Ah, summer…
It feels like just yesterday we were celebrating England’s World Cup goals by throwing £5 pints (which we queued 25 minutes for) over strangers dressed in knock-off retro shirts.
The lads did us proud in Russia and while the World Cup trophy may not have come home, football definitely did.
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But life comes at us fast.
Just a few months on from the Three Lions’ unexpected fourth-place finish, the best possible England team looks very different — in our opinion at least…
Jordan Pickford denying Carlos Bacca in the round of 16 shootout was one of the standout moments of England’s World Cup run.
Mocked for his relative small stature by Thibaut Courtois, the Everton keeper was in top form for the duration of the summer.
However, errors in judgement have contributed to a mediocre season for the Toffees.
Pickford’s howler in the Merseyside derby is the overarching memory of his campaign.
Gareth Southgate will almost definitely standby his World Cup No1, but Tom Heaton’s form cannot be ignored.
The Burnley keeper has won more points in nine games than Fulham have all season.
Kieran Trippier’s free-kick against Croatia was the pinnacle of exist — this is non-negotiable.
Such was our excitement during those dizzy days, we genuinely referred to Trips as ‘the Bury Beckham’ without any hint of sarcasm.
Many Spurs fans now consider him a liability, a reputation that was reaffirmed when he opened his body up to place a cool finish past Hugo Lloris against Chelsea.
Trippier’s fall from grace is the most spectacular of the lot — he would be lucky to make Southgate’s squad now.
Trent Alexander-Arnold, Kyle Walker and the emerging Aaron Wan-Bissaka are all above the Spurs man in our pecking order.
We haven’t ditched Slabhead as well, have we?
Harry Maguire was perhaps the most popular man in the country during the summer.
We would have no complaints if he kept his place at the heart of England’s defence, but if injuries were no option wouldn’t Joe Gomez be a better partner for John Stones?
Ben Chilwell has taken Ashley Young’s spot at left-back since the World Cup and the experienced Man United utility man has also been usurped by Danny Rose and Luke Shaw.
In midfield, we want proud Englishman Declan Rice in the mix as soon as possible — maybe Sean Longstaff as well?
Jordan Henderson makes the squad but we’d like to see either Harry Winks or James Maddison secure a regular spot in the engine room.
Eight goals and ten assists represents an insane Bundesliga return for 18-year-old Jadon Sancho at this stage.
The former Man City starlet would make a great super sub but now that Marcus Rashford has focused his energy on carving out a career as a centre-forward, Sancho could well be starter.
Raheem Sterling, John Stones, Harry Kane and Dele Alli are the only four of the World Cup regulars who make our current England starting XI.
Although the likes of Marcus Rashford, Jesse Lingard and Ruben Loftus-Cheek are very much in the mix, as well as Walker, Maguire and Henderson.
Victory in the Nations League would continue the Three Lions’ momentum and with a host of emerging talent bolstering a squad that made the the World Cup semi-finals, the future looks bright.
Most importantly, we trust in Southgate.
Whatever the waistcost-wearing genius decides, we’ll back him 100%.
Now, time to watch this again…
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