England are one of the first countries to have named their party of 23 for the upcoming FIFA World Cup finals in Russia.
Gareth Southgate has selected a raw and inexperienced squad – in the image of the manager himself, you might say – and although England have been handed an easy first round draw, with the potential cannon fodder of Tunisia and Panama to be faced before things get serious (or not so serious depending on the state of play) with a final group game against Premier League All Stars, aka Belgium, a place in the quarter-finals should definitely be considered an overachievement.
I have done some in-depth research on the international careers of the 23 chosen ones and have come up with the following facts, stats and curios – some of them nuggets of the golden variety – that I hope you will find of interest.
I shall be doing similar pieces on the other 13 European teams in the build-up to the Big Kick-off on Thursday, June 14. The comparisons should be revealing.
Here, first of all, is the England squad with the players’ current club, caps and goals:
Goalkeepers
Jack Butland (Stoke, 7/0), Jordan Pickford (Everton, 2/0), Nick Pope (Burnley,0/0)
Defenders
Trent Alexander-Arnold (Liverpool, 0/0), Gary Cahill (Chelsea, 58/4), Phil Jones (Manchester United, 24/0), Harry Maguire (Leicester, 4/0), Danny Rose (Tottenham, 16/0), John Stones (Manchester City, 24/0), Kieran Trippier (Tottenham, 5/0), Kyle Walker (Manchester City, 34/0), Ashley Young (Manchester United, 33/7)
Midfielders
Dele Alli (Tottenham, 23/2), Fabian Delph (Manchester City, 9/0), Eric Dier (Tottenham, 25/3), Jordan Henderson (Liverpool, 38/0), Jesse Lingard (Manchester United, 10/1), Ruben Loftus-Cheek (Crystal Palace, 2/0)
Forwards
Harry Kane (Tottenham, 23/12), Marcus Rashford (Manchester United, 17/2), Raheem Sterling (Manchester City, 37/2), Jamie Vardy (Leicester, 21/7), Danny Welbeck (Arsenal, 37/15)
The total number of international caps gained by the 23 players is 449. The number of caps gained in competitive fixtures (i.e. World Cup and Euro matches) is 226. The number of caps gained at final tournaments is 52. The number of caps gained at the World Cup finals is 11.
The total number of international goals scored by the 23 players is 55. The number of goals scored in competitive fixtures is 34. The number of goals scored at final tournaments is 3. The number of goals scored at the World Cup finals is… wait for it… 0.
The number of players in the squad appearing at their first final tournament is 8. The number of players appearing at their first World Cup is 18.
There are 11 survivors from the Euro 2016 squad: Cahill, Rose, Stones, Walker, Alli, Dier, Henderson, Kane, Rashford, Sterling, Vardy.
There are 5 survivors from the 2014 World Cup squad: Cahill, Jones, Henderson, Sterling, Welbeck.
There are 5 survivors from the Euro 2012 squad: Butland, Jones, Young, Henderson, Welbeck.
Henderson is the only player in the 23 travelling to a fourth final tournament. Four others will be representing England in their third: Cahill, Jones, Sterling and Welbeck.
Cahill has played the most final tournament matches: seven (three at the World Cup, four at the Euro). Indeed, he has featured in all of England’s last seven tournament fixtures, the only player to do so – and all in the starting XI.
Four of the squad members have never played a competitive international: Pickford, Pope, Alexander-Arnold and Loftus-Cheek.
Only one player has appeared in over 25 competitive internationals: Cahill on 32. His record in qualifying matches is Pld 25 W21 D4 L0; at final tournaments it is a rather less flattering Pld 7 W1 D3 L3.
Eight of the players are unbeaten in competitive internationals: Butland (W2 D0), Delph (W6 D0), Jones (W6 D2), Maguire (W1 D0), Stones (W9 D1), Trippier (W1 D0), Young (W8 D7 - although one of those draws ended in a penalty shoot-out defeat, against Italy at Euro 2012) and Lingard (W3 D1).
Both of Butland’s competitive international appearances came in qualifying matches away to
Lithuania – and he kept clean sheets in each of them.
England have yet to concede a goal when Maguire has been on the field.
Welbeck’s strike rate in competitive internationals – 12 goals in 22 games – is better than his overall average (friendlies included). He has scored five World Cup goals – all in qualifiers – the same number as Kane. No other player in the squad has managed more than one.
Welbeck (Euro 2012), Dier (Euro 2016) and Vardy (Euro 2016) are the only players to have scored at a previous final tournament, and have each done so only once.
Exactly half of the 20 outfield players in the squad have never scored an international goal, with Henderson’s 38-cap drought the longest. He has also played the most competitive internationals without scoring (19).
No player featured in all ten 2018 World Cup qualifiers. Walker appeared in the most – nine, all from the start – as did Joe Hart, who is not in the squad.
Kane was England’s top scorer in 2018 World Cup qualifying with five goals (in six appearances) from a team total of 18. Eleven other players found the net, but neither of the only two who did so more than once – Adam Lallana and Daniel Sturridge (two goals apiece) – is in the squad.
Welbeck’s first international goal (on his fifth appearance) came against Belgium in a pre-Euro 2012 friendly at Wembley (1-0).
That game on June 2, 2012 was England’s most recent meeting with Belgium. Cahill also played but sustained an injury that put him out of Euro 2012; Henderson came on a substitute.
No player in the squad has ever faced Tunisia or Panama.
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