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Leicester’s rise accelerates turnover for England squad ahead of Euros

By on March 23, 2016

Roy Hodgson’s job as manager of the England national team is one that many a pundit or fantasy manager takes for granted.  Yet on May 11, the night Hodgson has to call the unfortunate members of the England national team left out of their Euro 2016 squad, his job is unenviable.

The process always requires tough cuts around the edges of the squad, but in a year full of turnover across all echelons of the English Premier League, Hodgson’s job has become a lot harder.

There are always the certainties in his squad, barring the odd injury or misfortune that forever seems to bite at England in the run up to major tournaments.  Joe Hart, providing he recovers smoothly from his recent injury, is England’s go-to No1 and Manchester City forward Raheem Sterling is also virtually assured a place in Hodgson’s plans. As captain, the same would seem to apply to Wayne Rooney, and a similar logic can be extended to starting center-backs Gary Cahill (vice-captain) and Chris Smalling.

For those eight or nine players, this week’s international break is a matter of preparation, but it is the other half of England’s squad that will dictate what kind of team they will become.

Promising youngsters Danny Drinkwater, Jamie Vardy, Dele Alli and Eric Dier are all pushing for a place in Hodgson’s squad as they ride their top-of-the-table momentum from Leicester City and Tottenham Hotspur’s surprise Premier League campaigns.

They’re challenging the status quo and players that used to be the future of the national team are now fighting for what would seem to be deserved places in the squad.  After a disappointing showing at World Cup 2014, England’s next two international friendlies will be the last opportunity for the previous cohort of “rising stars” — Ross Barkley, Adam Lallana, and Jordan Henderson — to make their case.

Others, such as Jonjo Shelvey, Ryan Mason, Jesse Lingard, Andros Townsend and Tom Cleveley don’t even have an opportunity.  Michael Carrick, previously a Hodgson stalwart, has not been called up since last November, while Leighton Baines appears to be ancient history on the international level.

Up front, Vardy and Harry Kane will keep Daniel Sturridge, Danny Welbeck and Theo Walcott on their toes at the very least.

Purely based on the statistics, WhoScored.com found that Watford’s Troy Deeney, Leicester’s Marc Albrighton, West Ham’s Michail Antonio, and multiple Bournemouth defenders could all challenge for a place in a new-look England team as well.

Depending on the next two friendlies, Hodgson will have to decide which of the likes of Drinkwater, Vardy, Alli and Dier to include his squad, young guns roaring with the passionate motivation that has perhaps been lost in the Three Lions squad in recent years, or stick to a more mainstream, conservative squad.  Either way, tough cuts will have to be made around the edges in either direction.

Homepage photo credit: Clément Bucco-Lechat (Own work) [CC BY-SA 3.0], via Wikimedia Commons

About Alex Morgan

Alex Morgan, founder of Football Every Day, lives and breaths football from the West Coast of the United States in California. Aside from founding Football Every Day in January of 2013, Alex has also launched his own journalism career and hopes to help others do the same with FBED. He covers the San Jose Earthquakes as a beat reporter for QuakesTalk.com and his work has also been featured in the BBC's Match of the Day Magazine.