World Cup Fantasy 2022 team previews: England

Our World Cup Fantasy team previews continue with England, who are bidding to reach successive tournament finals in Qatar.

In these country-by-county guides, we’ll be looking at the best players from each nation, taking a stab at predicted line-ups, reviewing the road to Qatar and more.

We’re mostly going group by group with our previews but some nations may not follow that order as we await input from correspondents for all the other 31 countries bar the Three Lions.

All prices given are from the official FIFA World Cup Fantasy game.

THE ROAD TO QUALIFICATION

Qualification was achieved comfortably for England, as they finished top of Group I, six points clear of second-placed Poland and unbeaten over the course of 10 matches.

The Three Lions scored 39 goals along the way, conceding just three, with captain Harry Kane ($11.0m) top scorer with 12.

• Most starts: John Stones (8), Harry Kane (7), Raheem Sterling (7), Kalvin Phillips (7)
• Most goals: Harry Kane (12), Harry Maguire (4)
• Most assists: Phil Foden (4), Trent Alexander-Arnold (3)
• Clean sheets: 7 from 10

RECORD SINCE QUALIFYING

It may have been a stress-free qualification for England but things have turned since last November.

Gareth Southgate’s side suffered relegation in the Nations League after failing to win any of their six summer matches.

A 4-0 humiliation against Hungary was the Three Lions’ biggest home defeat since 1928.

SEPTEMBER INTERNATIONAL LINE-UPS

23/09/2022 – Italy 1-0 England

(3-4-2-1) Pope; Walker, Dier, Maguire; James, Rice, Bellingham, Saka; Foden, Sterling; Kane

26/09/2022 – England 3-3 Germany (Shaw, Mount, Kane)

(3-4-2-1) Pope; Stones, Dier, Maguire; James, Rice, Bellingham, Shaw; Foden, Sterling; Kane

HOW FAR WILL THEY GET?

England have recently become one of the more successful sides in tournament football, albeit without actually winning anything. After reaching the semi-final of the World Cup in 2018, the Three Lions lost in the final of EURO 2020. As a result, they are among the favourites to go one better in Qatar.

England is the top seed in Group B and is joined by the USA, Iran and Wales. On the face of it, it’s quite a kind draw, with the USA considered the biggest threat.

Should they win the group, they would then meet the runners-up of Group A, either Qatar, Senegal, Netherlands or Ecuador. The Netherlands should win that group, so that would mean a round-of-16 match against Senegal (they are the bookies’ favourites to finish runners-up), Ecuador or Qatar.

However, Gareth Southgate’s men have not had the best 2022 in terms of results or performances, meaning optimism is low, so they will need to rediscover their best form if they are to reach the latter stages of the tournament.

STRENGTHS

Under Southgate, England have tended to favour a more defensive set-up: the Three Lions have conceded 0.68 goals per game during his time in charge.

It isn’t always pretty, but keeping it tight is arguably more important than scoring from open play in tournament football. Indeed, they kept clean sheets in their first five games at EURO 2020.

However, they have managed to keep just two clean sheets in their eight outings this calendar year, while neither John Stones ($5.5m), Harry Maguire ($5.5m) or Eric Dier are in great form, which means Southgate may opt for a back five formation to help try and shore things up.

Another strength is set-pieces, which were the cornerstone of England’s World Cup 2018 success. In Kieran Trippier ($5.0m), they possess a dead-ball specialist with aerial threats like Kane and the centre-halves to aim for – all four of Maguire’s World Cup qualifying goals were from set-pieces.

Furthermore, the players have experience in the final stages of major tournaments, which shouldn’t be overlooked.

WEAKNESSES

England boasts a strong collection of forwards and some of the best young players in world football, but Southgate perhaps needs to release the handbrake if they are to truly shine in Qatar.

Overall, they are averaging 2.12 goals per game under Southgate, but against top-tier opponents, they often lack creativity and imagination in the final third, despite seeing plenty of the ball.

The Three Lions scored just four goals across their last six matches and three of those came in the draw with Germany.

It’s also worth noting that Kane, Raheem Sterling ($8.5m) and Marcus Rashford are the only squad members who are into double figures for goals in an England shirt.

THE KEY FANTASY TARGETS

Having netted 51 goals in just 75 games at international level, Harry Kane is England’s key player. The 29-year-old is one of the world’s best finishers, creators and penalty-takers, and finished as top scorer in the 2018 World Cup with six goals on the way to winning the Golden Boot. Kane is the most obvious source of goals for England and his form will be integral to any hopes of success in this tournament.

Alongside him, Raheem Sterling will likely be called upon for his pace and creativity, and at just $8.5m, is a cheaper option to Kane up top.

Elsewhere, attacking midfield options Phil Foden ($8.5m), Bukayo Saka ($8.0m), Jack Grealish ($7.5m) and Mason Mount ($7.5m) could also shine, although it remains to be seen where they stand in the pecking order, with two places up for grabs at most alongside Kane and Sterling.

Jude Bellingham ($7.5m) is England’s emerging star, performing very well in the friendlies leading up to the tournament. His prospects in midfield would be handed a boost if Southgate opts for a back five formation, which in turn, would give him a bit more attacking freedom, rather than if he’s deployed in a double-pivot in, say, a 4-2-3-1.

At the back, Kieran Trippier ($5.0m) is England’s most creative player and arrives at a tempting price. He chipped in with the team’s only goal in the 2018 World Cup semi-final and if he’s on free-kicks and corners, will be an excellent option.

If Luke Shaw ($5.0m) nails down the left-back role, he has goalscoring form in an England shirt.

PREDICTED LINE-UP

Southgate will be tactically flexible in Qatar, something which was evident at EURO 2020: England played a 4-2-3-1 in the group stage games but opted for a 3-4-2-1 in knockout fixtures against Germany and Italy.

Southgate settled on the latter formation in England’s most recent friendlies, but we’ll include both set-ups here:

(3-4-2-1): Pickford; Stones, Dier, Maguire; Trippier, Rice, Bellingham, Shaw; Foden, Sterling; Kane

(4-2-3-1): Pickford; Trippier, Stones, Dier, Shaw; Rice, Bellingham; Foden, Mount, Sterling; Kane