World Cup stories: Chris Waddle picks his England XI for opening match

Coming off the end of a long season, there are a lot of variables to consider when coming up with the ideal XI. Form, fitness, experience, tactical fit and chemistry with teammates are all factors that will come into play for Thomas Tuchel when putting together his lineup.

Of course, fans and pundits alike will all have their opinions on who should be in that starting lineup, and former England international Chris Waddle is no different.

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Speaking on behalf of Prime Casino, which has a wide variety of online slots, including Football Cash Collect, Waddle identified the locked-in starters he expects to step onto the pitch in Texas, as well as some areas where there could be some uncertainty.

The 62-times capped England international was quite blunt in his assessment of the team's defensive options, stating, "I think our back four is a big problem."

Waddle chose Three Lions stalwart Jordan Pickford in goal ("there are no quarrels with that"), but believes "we’ve got issues" regarding the players directly in front of the goalkeeper.

"We don’t have a nailed-on starter at left or right back," Waddle said. "Does he go with Lewis Hall, or does he take a look at someone else? Djed Spence has played under Tuchel, and it looks like Nico O’Reilly has the shirt at the moment. He’s having a great season with Manchester City, but he doesn’t really have to do much defending in that team. 

"Whoever Tuchel goes with, I like to see a left back being a left back, not a right back playing left back.

"Reece James, who's probably our best right back now after Kyle Walker retired, gets a lot of injuries. Will he be ready? 

"John Stones is another one. A lovely player on his day, but he’s been ravaged by injury. You’re looking at a central pairing of Marc Guehi, who I rate highly, and then one of Stones, [Ezri] Konsa or Dan Burn.

"They’re all good players, but my biggest concern is a lack of fitness and also familiarity. The only consistent name in that list is Marc Guehi. He’s been ever-present."

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For Waddle, the midfield is a bit of a clearer picture, although he does see one high-profile player not making the cut for the starting XI.

"Midfield is where we’ve got so many options," he said. "I want to see Declan Rice given the freedom to play box-to-box and get forward; I want to see him go and play football. I would be picking one of [Adam] Wharton or [Elliot] Anderson alongside him to hold it because Rice is a better player and gives you more. 

"On current form and fitness, the biggest omission for me is [Jude] Bellingham. I’d have him in my squad, but he’s not in my first XI. I would also ask him to play in a deeper role rather than as a 10. He can play as a box-to-box midfielder. 

"Morgan Rogers gets the coveted 10 shirt in my team. Out of all of the options there, I think he’s been the most consistent this season. 

"On the left, it’s between Marcus Rashford and Anthony Gordon. I think I’d go with Gordon. On the right, [Bukayo] Saka is coming back to fitness, and that’s great news because he’s such a brilliant player when he’s firing. He’s got that position locked in. He gives you the balance on that right-hand side."

As for striker, Waddle named Harry Kane as England's "most important player going into the tournament without a doubt" and suggested the Bayern Munich star be wrapped up "in cotton wool" due to the lack of options to replace him.

"There isn’t a perfect understudy for him at the moment," Waddle said. "He is irreplaceable."

Michael Regan - The FA/The FA via Getty Images

As for the rest of the squad, Waddle urged Tuchel to "play players where they play for their club" rather than trying to pull them out of position in order to fit them into the starting lineup. This is particularly true in the No. 10 position, said Waddle, where the Three Lions have a number of options, including Cole Palmer, Eberechi Eze and Phil Foden.

"The one piece of advice I would give to Tuchel is, don’t load your squad with 10s," he said. "We’ve got some lovely players in that position, but don’t try and shoehorn them into your XI.

"The squad needs to be balanced. Players should be playing in positions where they feel comfortable at a World Cup."

As for a potential surprise player who can make a late case to make Tuchel's 26-man squad, Waddle pointed to an uncapped player at a Premier League team that is ending the season strong.

"I really like Alex Scott at Bournemouth," Waddle said. "I think he’s a lovely player in that box-to-box role. 

"He's a good midfield player. He's an old-fashioned midfield player. I like to see players in the engine room that can go up and down, and we’ve had some greats over the years:  Bryan Robson, Gazzas, technical players that can do it all. I think Scott could be one of those players. 

"I like midfielders who run box to box, go and win the ball, go and try and score. Scott would get forward a bit more, but I like what he’s doing for Bournemouth. He’s having a great season. 

"If I was to name one outsider, it would be him. People are talking about Morgan Gibbs-White, but without sounding harsh, he’s come to that party in the last month, in what has been a difficult season for Nottingham Forest, certainly domestically. Scott’s been consistent for the entire campaign." 

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