Jeff Stelling believes his England starting XI for Euro 2024 will cause some controversy, and it includes Newcastle United’s Anthony Gordon.
Pundits far and wide are debating who Gareth Southgate should start at the Euros this summer, with the competition set to kick off in Germany on Friday night. England’s tournament gets under way on Sunday, as the Three Lions face Serbia.
The squad is set for that game, with Southgate naming his final 26-man squad last week. It includes two Newcastle United players: Kieran Trippier and Anthony Gordon. The former looks certain to start at left-back, while the latter has a decent chance of starting too.
Pundits Gary Lineker and Alan Shearer both believe that Gordon should start against Serbia on Sunday, and that is a view shared by former Sky Sports presenter Jeff Stelling.
Jeff Stelling includes Anthony Gordon in his England front three
However, choosing Gordon is not what Stelling thinks is ‘controversial’ – it is who he has not chosen.
Speaking on TalkSPORT on Monday morning, Stelling explained why he would start the likes of Gordon and Cole Palmer if he was England manager, but leave out Manchester City superstar Phil Foden.
“My front three is going to be a bit controversial,” he said.
“I am going to pick Palmer just ahead of Bukayo Saka. Saka has had a bit of a knock, not quite back to 100% I think, Palmer showed enough against Iceland.
“Palmer, Kane and Anthony Gordon, who I thought was our biggest threat for most part of the night. He has been in brilliant form, and everybody is going to batter me because there is no Phil Foden.
“But Foden, four goals in 34 games for England. I think Gareth Southgate and his staff are scratching their heads as to how to get the best out of Phil Foden for England.”
Newcastle star deserves to start, but not at Foden’s expense
In Stelling’s defence, his logic is sound.
Gordon probably was England’s biggest threat on Friday night against Iceland, as the Three Lions fell short at Wembley. It was a really disappointing performance from Southgate’s team, but Gordon can be happy with his contribution.
He looks just as confident as he did in a Newcastle United shirt, having enjoyed the best season of his career and proven to be arguably the Magpies’ best player.
But does that mean he should start over Foden? That will be the debate for Southgate, if he is not planning to play Foden centrally. That is the big question mark surrounding the Manchester City star, but there surely has to be place for him in the starting lineup.
If Southgate does leave Foden out, as Stelling has suggested, he will be setting himself up for a lot of criticism if his plan backfires. It would also put Gordon under pressure to perform, but that should not be a problem for the 23-year-old.
In a perfect world, Southgate will find a way to get Gordon and Foden in his starting XI, as he bids to bring football home for England.
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