The World Cup is just around the corner and the preparations and hype are ramping up. But this tournament has been talked about for years already.
Back in 2017, talkSPORT predicted what the England starting line-up would look like at Qatar 2022.
How well did they fare in their fool’s errand?
We’ve taken a look back at their predictions – arranged in a slightly odd 4-4-2 diamond shape – to see how likely they are to start at the finals.
GK: Jack Butland
Joe Hart was still England goalkeeper back in 2017, but talkSPORT correctly predicted that he wouldn’t last much longer.
Their choice of successor looked astute too – Butland was a solid Premier League performer at Stoke City and had already appeared six times for England.
But the Bristolian suffered with numerous injuries and Stoke’s relegation in 2018 saw his stock gradually fall. After two seasons in the Championship, Butland moved to Crystal Palace and has played just 10 league games in the two seasons since.
With Palace having also signed Sam Johnstone, Butland may well be third-choice at club level now.
Interestingly, though, talkSPORT did namecheck England’s current shot-stopper. They wrote that Butland would “have competition from Hart, Freddie Woodman (England’s U20s highly-rated goalkeeper) and Jordan Pickford.”
He might not have had the best season with Everton in 2021-22, but after winning the Golden Glove and conceding just twice at Euro 2020, it’s difficult to see anyone else but Pickford as Gareth Southgate’s first choice in Qatar.
RB: Kyle Walker
Walker was expected to retain his spot at right-back, although facing competition from Mason Holgate, Kyle Walker-Peters and Kieran Trippier.
talkSPORT wrote: “Walker will have adapted his game slightly after losing a yard of pace, but will still get forward well, using his knowledge and reading of the game to get in excellent positions.”
While working under Pep Guardiola has undoubtedly reshaped Walker’s game, he retains that lightning pace and often acts as a one-man barrier to counter-attacks.
While Trent Alexander-Arnold and Reece James are both breathing down his neck, the right-back spot is still Walker’s to lose. And if Southgate opts for a back five, he’ll almost certainly get in as the right-sided centre-back.
CB: John Stones
Stones was another stand-out performer at Euro 2020 after recovering from a poor 2019-20 campaign to star for Manchester City in 2020-21.
Last season, though, he was often on…
Click Here to Read the Full Original Article at Football365…