England Euro 2024 squad guide: More justifiable tournament favourites than ever before (2024)

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England head into Euro 2024 amid a groundswell of expectation. Should Gareth Southgate’s team not go all the way, sympathy may prove to be in short supply.

The manager

This will be Gareth Southgate’s fourth major tournament with England. No manager has taken the team to as many since Sir Alf Ramsey. Whatever happens in Germany, Southgate is the most consequential England manager of the modern era and this will be the tournament that defines his legacy and his future.

His contract expires at the end of this year and if England disappoint in Germany, that will be the end of his eight-year tenure. He may leave with a sense of not quite fulfilling the resources available to him, but if England win — or get close — this summer, then a contract extension is on the cards and one last attempt at the World Cup in the U.S. in two years’ time.

Because Southgate has been in post for so long, public opinion has hardened between his supporters and detractors. To some, he is the saviour of English football, the spokesman of the soul of the national game, the man who has restored this team to their place in national life. But to others, his negativity and lack of imagination have stymied a new golden generation. Maybe only triumph in Berlin on July 14 will settle this debate.

The household name in waiting

Todd Boehly said earlier this month that he hopes Cole Palmer would be a household name in the U.S. soon and that is certainly the direction his career is heading after a brilliant first season at Chelsea.

Nobody knew Palmer was capable of a season like this: 22 goals and 10 assists from 28 Premier League starts. He only has two England appearances to his name, both as a sub, but even if he does not force his way into Southgate’s starting XI, he could be a transformative bench option. His nose for goal, his calmness under pressure, and his ability to score from unusual angles and situations make him a potential match-winner.

Strengths

Two things stand out. Firstly, the experience in the spine of this team: Jordan Pickford, John Stones, Harry Maguire, Kyle Walker, Harry Kane (and Kieran Trippier and Jordan Henderson) have been consistent in tournaments ever since 2018. They know how it works, they know how to beat good teams, how to win penalty shootouts, and that nous will be invaluable this summer.

The other is that no England manager has gone to an international tournament with more attacking firepower than Southgate now has. Kane scored 44 goals in 45 games for Bayern Munich this season. Jude Bellingham has been a revelation at Real Madrid. Phil Foden has won the FWA Footballer of the Year. Bukayo Saka has been integral to Arsenal’s excellence. For most England players, this tournament has come at the right time.

How to follow Euro 2024 onThe Athletic…

• Latest Euro 2024 news here
• Euro 2024 fixtures and schedule
• Euro 2024 team guides: Everything you need to know

Weaknesses

For all the power England have up front, the spine of the team is a bit short of options.

Southgate is in the same position he has been for years: relying on John Stones and Harry Maguire at centre-back. Neither of them has ever let England down, but Maguire has had a tough year at United — and yet there is no real established understudy to them.

Marc Guehi is probably the best of the rest — and has six England starts to his name — but it feels too soon for him to step in as a first-choice starter. There is no obvious left-back, with Luke Shaw recovering from injury and no clear alternative. Kieran Trippier, who has played there before for England, has had a difficult season at Newcastle, and in central midfield, there is no obvious partner for Declan Rice and Jude Bellingham. England’s strength in depth is not evenly distributed.

Thing you didn’t know

Southgate is learning German to prepare him for the Euros, something the England manager revealed in an interview with The Athletic earlier this season. He said he was motivated to be a “good tourist” whenever he was abroad and felt very aware of his lack of German when he was there for the draw for the Euros, and on reconnaissance trips to find England’s base.

“I was conscious I actually hadn’t got a clue,” he said, “I wasn’t very proud of that.” And while Southgate knows some French and Spanish, he has downloaded Duolingo to help him with his German. Last week, Southgate revealed at an event that he has already racked up a 70-day streak on the popular language-learning app.

Expectations back home

Southgate has done well resetting the public mood since taking over, trying to tell people that England do not have the automatic right to win major tournaments. But after a semi-final, a final and a quarter-final in the last three tournament campaigns, it feels as if expectations have reinflated again.

No one comes into this European Championship with a stronger recent record or with better players. England have done everything under Southgate except for winning a major tournament. In the past, it has been unfair to demand that Southgate lead England to glory. This time, it feels more appropriate.

The other factor is that this will be the first tournament with easy access for travelling England fans since Euro 2016. There were not many fans at the Russia or Qatar World Cups — and little travel for Euro 2020 — but this will be different. It may give England more partisan support in the grounds, but it may also create security and policing headaches that will hang over the tournament.

England’s provisional squad

Goalkeepers: Dean Henderson (Crystal Palace), Jordan Pickford (Everton), Aaron Ramsdale (Arsenal), James Trafford (Burnley).

Defenders: Jarrad Branthwaite (Everton), Lewis Dunk (Brighton), Joe Gomez (Liverpool), Marc Guehi (Crystal Palace), Ezri Konsa (Aston Villa), Harry Maguire (Manchester United), Jarell Quansah (Liverpool), Luke Shaw (Manchester United), John Stones (Manchester City), Kieran Trippier (Newcastle), Kyle Walker (Manchester City).

Midfielders: Trent Alexander-Arnold (Liverpool), Conor Gallagher (Chelsea), Curtis Jones (Liverpool), Kobbie Mainoo (Manchester United), Adam Wharton (Crystal Palace), Declan Rice (Arsenal).

Forwards: Jude Bellingham (Real Madrid), Jarrod Bowen (West Ham), Eberechi Eze (Crystal Palace), Phil Foden (Manchester City), Jack Grealish (Manchester City), Anthony Gordon (Newcastle), Harry Kane (Bayern Munich), James Maddison (Tottenham), Cole Palmer (Chelsea), Bukayo Saka (Arsenal), Ivan Toney (Brentford), Ollie Watkins (Aston Villa).

(Top photo: Getty Images; design: Eamonn Dalton)

Jack Pitt-Brooke is a football journalist for The Athletic based in London. He joined in 2019 after nine years at The Independent.