Gareth Southgate has made changes to the starting 11 as England face North Macedonia. England will start with an all Premier League midfield and Ollie Watkins up top.
With qualification already secured, Southgate’s men still have top spot in the group left to play for. Not only that, they can also go a step closer to matching Southgate’s ambition of being ranked no.1 in the world.
There were some changes expected to the England starting 11, and Southgate’s changes are exciting for fans after the poor display on Friday night.
What changes have been made to the England starting 11?
Premier League trio, Phil Foden, Declan Rice, and Trent Alexander-Arnold are set to start in a three-man midfield. Rice will sit between Trent and Foden, giving both players the freedom to create chances for the attackers.
Leading the line is Aston Villa’s in form player Ollie Watkins. Under Unai Emery, Watkins was crucial in firing Aston Villa into the Conference League.
The other noticeable additions to the England start 11 include Man City’s Rico Lewis. It will be his first senior cap. His fellow City man, Jack Grealish, is also starting for England tonight.
Starting for the #ThreeLions tonight! 👊 pic.twitter.com/Pe3laL5oYV
— England (@England) November 20, 2023
Why are changes needed?
The game on Friday against Malta was a rare and unexpected poor display from England. Despite the quality in the side going forward, England failed to have a shot on target in the first half.
🚨📊| England v Malta HT stats:
🏴 2 shots – 3 shots 🇲🇹
[via @FotMob] pic.twitter.com/o6fFH7knKt
🏴 0.05 xG – 0.11 xG 🇲🇹— TTS. (@TransferSector) November 17, 2023
England improved slightly in the second half but it still wasn’t their best. Kane got his usual goal for England but was forced to drop deep during the game to get involved.
One ray of light was Cole Palmer, who came on for his first team debut and looked confident with the ball at his feet. The Chelsea man will be hoping to get some more minutes in this game as he looks to force his way into the 23-man squad for the Euros.
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