An interesting week of International football coming up.
We get to see our first glimpse of the new Nations league, the competitive tournament partially replacing international friendlies. The squad selection does not fill me with much hope of anything new but I do understand why Southgate may want to leave some of the exciting youth players in the age grade teams. The Spain game will be an opportunity to see how England can evolve from the World Cup and if Southgate will change anything to make us more creative from open play (possibly difficult until the players come through the under 21’s but he can try).
The youth teams may be more exciting this time around however. Back when I was younger, I remember going to watch England and Poland draw an under 21 game with Ishmael Miller and Luke Moore up front. Today, England’s under 21s have Solanke, Abraham, Calvert-Lewin and Demarai Gray to choose from. Behind them you find an embarrassment of creative riches. Ryan Sessegnon and Ademola Lookman our wide, Mason Mount, Tom Davies and Lewis Cook in the middle with James Maddison a key potential answer to England’s open play creative woes (Kieran Dowell from Everton, who had a great season on loan at Forest last time out keeps “our†Barnes out of the team, perhaps a little on the lucky side). In defence, Ben Chilwell and Aron Wan Bissaka challenge Kyle Walker-Pieters for a full back spot in a position that is fast becoming England’s most crowded and blessed.
England’s under 20’s feature our own Sam Field, Arsenal’s Joe Willock, Eddie Nketiah and Reiss Nelson, Preston’s on loan Man City star Lucas Nmecha, as well as a host of exciting Chelsea youngsters like Challobah, Dijon Sterling and Jay Da Silva.
While the under 20’s look strong, the under 19’s look incredible. Rakeem Harper will play in Keith Downing’s side, along with probably the 2 brightest English teenage hopes after Ryan Sessgnon - Man City’s Phil Foden and their former winger, Dortmund’s Jadon Sancho. Callum Hudson-Odoi, considered by some to be the best young striker in the world, also makes the team, along with Monaco’s Jonathan Panzo, Wolves forward Gibbs-White and Ryan’s brother Steven Sessegnon with Chelsea’s Guehi, McCeachran and Lamptey.
Rayhaan Tulloch provides the Albion interest in the under 18’s, while Liverpool’s Curtis Jones was supposedly amazing pre season (they have a way of wrecking young talent so I won’t get excited just yet). Xavier Amaechi is also highly rated at Arsenal, but with his surname and Nigeria’s aggressive poaching of English youth players, we will need to act quick to tie him up.
Hard to find much information on the other 2 profiled England teams. I take it no Albion players made the under 17’s (Morgan Rodgers has not played much for the under 23’s this season so far which my explain that, despite his Carabao Cup bench place). Louie Barry is however in the England under 16 team, as publicised by the official website this week. Hopefully he continues to be as prolific this year as he was in his last outings.
Exciting times for England. If we can get those first team pathways sorted, and avoid too many Ademola Lookman situations (Everton blocking a move to RB Leipzig where he had thrived, despite not playing him), then we could have a generation coming through who could conquer the world (if we can get through the French that is).