England UEFA Euro 2016 Predicted Lineup: Probable Starting 11 for the Three Lions
Although England have won only one major international tournament in their entire football history, the English media have always made sure that The Three Lions are one of the favourites to win any tournament, adding extra pressure onto the players. The English players will have to handle the pressure when they begin their Euro 2016 campaign against Russia on June 12.
England are going to play the tournament with the youngest average age of all teams and it remains to be seen whether Roy Hodgson can come up with the right combination to fit in all his best players.
With a lot of youngsters in the squad, the onus will be on the experienced players to step up and put in performances that will help the Three Lions go all the way in the tournament. We take a look at the possible starting XI for England based on their form for their country as well as their form in the 2015/16 season.
Here is the 23-man squad for England:
Goalkeepers: Fraser Forster (Southampton, ENG), Joe Hart (Manchester City, ENG), Tom Heaton (Burnley, ENG)
Defenders: Ryan Bertrand (Southampton, ENG), Gary Cahill (Chelsea, ENG), Nathaniel Clyne (Liverpool, ENG), Danny Rose (Tottenham Hotspur, ENG), Chris Smalling (Manchester United, ENG), John Stones (Everton, ENG), Kyle Walker (Tottenham Hotspur, ENG)
Midfielders: Dele Alli (Tottenham Hotspur, ENG), Ross Barkley (Everton, ENG), Eric Dier (Tottenham Hotspur, ENG), Jordan Henderson (Liverpool, ENG), Adam Lallana (Liverpool, ENG), Raheem Sterling (Manchester City, ENG), Jack Wilshere (Arsenal, ENG)
Forwards: Harry Kane (Tottenham Hotspur, ENG), Marcus Rashford (Manchester United, ENG), Wayne Rooney (Manchester United, ENG), Daniel Sturridge (Liverpool, ENG), Jamie Vardy (Leicester City, ENG).
Formation: 4-4-2 (Diamond)
Goalkeeper – Joe Hart
Joe Hart has been England’s Number 1 goalkeeper for the last few years and will definitely don the gloves for the Three Lions. Although Manchester City finished in the fourth position in the English Premier League (EPL) table, Hart was one of the better players for them.
The 29-year-old kept 15 clean sheets in 35 EPL appearances. This was the joint second highest for any goalkeeper in the league, only one behind Golden Glove winner, Petr Cech. Despite not being the best distributor of the ball, his saves per game ratio of 2.23 this season is something that will aid England's bid to win the tournament.