England to bury demons of the past in Iceland
Restructuring of League A of the UEFA Nations League meant that Iceland were reprieved of their relegation in the inaugural edition of the competition, and now battle it out for a second time joined in Group 2 by England, Belgium and Denmark. Gareth Southgate has named a new look England squad for their trip to Laugardalsvöllur and may be experimenting should the team prove comfortably the better side. The Three Lions are strong favourites however with the memory of their infamous 2016 triumph the Icelandic’s will be determined to challenge this youthful side. The goalscorers in that 2-1 win in France, Ragnar Sigurdsson and Kolbeinn Sigthorsson will be ready to cause another upset.
Fresh faces
Due to a mixture of fitness concerns and experimentation there are a lot of surprising names in the England squad. There are first time call ups in the form of Conor Coady, Ainsley Maitland-Niles, Kalvin Phillips, Jack Grealish and Mason Greenwood. With Danny Ings also earning his place in the squad having banged in the goals on the south coast for Southampton last term. Having typically used a 4-3-3 formation since the World Cup in 2018 it will be interesting to see what personnel the former Middlesbrough man opts for.
Conor Coady is the captain of Wolverhampton Wanderers and despite playing as a centre back, it has almost been exclusively in a back three that suits his game a lot more. Defensively there is still a lot to be desired for the 27-year-old, it seems unlikely he will play any role in these fixtures.
Ainsley Maitland-Niles provides excellent versatility for Southgate, sometimes a player who has been a victim of his own versatility, losing out to players with more specialised positions. He can play in central midfield, wide midfield or at fullback and is a good player to have in your squad, as he continues to break into the Arsenal first team on a more regular basis.
Kalvin Phillips is an exciting holding midfield monster raised in the EFL. The 24-year-old has been completely transformed from a creative midfield lacking end product to a beast in front of the defence, adept at breaking up and dictating play to devastating effect. He played a huge part in Leeds United’s Championship title last season and will be one to keep an eye in the English topflight in the coming months.
Jack Grealish has certainly earned his place in this roster, the man has dragged Aston Villa to Premier League survival and after deterring advances from the Republic of Ireland in years gone by, finally gets his chance with England. 10 goals and eight assists in 2019/20 is no mean feat when playing for a side with the attacking deficiencies clearly strewn across Dean Smith’s squad.
Lastly there is teenage sensation Mason Greenwood who really burst onto the scene in Manchester United’s successful Champions League chase after lockdown. Capable at scoring from range with either foot, Greenwood has a big part to play for his country in the future.
England are just too strong and will want to put the past behind them with a convincing victory.
Post bet chat Marcus's Tips:
A late Raheem Sterling penalty got the Three Lions over the line in a frustrating match. 1-0.