“We had the best defensive record in Europe in qualifying,” said Southgate after England secured their place in Russia. The contenders in the current squad for the final place in the back three – Gomez, Mawson and Tarkowski – all are very different defenders and they would all need to adapt to Southgate’s preferred style. Tarkowski ranks among the top three centre-backs in the Premier League for clearances (7.4), aerial duels won (5.1) and blocks (1.6) per game. Gomez made his England debut in November, coming on at half-time against Germany and helping England keep a clean sheet. The maturity he showed that night at Wembley might set him apart – unless Tarkowski or Mawson put in similarly impressive performances this weekend.

Source: The Guardian March 22, 2018 10:30 UTC