Roy Hodgson may have delayed announcing his England squad for the European Championships until Monday, but here at TheSPORTbible we've literally got nothing better to do than shout at each other about who's squad is better, so we went ahead and beat Roy to the punch.
There are, of course, several factors to take into account when selecting 23 players to take on the plane to France, next month. As we've seen at so many tournaments in the past, it's not always skill, ability and form that decide where the trophy ends up. Experience and attitude are also key when constructing a squad of potential winners. Think of the Netherlands squad of 2012 with Robben, Van Persie and Sneijder who crashed out without earning so much as a point or Spain likewise not making it past the group stage in 2004 despite having Fernando Torres, Morientes, Xavi, Xabi Alonso, Carles Puyol, Iker Casillas and Raul at their disposal.
Fortunately, England have been blessed with a plethora of young, hungry talent ahead of Euro 2016 with the likes of Harry Kane, Dele Alli and Eric Dier all enjoying the best season of their careers this term while (athough not young) Jamie Vardy's meteoric rise from non league to Premier League champion is likewise a reason to be excited. The defence is a disaster and no one knows quite where captain and all time leading goal scorer Wayne Rooney fits into all of this,but let's just ignore those problems and be overjoyed that there's no longer a discussion about how to fit Steven Gerrard and Frank Lampard into the same midfield.
So, after all that had been taken into consideration, several questions remained; Does Jack Wilshere deserve a place on the plane? Two up top or Alli in behind Kane? Is there any point taking eight defenders? And what of Jermain Defoe and his 18 goals in 33 games for Sunderland, this season? Also, who's likely to send all these best laid plans into a tailspin by getting themselves injured on the eve of the tournament?
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Anyway, somehow we managed to stop barking at each other about Jack Wilshere's legs being made of breadsticks long enough to construct a decent series of squads:
Jack Kenmare (@jackkenmare_)
Goalkeepers: Hart, Forster, Heaton
Defenders: Clyne, Walker, Rose, Bertrand, Stones, Smalling, Cahill
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Midfielders: Dier, Alli, Barkley, Sterling, Henderson, Lallana, Drinkwater, Milner
Forwards: Rooney, Sturridge, Vardy, Kane, Defoe
Nasir Jabbar (@NasJabbar)
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Goalkeepers: Hart, Forster, Heaton
Defenders: Clyne, Walker, Rose, Bertrand, Smalling, Cahill, Stones, Jagielka
Midfielders: Dier, Alli, Henderson, Barkley, Lallana, Milner, Sterling
Forwards: Rooney, Kane, Vardy, Sturridge, Carroll
Ryan Sidle (@Sidler28)
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Goalkeepers: Hart, Forster, Darlow
Defenders: Clyne, Walker, Smalling, Cahill, Stones, Bertrand, Rose
Midfielders: Milner, Dier, Alli, Drinkwater, Barkley, Lallana, Sterling, Albrighton
Forwards: Rooney, Vardy, Kane, Sturridge, Rashford
James Parrott (@JamesParrott10)
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Goalkeepers: Hart, Forster, Heaton
Defenders: Clyne, Walker, Stones, Jagielka, Cahill, Smalling, Rose, Bertrand
Midfielders: Wilshere, Alli, Barkley, Sterling, Dier, Lallana, Drinkwater
Forwards: Kane, Rooney, Vardy, Sturridge, Defoe
Joe Baiamonte (@JoeBaia) - EURO '96 20TH ANNIVERSARY REUNION
Goalkeepers: Seaman, Flowers, Walker
Defenders: Pearce, G.Neville, Adams, Southgate, Howey, Campbell, P.Neville
Midfielders: Gascoigne, Ince, Anderton, Platt, Redknapp, Barmby, Stone, McManaman
Forwards: Shearer, Sheringham, Fowler, Ferdinand
Paddy Hill (@paddyhill18)
Goalkeepers: Hart, Forster, Heaton
Defenders: Clyne, Walker, Smalling, Cahill, Stones, Jagielka, Rose, Cresswell
Midfielders: Dier, Alli, Drinkwater, Milner, Wilshere, Lallana, Sterling, Walcott
Forwards: Vardy, Kane, Sturridge, Gestede (He's not English, I just fucking love him!)
Mark Whitehead (@MarkyWhitehead)
Goalkeepers: Hart, Forster, Foster
Defenders: Clyne, Walker, Rose, Bertrand, Stones, Smalling, Cahill
Midfielders: Dier, Alli, Barkley, Sterling, Wilshere, Lallana, Drinkwater, Walcott, Milner
Forwards: Sturridge, Vardy, Kane, Rooney
Macaulay Fletcher (@Macaullay95)
Goalkeepers: Hart, Forster, Heaton
Defenders: Smalling, Stones, Cahill, Rose, Clyne, Bertrand, Walker.
Midfielders: Alli, Dier, Barkey, Milner, Drinkwater, Sterling, Lallana, Henderson
Forwards: EMILE HESKEY, Kane, Vardy, Sturridge, Defoe
Who's squad would serve England best in France this Summer? (COUGHJOE'SCOUGH). Have your say in the comments section below.
Featured Image Credit:Topics: Euro 2016, Football, England