England’s Best Euro 2020 Side (According To FIFA 21)
- Nick Pope given the gloves over Jordan Pickford
- Trent Alexander-Arnold starts as England’s first choice right back
- No room for Mason Mount, Jack Grealish or Phil Foden
- James Maddison makes a surprising start
England national team coach Gareth Southgate is both blessed and cursed with one of the most deep and talented pools of players available for any manager heading into Euro 2020 and, irregardless of who he plays at this summer’s tournament, there will be countless debates swirling around over who should make his starting eleven.
In the interest of fairness, we ran the entire England squad through Fifa and came up with the best side according to the base in-game ratings.
Nick Pope Sees Out Competition From Pickford And Henderson
In both a skill gaming title such as Fifa and a real world sport like Football, having a reliable figure in between the sticks in goal is an absolute must. But whilst from Banks to Shilton England have had one of the finest histories for goalkeeping, they are once again poised to enter a major competition with question marks over who their best number one is currently.
Gareth Southgate has made no secret of his favouring of Jordan Pickford, England’s number one throughout their memorable run to the 2018 World Cup semi finals, though the often error-prone shot stopper has seen his Fifa stock slip below Burnley’s Nick Pope.
Despite the public predictions from the likes of Gary Neville that Manchester United’s new number one Dean Henderson could make a surprise surge to the starting lineup, we think England’s best bet ahead of Euro 2020 would be to go with Pope’s 82 rating.
Trent Gets The Nod
Much was made of Trent Alexander-Arnold’s omission by Gareth Southgate from the latest England squad for their 2022 qualifiers against San Marino, Albania and Poland. The Liverpool right back has won countless plaudits and is rightfully regarded as one of the best right backs in the world following his performances over the past couple of years, but nevertheless he has come under increasing scrutiny for his apparent defensive issues so far this campaign.
In fact, in the week following his omission from the England team, Alexander-Arnold’s defensive frailties against the world’s best was painfully highlighted in the first leg of the Champions League quarter finals against Real Madrid. However, sandwiched between that poor performance, were two spellbinding displays against Arsenal and Aston Villa that should remind every football fan out there about the quality Trent Alexander-Arnold possesses.
With the likes of Reece James, Kieran Trippier, Kyle Walker and Aaron Wan-Bissaka all vying for the same position, Trent gets the nod in our Fifa team as England’s best choice for right back with a huge 87 rating.
Jadon Sancho Completes The Forward Line
With Manchester City’s Raheem Sterling and current national team captain Harry Kane both practically auto-include for Gareth Southgate, the forward line of England’s side is perhaps the most exciting and hotly discussed areas of the pitch.
Chelsea’s Mason Mount, Leicester City’s James Maddison, Manchester City’s Phil Foden and Aston Villa’s Jack Grealish are all worth their place on the plane, however with Gareth Southgate’s steadfast belief in a 4-2-3-1/ 4-3-3 formation complete with two holding midfielders, spaces on the starting eleven are few and far between.
However, according to Fifa 21, Southgate’s starting place should be reserved for Borussia Dortmund’s Jadon Sancho. The 21 year old made the brave decision to snup Pep Guardiola and move to Dortmund in 2017, and has established himself as one of the most talismanic and gifted players in European football. His performances at the top table of the Bundesliga and in the Champions League has led to the England forward being given a cool 87 rating, much higher than the likes of Mount, Grealish and Foden who have all had breakthrough seasons and will be hoping their impressive form will be enough to earn the manager’s nod come the start of the tournament in the summer.
Jadon Sancho is capable of playing either as a number ten and as a winger on either flank, though his best position according to the game is on the right wing alongside Harry Kane and Raheem Sterling.
England Euro 2020 Fifa 21 Team