) James Trafford (NE)
If Pope cannot prove his fitness or something happens to Pickford or Ramsdale, then you’d have to imagine Trafford would now be the beneficiary based on his call-up to this squad.
39) Mason Mount (31)
That Manchester United move really hasn’t worked out, has it. From starting the Euro 2020 final three years ago to being long odds-against to make the squad this time around.
40) Eberechi Eze (36)
This was not the time to have a stop-start, injury-riddled season. Frustrating all round, especially as this is one player on the England fringe we know for sure Southgate likes.
41) Raheem Sterling (35) 42) Fikayo Tomori (33) 43) Eddie Nketiah (39) 44) Callum Wilson (27) 45) Morgan Gibbs-White (41) 46) Curtis Jones (43) 47) Harvey Elliott (45) 48) Tammy Abraham (48) 49) Jacob Ramsey (46) 50) Phil Neville (50)