There’s a little thing called the World Cup happening in Russia this summer and we’re pretty excited about it.
So to gear-up for the big tournament, England face Holland and Italy in a couple of warm-up friendlies at the end of March.
Three Lions boss Gareth Southgate announced his squad for the upcoming games on Thursday, with four uncapped players – James Tarkowski, Nick Pope, Alfie Mawson and Lewis Cook – making the cut. The likes of Joe Hart, Jack Wilshere and Danny Welbeck are also included.
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But who should make the squad based on Dream Team points scored this season?
We’re sure it’s something you’ve all been privately thinking about, right? Luckily, we’ve done the hard-work and named a 23-man squad ranked solely on points scored.
First off, here’s our starting XI…
Goalkeepers:
Fantasy football fans will be pleased to see that Nick Pope (102 points) starts between the sticks for our England side.
The Burnley shot-stopper only made his Premier League debut back in September, coming on for the injured Tom Heaton against Crystal Palace.
But since then, he’s kept 10 clean sheets and has become one of the worst-kept secrets on Dream Team, notching 102 points so far – more than Thibaut Courtois and Petr Cech, among others.
Backing up Pope, we’ve got Jordan Pickford (53 points) and Jack Butland (45 points), proving that it’s been a relatively disappointing season for English goalies.
Defenders:
As a mainstay in Man City’s (almost certain) title-winning side, Kyle Walker (166 points) has been a Dream Team favourite this season with over 30% of managers picking him in their side.
Joining him in our back-line is the surprise sight of Chris Smalling (147 points), who’s been a regular under Jose Mourinho this term despite rarely impressing for the Red Devils.
James Tarkowski (112 points) is a whole different story, bursting onto the scene thanks to Burnley’s awesome campaign in much the same way Pope has. Alongside him is Harry Maguire (106 points), another Dream Team favourite who’s surely on the plane this summer.
Backing up our main back-four is Kieran Trippier (106 points), Phil Jones (102 points) and John Stones (95 points).
Midfielders:
You won’t be too surprised to hear that Raheem Sterling (222 points) is one of the best points-scoring midfielders on Dream Team this season, as the little winger has been a big part of City’s title-push. He’s sure to be one of the main men for England this summer too.
Joining him in our midfield trio is Dele Alli (146 points) and Jesse Lingard (130 points), which will certainly please United fans.
On the bench, we’ve got Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain (84 points) who’s come on leaps and bounds for Liverpool as the season has progressed, while Ashley Young (79 points) and Jack Wilshere (63 points) are genuine contenders to make the plane.
James Ward-Prowse and Demarai Gray (both 62 points) will be lucky to even make the back-ups list for Southgate, but they’ve made our squad.
Attackers:
Harry Kane (335 points) – as our top points scorer this season – duly makes the plane and few can argue that, even if he is slightly crocked at the moment.
Joining the Spurs striker up front is Marcus Rashford (139 points), who’s certainly been helped by his two goals against Liverpool at the weekend.
Jamie Vardy (124 points) continues to show he’s more than just a one-season wonder, netting 14 times in the Premier League so far this season.
The biggest surprise of the lot is surely Glenn Murray (97 points), who’s seriously knocking on the door for his first international call-up. Theo Walcott (87) could make his first World Cup appearance since 2006.
It’s worth noting that the likes of Dominic Calvert-Lewin (85 points), Jay Rodriguez (81 points) and Callum Wilson (79 points) are on the cusp of making our squad and would require a slight end-of-season flurry to nick Walcott’s place.
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