All very far in the future, but given that England likely doesn't have much chance in Russia, I can't help but think forward four years. Could we be European Champions by then? Anyway, clearly given the strength of our age group teams, there's a chance that we could have some good talent to choose from in Qatar. Interested in your team and or squad selections. Here's mine for a start, starters in bold: Pickford, Butland, Woodman Alexander Arnold, Gomez, T Chalobah, Stones, Jones, Da Silva, Shaw Dier, Loftus-Cheek, N Chalobah, Ali Sterling, Sancho, Hudson-Odoi, Mount, Foden, Roberts Kane, Rashford, Abraham
If you're talking about our chacnes of winning the world cup then you're right, but if it's our chances of success then I'd have to disagree. I think our chances are looking okay based on our players overall current form and then who we have to face in the group stage. Our potential 2022 squad looks delicious. I would add Oakley-Booth into the midfield and I wouldn't completely write off Ross Barkely and Reece Oxford.
Yeah I was trying to do a Squad before but I ended up giving up, lol. So many kids coming through with a lot of potential makes it tough. I will come back to this at a later date. I did manage the keepers though: Pickford, Butland and Gunn.
Really hope Oakley-Boothe makes it, he's the type of midfielder that we've been missing for years (bar Wilshere when fit), recycling possession and evading pressure from deep.
You all seem to have forgotten the obvious pick that is, Curtis Jones. I wouldn't be surprised in the slightest if he's there for the next senior Euros in two years time.
I’ve not seen much of him tbh. From the clips I have seen he looks good, but is he any better than the group of 2000s? Seems to me that these days it’s hard for a teenager to breakthrough and if Mount, Foden and Sancho come through the pathway to England will become even more difficult.
You must be new here, if you don't know that his full name is Future Senior England International Curtis Jones.
No, I don't foresee any problems at all for CJ. He's the player the country is crying out for, and has for years. They just aren't aware he'll be there before they know it.
I mean, Chalobah making the World Cup squad isn't that crazy when he'd have been in this one if fit. Also, i don't really know what 'making it at the highest level' means. How many of the current squad have 'made it at the highest level?'. Roberts can easily still play for England, it's just always a lot easier to focus on the new shiny thing coming through and write off an older player. If Roberts + Chalobah have a good opening 4 games of next season they could be in the squad by September.
There was a good chance that Chalobah would have been going to this World Cup if he hadn't got that terrible injury. Shame as this was really a season for him to make a name for himself.
I was talking about the World Cup in four years time. Surely we will be able to do better than Chalobah, for Christs sake!
Would hope there'd be a CB alternative to Jones, haha. Panzo or Tanganga hopefully but depends on their club careers.
It seems to me that for a variety of reasons, players are taking longer to break through than ever before. It used to be that if you weren't established by 20, you likely never would be, but that just doesn't hold true anymore. There are virtually no teenagers starting regularly in the Premier League, no matter where they are from, and the best teams are dominated by older players. Look at City's starters this year, off the top of my head I think they are 24, 27, 30, 32,23, 32, 26, 32, 22, 29 and 23. So writing players off like Roberts is a bit premature. I think a couple of years ago people dismissed Zaha, but he just needed more time. Same with Victor Mosses before him. As for Chalobah, I agree that it'd nice to think that more holding mids would come through, but again, that's a position that favors older players so it's asking a lot for someone in say the U17s to be ready in 4 years. Chalobah will still only be 27 by time Qatar roles around. I hope the optimism around Curtis Jones is rewarded. But he will only be 21 in 2022 so there's no guarantee he will have broken through. Even if he has, the competition in those attacking spots is likely to be far tougher than it is today given the 2000s and Mr. Mount who are likely a little ahead of him.
Roberts is yet to prove he can hack it at Premier League level at all, much less give reason to think he could start the season off really well there. Will a Premier League team even want/play him next season?
I wonder if Rashford will still be relevant then. There is Hudson Odoi, Sessegnon and Sancho coming through in his best position.
Rashford's best position is upfront IMO, that's where he exploded on the big stage with Van Gaal. And I think Sessegnon has more potential as a full back, loads of space in the championship but not sure he has the trickery to play left winger at a high level.
It won't take Jones long at all to "breakthrough". I suggest you come back, say, this time next year, and tell us how far he is behind the others then. The others weren't doing much in their first season after leaving school.
Well I hope you are right. I think I missed Sessegnon from my original list, though it's tricky because it's not clear what position he'll end up in. Obviously a better chance as a left back or wing back than as a left wing given the competition in that spot.
On Rashford, I would think he will only be in the picture if he is playing as a striker. That spot looks a little bare right now, as witnessed by my inclusion of Abraham.
There's Nketiah, Hirst, Calvert-Lewin, Greenwood to name a few. Greenwood is a hugely exciting talent.