England Senior National Team General Discussion Thread

James Trafford will start against Newcastle, Pep Guardiola has confirmed. ✅

🗣️ “He reacted really well [to the signing of Donnarumma]. There’s no complaints. James is a top keeper, there’s no doubts about that.

I understand the situation. The situation of the keeper is… pic.twitter.com/3JKhdUeUU0

— City Report (@cityreport_) January 12, 2026

 

How a complete Morgan Rogers performance strengthened his claim to be England’s No 10
https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/6960658/2026/01/12/morgan-rogers-aston-villa-fa-cup-england/

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Even after a match-winning display in Aston Villa’s 2-1 Premier League win over Manchester United last month, Unai Emery demanded more from Morgan Rogers.

“In the first half, I was not happy with how Morgan Rogers was performing. He scored a fantastic goal but we needed more. He scored the second goal because he was more aggressive,” Emery said afterwards.

On Saturday, Rogers answered his manager’s call emphatically, even if that aggression spilt over after the final whistle. He was involved in a post-match confrontation with Joao Palhinha, rushing across the pitch angrily after the Tottenham Hotspur midfielder shoved Ollie Watkins as Villa’s striker celebrated in front of the 9,000-strong away fans.

Emery may take a dim view of that flashpoint, but during the game, Rogers channelled that edge in exactly the way his manager wanted. After Villa went 2-0 up, they were forced to withstand a spirited Tottenham fightback with the hosts scoring through Wilson Odobert in the 54th minute, and Rogers — scorer of the second in first-half stoppage time — did not shirk his defensive responsibility.

As his player dashboard shows, he recorded 15 defensive actions, the second most of any player on the pitch. “They played really well in the second half, we had to dig deep, we had to work and defend our box,” he told the BBC’s Match of the Day afterwards.

Rogers acted as an out-ball under sustained second-half pressure, repeatedly collecting flighted passes in tight spaces and holding off onrushing defenders.

In the example below, Matty Cash is pressed and goes long to Rogers, who, surrounded by three Tottenham players, deftly cushions the ball on his chest before flicking it back to John McGinn.

He won the physical battle with Palhinha on the pitch. Up against one of the league’s more robust midfielders, Rogers repeatedly used his strength and close control to roll Palhinha, who resorted to fouling him.

That ability to receive under pressure and drive away with the ball helps explain why centre-back Micky van de Ven chose to stand off him during the match rather than engage.

Beyond his defensive work, Rogers delivered a complete performance, recording 74 touches, more than he has in any other game this season.

Alongside his goal — a rasping left-footed finish after collecting Emiliano Buendia’s clever backheel and shifting to create space in the box — he influenced the game in every aspect. He created the most chances of any Villa player (three), played the most passes into the penalty area (nine) and made the most progressive carries (six).

The attacking midfielder now leads Villa this season for both goals and assists, with eight goals and six assists.

His focus will remain firmly on sustaining this level to help Villa achieve their lofty ambitions. Emery’s side are through to the next round of the FA Cup, third in the Premier League and into the Europa League knockout stage. Rogers will be desperate to cap off an excellent season with some silverware.

But with performances like this, he could be forgiven for allowing his thoughts to drift briefly towards the summer in North America. His displays have strengthened his claim for England’s No 10 position over Real Madrid’s Jude Bellingham at the World Cup, presenting Thomas Tuchel with his toughest and most topical selection headache.

After his starring role at the 2024 European Championship, Bellingham appeared to have the position locked down, but Rogers’ rapid ascent, coupled with a slight dip in Bellingham’s attacking output, has loosened that hold.

Bellingham has yet to rediscover the attacking heights from his debut season at Real Madrid in 2023-24, when he scored 19 goals in 28 La Liga appearances. He managed nine goals last season and has four this term, but there are some mitigating factors. He started the campaign late while recovering from a shoulder injury and, as the touch maps below show, carries a greater defensive burden than Rogers, with 11 percentage points fewer touches in the attacking third.

Meanwhile, Emery’s system is tailor-made for Rogers’ attributes. His side are renowned for their vertical, direct football, with no side in the Premier League taking a higher share of attacking touches in the middle channel.

That approach was exemplified by their opening goal: a swift move through the middle of the pitch, carving Tottenham apart with four vertical passes before Buendia applied the emphatic finishing touch.

The three attacking midfielders in Emery’s set-up are afforded the freedom to drift across the pitch, which taps into Rogers’ ability to find dangerous pockets of space between the lines. Throughout the match, the trio combined at speed, with Rogers in near-constant motion.

At Real Madrid, Bellingham is not the star around whom everything orbits in the same way, sharing the stage with Kylian Mbappe and operating with less freedom in attack. Both are exceptional options for England and separating them will be a matter of fine margins for Tuchel.

For Villa fans, all that really matters is that one of these elite players is theirs. They may be sick of the Birmingham-to-London commute, with Saturday marking their fifth consecutive away match in the capital, but when Rogers produces performances like this, the occasional crammed, sweaty underground train becomes more than worth it.

 

Whether they have a need or not, I’m amazed Gallagher hasn’t ended up at Newcastle. Feels like the most Howe signing ever, English/British, industrious, known quantity etc

 

🚨 Vinicius Junior and Jude Bellingham are yet to say farewell to Xabi Alonso on social media.

The two players reportedly had issues with the dismissed Real Madrid manager and did not support some of his routines.

Players like Kylian Mbappé, Rodrygo, Fede Valverde and Gonzalo… pic.twitter.com/cAZ4hooSGt

— The Touchline | 𝐓 (@TouchlineX) January 13, 2026

Manchester City have made contact over a deal for 23-year-old England and Nottingham Forest midfielder Elliot Anderson. (Teamtalk, external)

Bayern Munich have not given up on signing Crystal Palace and England defender Marc Guehi, 25, with Manchester City and Liverpool also in the chase. (Sky Germany)

England and Roma striker Tammy Abraham, 28, who is currently on loan with Besiktas, is keen on returning to England with Aston Villa a potential suitor. (Talksport, external)

Unai Emery is keen on bringing Tammy Abraham back to Aston Villa- The Telegraph

 

The time Gallagher looked at his best in the PL in my opinion was when he was balancing out two highly technical players with OOP deficiencies in Enzo and Palmer. He's a very good player but he isn't one who can just slot into any midfield imo. He has some excellent strengths but he has blatant weaknesses too.

Gallagher to Spurs can work in the long run if they have the right pieces to put around him, but they currently seem quite far from having those pieces. He can really amplify a midfield in the right circumstances but it can go quite far the other way if you don't surround him with passers and small space operators. He (and the rest of the midfield) can look a real eyesore in that scenario; we've seen that a million times with England and ultimately, his on-ball deficiencies are probably why it didn't quite work out in Spain.

Unless Spurs have accepted that this season is a bit of a write off, it's just a very weird allocation of significant funds when you look at what they're struggling with and what they already have.

 

The long term injury to bentancour probably forced their hand

 

🚨 𝗕𝗥𝗘𝗔𝗞𝗜𝗡𝗚: Jude Bellingham on his app reacting to the news that he was not in support of Xabi Alonso:

"Until now l've let far too many of these slide, always hoping the truth will come to light in its own time. But honestly... What a load of sh*t."

"Truly feel sorry… https://t.co/bE7VuheYAf pic.twitter.com/WBJ0EL10Uk

— Transfer News Live (@DeadlineDayLive) January 13, 2026

I forgot about his app

 

Livramento out for two months with a hamstring injury. Big blow for him. Quansah for second choice come June still feels possible.

 

Pope, Miley, Hall, Ramsey. Murphy and Gordon start for Newcastle. Ramsdale, Trippier, Barnes, Willock and Neave are on the bench.
Trafford, Alleyne, O’Reilly and Foden start for Manchester City. Lewis, Gray, Mukasa and McAiddo are on the bench.

 

I saw this coming. At the end of the match before he got injuried he looked totally ********ed. Howe then plays in the next match even though he has Miley as backup.

 

These things these days are just ridiculous! I mean people ( media, journalists etc ) trying to draw conclusions because he didn’t write anything on social media about Alonso leaving just presume he had problems with him! Reminds me of an occasion about a time I got grief from an old mate of mine because I didn’t write anything on Facebook congratulating my twin sister on our birthday, I mean a called her in the morning and personally spoke to her so why should I then repeat it on Facebook. I would presume Jude probably spoke to Alonso like the old fashioned tasks we used to do of which I think people forget! People who draw conclusions about social media posts or lack of need to wind their necks in.

 

Is O'Reilly playing in midfield?

 

The Spanish press have always been like that. Their sport coverage is often batshit.

 

Lewis Hall vs Manchester City (H)

Monsterclass performance
pic.twitter.com/XmFanMX96R

— 𝓢𝓮𝓷𝓪 (@sena_comps) January 13, 2026

So good. Very unique player. There aren't many full-backs around like him stylistically (if any).

 

"Emery’s system is tailor-made for Rogers’ attributes. His side are renowned for their vertical, direct football, with no side in the Premier League taking a higher share of attacking touches in the middle channel."

this is the key in the 10 debate. stylistically, it's how TT will set his team up and who the opposition is, instead of "who is the better player?!".

Rogers scored off a long ball from Cash. doubt Madrid are going route one as much as Villa.

horses for courses.

 

He's the best defensive fullback we have

 

I think he's still a little bit raw defensively, but quickly improving. He reads the game well but needs to learn to manage the space behind him better imo. It's expected given how little senior football he's played.

Technically though he's arguably the best full-back in the league. His levels are off the charts. Not many full-backs in the world who can pass, carry and dribble all to a high standard. Most top full-backs are carrier/dribblers from an attacking standpoint (Mendes, Hakimi, Davies etc), while the passers (Trent, Kimmich) don't tend to be dribblers. Hall is potentially a very rare player. Marcelo is the last player like that I can remember.

 

I think he reads danger really well

 

This might be hyperbole but he reminds of Gareth Bale. Bale started as a left back and went onto play attacking left wing. He doesn't have bale's explosiveness though and I don't think he'll be anywhere near as good. Just a similar playing style

 

Manchester City are preparing to make an offer for Crystal Palace and England centre-back Marc Guehi, 25, before the end of the January transfer window, but are unlikely to meet Palace's asking price of above £35 million. (Talksport), external

But Bayern Munich sporting director Max Eberl has been making calls in recent days to try to convince Guehi to join them in the summer. (Sky Germany), external

Despite the departure of head coach Ruben Amorim, Manchester United do not plan to bring back England forward Marcus Rashford, 28, when his loan spell at Barcelona ends. (Talksport), external

Newcastle are considering signing a defender this month after England full-back Tino Livramento, 23, suffered a hamstring injury that will sideline him for eight weeks. (Sky Sports)

Liverpool will not offload England defender Joe Gomez, 28, this month after Northern Ireland right-back Conor Bradley, 22, suffered a season-ending knee injury. (Football Insider)

Arsenal do not intend to sell England defender Ben White, 28, despite his lack of game-time and interest from clubs including Everton and Manchester City. (Teamtalk), external

Jude Bellingham has hit back at suggestions he suffered a falling out with former Real Madrid boss Xabi Alonso on social media - Daily Mail

Thomas Frank personally spoke to Conor Gallagher to convince him to make the move to Tottenham amid interest from Aston Villa - The Telegraph

 

Great engine on him too, at the end within 20 seconds he went from byline to byline.

 

Declan Rice is Arsenal’s all-action hero. He can be England’s too
https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/6942212/2026/01/06/declan-rice-arsenal-england-world-cup/

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As we enter a World Cup year, England manager Thomas Tuchel will have a clear idea of the squad he wants to take to North America. He may indeed know the core of his ideal starting XI to face Croatia on June 17 in Arlington, Texas.

Depending on injuries, captain Harry Kane is a certainty and goalkeeper Jordan Pickford will be No 1. Declan Rice’s form for Arsenal this season has also made him one of the first names on the teamsheet.

Rice has been the epitome of consistency under Mikel Arteta and a driving force in Arsenal’s Premier League title challenges. Tuchel will hope he can do likewise for England in their bid to win a first World Cup on foreign soil.

Rice built his reputation as a defensive midfielder at West Ham United. His form prompted a £100million move to Arsenal in 2023, yet recently he has been playing more of an attacking role for club and country.

In an era obsessed with systems and players being tagged in very specific roles, Rice has become a throwback to midfielders of old. A box-to-box, all-action midfielder who is effective in both penalty areas.

Historically, England have often possessed players who boast a knack of timing their runs to score goals. After Bryan Robson and David Platt in the 1980s and 1990s came Steven Gerrard, Frank Lampard and Paul Scholes at the turn of the century. Successive managers were unable to solve the conundrum of how to accommodate the trio in the same side.

At Bournemouth on Saturday, Rice showed he could become that type of player for Tuchel’s England.

His four goals this season take him to within one of Leandro Trossard and Viktor Gyokeres as Arsenal’s top scorers this season, and his three assists put him only behind Trossard (four).

Rice is revelling in getting forward and he ranks fourth for Arsenal in total shots on goal (27) and shots on target (10).

He is also Arsenal’s second-highest chance creator with 32, just behind Bukayo Saka’s 37, and he has created the most big chances (nine) — golden opportunities to score that are expected to be taken — than any of his colleagues.

His tally of 142 line-breaking passes — a pass that is played between the line of defenders and pushes the team closer to the opposition goal — is also the highest, with Martin Zubimendi (133) second.

His greater attacking output doesn’t mean he has relinquished his defensive duties, either. His 33 tackles are the second highest behind Jurrien Timber (46) and his 18 interceptions are second only to Zubimendi’s 24. Rice has also regained possession for his side in the middle third 50 times, and 96 times across the entire pitch, the highest of any Arsenal player.

Given the freedom, Rice is extremely effective in open play, but he has played a significant role for Arsenal from set pieces too.

One of Arsenal’s many strengths in recent seasons is their effectiveness at set pieces. As one of the key takers of corners and free kicks, Rice’s delivery has been vital to that.

Arsenal top the Premier League list for the most goals from set plays this season (17) — 14 when excluding penalties — the most in the Premier League.

Rice has created 12 chances from set pieces, which is the seventh-highest in the league, but the most by an Arsenal player.

“Declan Rice is unbelievable,” defender Gabriel told Amazon Prime after Arsenal’s 4-0 Champions League victory against Atletico Madrid in October.


“I’m watching Arsenal and every time they get a corner, my head is in my hands,” former Liverpool defender and pundit Jamie Carragher said in October on the Sky Sports Premier League Podcast.

“I’ve never seen anything like this before in football. I think the whole football world feels every time they get a corner, they’re going to score a goal.”

Rice has forged a promising partnership with Nottingham Forest’s Elliot Anderson for England, with the latter providing the holding platform that allows Rice to break forward.

Anderson has also created one more chance than Rice this season from his set-piece deliveries, giving Tuchel even more options. Set pieces could be a defining factor in the tournament this summer.

Rice has also been robust this season. He has made 27 appearances in the Premier League, Champions League and League Cup, starting 22 matches. He overcame a knee injury to face Bournemouth and showed no signs of the knock hindering his performance. He scored twice in a league game for the first time in his career.

With Arsenal still involved in four competitions and competition likely to be long and as gruelling as ever, the only concern for Tuchel will come after the season. Despite his all-action style, any fatigue could be overcome by the buoyancy of what promises to be a memorable campaign for the Premier League leaders.

And, like Arteta, Tuchel knows he can rely on Rice to drive others on and off the pitch.

 

Myles Lewis-Skelly and the intensifying race to be England’s World Cup left-back
https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/6963477/2026/01/13/england-tuchel-left-back-options-world-cup/

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For those England hopefuls eyeing up a late run into Thomas Tuchel’s squad for this summer’s World Cup, there is always the hope that, in football, fortunes can quickly change.

Take the situation Arsenal’s Myles Lewis-Skelly finds himself in as a case in point.

The 19-year-old enjoyed an incredible rise during the 2024-25 season. He made 39 club appearances across all competitions in what was his breakthrough year at senior level, starting 26 of those games.

As a result, he earned the first of six England caps during Tuchel’s first game as head coach — against Albania at Wembley Stadium last March. He even scored the opening goal of the Tuchel era that night.

Tuchel showed how much he admired the teenager by turning to him to fill the problematic left-back berth in five of his first seven matches as England boss.

But Myles-Skelly has found this season much more of a struggle, for both club and country. He has started just once so far in the Premier League, following the summer arrival of fellow defender Piero Hincapie and Mikel Arteta’s preference for Riccardo Calafiori, and his start in the FA Cup at second-tier Portsmouth at the weekend was only his ninth of the season for Arsenal across the four competitions.

His lack of game time has meant Tuchel has looked elsewhere for left-back options this season, with Nico O’Reilly’s emergence at Manchester City giving the German another alternative as he begins to refine his squad ahead of the World Cup to be played in June and July in the United States, Canada and Mexico.

In contrast to Lewis-Skelly, O’Reilly, who is still only 20 himself, has started 16 Premier League games this season, and Tuchel has used him at left-back in England’s past two internationals.

“Myles was a very good team-mate and played for us in the last camp in the World Cup qualifier in Riga (a 5-0 win over Latvia on October 14),” Tuchel said in a press conference after announcing his squad for the November games against Albania and Serbia. “Myles simply needs more starts, more minutes. Now came a time when Nico O’Reilly had so many starts in that position (for City), so he is slightly ahead for this camp.”

The lack of action — Lewis-Skelly has played just 312 minutes in the Premier League this season — has also led to speculation around his club future, despite the fact he signed a new long-term contract last June.

Sometimes the rise of academy graduates can almost be too quick; this is undoubtedly the first big test of Lewis-Skelly’s career. It could be a special season for Arsenal, who are still fighting for silverware on all four fronts, and the number of games they will have to play to achieve the quadruple could present Lewis-Skelly with more opportunities that he simply must grab should they come along.

There is a lot to deal with for a player so young, and his focus must be simply on his club. Let his England place take care of itself.

O’Reilly himself has some competition as well, and Tuchel does have other possibilities at the position. Tottenham Hotspur’s Djed Spence was given the left-back role in the October friendly against Wales, while Tino Livramento of Newcastle United was preferred against Serbia last September.

Livramento’s current hamstring injury, picked up during the FA Cup win over Bournemouth at St James’ Park on Saturday, could now hand more opportunities for club colleague Lewis Hall to stake his claim. Hall has been a part of the England pathway from the under-15s through to the senior side. He picked up two caps under interim head coach Lee Carsley in 2024 after Gareth Southgate stepped down, but hasn’t featured for Tuchel yet and time is running out in terms of World Cup selection.

The home friendlies against Uruguay and Japan in March will be his last opportunity before Tuchel finalises his squad in May.

The only other player to have filled the left-back berth for this manager is Chelsea’s Reece James, who is a certainty to be in the World Cup squad if he can retain his fitness as the nation’s first-choice right-back. James stepped in on the left of England’s defence for a World Cup qualifier last June against Andorra.

James offers an interesting solution, with his ability to step into midfield when England are in possession, as he has done for Chelsea. That would require Tuchel to also have a strong, left-sided central defender to step across to make a back three. That player is likely to be Dan Burn of Newcastle when he returns from his rib injury.

Then there is the almost forgotten man, Luke Shaw, who has been enjoying his most productive season in three years in terms of appearances for Manchester United. Shaw made his England debut in 2014 but has earned only 34 caps, mainly because of the number of injuries he has suffered.

He is now 30 and hasn’t made an appearance since the European Championship final against Spain 18 months ago, so it would be a major turnaround in fortune for Shaw to get the call for World Cup 2026.

But again, fortunes quickly change in football — and, when it comes to being named in a squad for a major tournament, timing can be everything.

I really hope we never see Dan Burn starting a match at the World Cup.

 

Acheampong and Chalobah start for Chelsea. Tosin, George and Mheuka are on the bench.
White, Rice and Saka start for Arsenal. Lewis-Skelly, Eze and Madueke are on the bench.