England’s strength in depth is almost unmatched. It’s probably only bettered by World Cup favourites France. What other country can afford to leave stars like Trent Alexander-Arnold, Cole Palmer and Phil Foden at home without missing much of a beat?
Such is the competition for places among the Three Lions that many footballers who could play for England actually represent other countries instead. Some of those are personal choices, some are more down to the quality of their positional rivals, some due to closer ties with those other nations, and more often than not they are a combination of all three.
You can actually make an alternative (and functional) England XI out of players who are at this World Cup, but not in Thomas Tuchel’s squad. Don’t believe us? Have a gander for yourself…
Owen Goodman – goalkeeper
It was a struggle to find another goalkeeper at this World Cup who could technically have played for England, but we just about got there (in a more perfect world, David Raya signs for Blackburn Rovers a couple of years earlier to gain British citizenship, but I guess that’s asking too much).
