Kevin Phillips’ Expert Analysis: England World Cup Squad Review

Harry Kane – England’s Best Ever

Wayne Rooney was a phenomenal striker. Shearer was a great striker, as was Michael Owen. But I think Harry Kane surpasses the lot, if I’m being honest. It’s just his consistency to keep doing it. Week in and week out, it just shows the calibre of the player. He’s getting on a little bit now, isn’t he? He’s not as young as he used to be, but it hasn’t stopped him. If anything, he’s working harder, and his all-around game has come on a million, bundles. But he hasn’t stopped scoring goals. So, for me, he’s the best England striker that we’ve had, for sure.

Danny Welbeck Deserves Call-Up

I do think he deserved a call-up, if I’m being honest. At his age, to score 12 goals in the Premier League is phenomenal. But not just that, when you look at him, he still looks like a young lad. He’s very mobile. He’s got the experience now, having played where he has played. When you look at the players they’ve got in there, Solanke, Tottenham are having a terrible season, and he hasn’t pulled up many trees.

If he was going on form, I certainly would have put Welbeck in there and had a look at him. If he goes on now and scores another five, six goals before the end of the season, he could be potentially sitting near 20 Premier League goals, which is a phenomenal return, and you can’t ignore it. So, I am a little bit surprised if I’m being honest.

Dominic Calvert-Lewin Impact

Again, 10 goals this season. He’s having an excellent resurgence in his career at Leeds. He gives you something a little bit different. We all know that he works his socks off, but aerially, he’s very good in the air. His timing is good. He can flick balls on. He’s good from set plays. And he showed this season that he’s kept himself fit, which is a credit to him. But he can score goals. And a player like that, when you get a running form, or you get a run of games, it’s amazing what it can do to you.

So, again, if he can keep fit, he could be a big, important player for England in the summer, like you rightly say, coming off the bench at important times, because we all know World Cup games are always very tight, fine margins. It might take a Calvert-Lewin to come off the bench and nick us a goal. So, delighted to see him back involved.

Ollie Watkins Omission

Well, I would say, on this season alone, you would have to say no, he shouldn’t be England’s backup striker. Last season, yes, but I think he has found it difficult this year. He’s only got himself nine goals, and he isn’t the Ollie Watkins that we’ve seen. So, there are players at the moment that are, as the two players we just spoke about, Calvert-Lewin and Danny Welbeck, who have scored more goals and are in better form.

So, you would have to say that they’re ahead of him. I’m not surprised that he isn’t in the squad. I am a bit surprised about Solanke. Yes, we know he’s got good qualities, but he’s playing in a team that’s been really, really poor this season. So, if you’re going on form, you would have to say that, as I said, Welbeck and Calvert-Lewin are ahead of Ollie Watkins.

Chris Rigg Future Prospect

Let’s not forget he’s still a kid. What is he, 18 now? I did a piece with him at the training ground last week. When you talk to him, he’s a kid. He’s one of those players; he came into the team very, very early. It was well documented in the press and the media. This kid has got everything. He’s got the world at his feet. It’s natural that you’re going to hit a little bit of a slump.

But again, credit to him for coming out the other side and putting in the performances that he has done. On the pitch against Brighton. He was fantastic at the weekend against Newcastle. So he’s a good player, a very good player. So, very harsh. But does it surprise me with the media? No, not at all.

It shows you all about the player when he brushes it to one side and puts the performance in. So, if he continues to play the way he is and does it again next season, I’m pretty certain he will get an England call-up for sure.

Jordan Henderson Return to Sunderland?

I think the sentimental part of me would like to see it, and I think the fans would. But Jordan’s a phenomenal player. He’s been one of the best midfielders we’ve had in the Premier League and in the England squad. If he were to come back, of course, he would come back in a capacity where he knows he’s not going to play every week. But what a player to bring in around the place, like Xhaka has done this year.

So, on that note, yes, I would like to see that happen. But, bringing him back as a player to try and improve the squad, I don’t see that happening, if I’m being honest. But I could see him coming back in a coaching capacity someday because he’s a hero up here and rightly so.

Kobbie Mainoo Resurgence

I think it’s clear for everyone to see United made the right choice in him over Amorim. Again, another young player who came in early, didn’t he? He was in the England squad at one point, first name on the England team sheet. He dipped off a bit.

Amorim didn’t fancy him, but he kept his head down, he kept quiet and waited for his opportunity. When Carrick took over, Carrick knew the player. We all know he’s a quality player; he just needed a run of games to get back to the form that he showed when he first broke onto the scene. No surprise that he’s hit top form, played nearly every minute under Carrick, he’s an excellent player.

So, Man United, after all the rounds, nearly made a mistake there because they nearly lost one of their very young, talented players. But it’s another player in England’s squad who we know can perform with a Three Lions shirt on, which is great.

Rashford vs Gordon

It’s a real tough one, a real tough one. They both played 24 games this season. Rashford scored four goals, six assists for Barcelona. Gordon’s 24 again, six goals and two assists. It’s really tight. If you had to really push me, I’d probably opt for Rashford, just for his experience in an England shirt at major tournaments. He’s had a resurgence back over in Barcelona. There’s good reports coming there. So, if he keeps it up going into the summer, I think just from his experience, and we know what he can bring to an England side, so I would probably pick him slightly over Anthony Gordon.

Newcastle Defenders in Squad

I think when you look at those three players, are they at fault for Newcastle’s poor form? No. I think Lewis Hall has been magnificent this season, for Newcastle. Dan Burn, he’s Dan Burn, he’ll give you 100 per cent every game. Livramento, we know he’s a quality player, he’s been in and out of the team.

So, no surprise that they’re three quality English players. But Lewis Hall’s the pick for me out of those three. He’s been outstanding in European games as well this season. So, no, I’m not surprised they have been called-up because we want our best players in the England squad to give us the best opportunity and there’s certainly three of those for sure.

Fikayo Tomori Premier League Return

He’s playing in one of the biggest clubs in the world, isn’t he, and he’s playing regularly. He’s still only 28, so he’s played 139 games for AC Milan. That’s some going. So, from a personal point of view, if he’s looking to try and get back into the England squad regularly, then perhaps playing in England would highlight it more, it’s more in your face, you get more media coverage over here and it will probably help his opportunity.

So, it wouldn’t surprise me if I saw Tomori back in the Premier League come the start of next season. Where? I don’t know. Liverpool are looking for a new centre-half, maybe there, but Newcastle as well. So, I think, coming to the Premier League certainly gives you a better opportunity of getting an England spot for sure.

Jarell Quansah Liverpool Mistake

I think Liverpool will regret selling him. They got £30 million for him, which of course is good business, but he’s gone to Leverkusen. I think he signed for £30 million to Bayer Leverkusen. He scored on his debut and he’s been playing really well. He’s a great young player.

I think we’ve seen it over the years when players have left clubs and gone on and done really well and they regret it. So perhaps now Liverpool probably wish they kept hold of him because of the problems they’re having at centre half. So again, another player that looks really doing well for himself, having left, English football. Will we see him back in the Premier League at some point? I think we will, for sure.

Jordan Pickford – Best Sunderland Academy Player

He’s one of the best Premier League goalkeepers for sure. There’s been some incredible English ones, no more than David Seaman, who I played with. Jordan has been fantastic this season. Some of the saves he’s pulled off have been incredible. His distribution is excellent; he’s just a quality goalkeeper.

He probably is the best Sunderland academy player. Him and Jordan Henderson, you’d probably have to say are two of the best Sunderland players that have come out of Sunderland. There’s probably not much between them. So, Jordan Pickford is going to be in between those sticks for England for a good while yet, especially after the performances he’s made this season. Right up there with Jordan Henderson for sure.

Kevin Phillips’ England Starting XI

As it stands, hoping everyone’s fit, of course. There are so many quality players to pick from. But, of course, Pickford starts for me. Maybe a slight surprise left back, but I know Lewis Hall’s always been brilliant, but I’m going to go for Nico O’Reilly at Man City. I think he’s a fabulous player, getting the two goals in the cup final. So he starts for me if he’s fit. Guehi starts for me as well. He’s been a regular alongside Konsa. I think the partnership’s good there. If Reece James is fit, he starts for me. I think he’s a quality full-back, so hopefully he’ll be fit.

The two sitters pick themselves pretty much. Declan Rice and Anderson are the two who would sit in front of that back four. Just in front of them, that’s probably the hardest for everyone to predict. When you look at the players there, you’ve got Palmer, Foden, Bellingham and Morgan Rogers, and none of them are particularly playing well at the moment. They’ve all had their issues. If they’re all fit and after the season that they’ve had, I’d probably just shave Morgan Rogers, if I’m being honest. I think he has had a good season with Villa, brings you something a little bit different.

So, I think him in the 10, then I’d go Rashford, as we said earlier, on the left, Saka, picks himself on the right and then of course Harry Kane up top. So, that would be my starting XI come the World Cup first game.

Newcastle Derby Win

It means everything. Unless you live in the area or come from the area, you don’t realise how big this game is to everyone connected with Newcastle and Sunderland. It’s like a religion. The build-up to it is non-stop wherever you go. People are talking about it. It’s life or death. Crazy.

So, for Sunderland to come out on top in the first meeting was fantastic at the stadium and then to go to St James’ which isn’t easy for anyone but especially in a derby, it was just a remarkable performance and a remarkable result and I have to say a well-deserved result, thoroughly deserved it. So, it means everything to the football club.

They had that little blip, they lost to Port Vale in the cup which was a setback. They lost at home, which I didn’t see in the game, but apparently it’s a poor performance. So then to lift yourself and go to St James’ and put that performance in and get the win, it gives them that real belief now and that maybe another kickstart to finish the season, the last seven games, really, really strong.

Luke O’Nien Character

It doesn’t surprise me how well he bounced back. I know Luke. I’ve spent time in his company. He’s a very confident honest lad and, for him to make that mistake in the biggest game of the season, it can really affect you, but you saw in his response, his reaction, didn’t let it affect him. He brushed it off and went on and put in an unbelievable, you could almost say man of the match performance, didn’t put a foot wrong afterwards. So it just shows you the character of the player.

I see him having a massive role at the club. On and off the pitch. He’s the club captain. People respect him. And the biggest thing for me is he’s shown that he can play in the Premier League and he can play in an intense atmosphere. So I think he’s a big, a big member of Sunderland’s squad moving forward for sure.