Midfield

Skipper Steven Gerrard has had a wonderful season for Liverpool in a deeper role and is likely to continue in the same role for the national team as well. However, as has been found out on occasions, Gerrard cannot do the job alone and will require the presence of another holding midfielder in Evertons Gareth Barry or Manchester United’s Michael Carrick to solidify the center of the park.

Both Barry and Carrick have had good outings for their respective clubs and they fully deserve a place in the side. Barry should ideally be the preferred choice due to his tenacity and tackling which will come in handy against some of the bigger teams in the tournament, should England get that far.

As a third midfield option, it’s a toss-up between Southampton’s Adam Lallana and Liverpool’s Jordan Henderson, both of who provide energy and drive to the side. However, it would be better to start with Lallana as he not only provides a better creative outlet than Henderson but he is also more adept at playing a wider role if needed which is going to lend balance to the side.