World Cup stories: Gareth Barry makes his picks for England's tournament midfield

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One man who knows what it's like to play for the Three Lions on the World Cup stage is Gareth Barry, who represented the national team at the 2010 finals and won 53 caps during his career. 

Speaking exclusively to DAZN News, Barry admitted he's excited about England's prospects at the tournament and has named who he would pick in his midfield if he were the man in charge. 

"My midfield", he said, "if I had to pick the team now, would feature two holding midfielders in Declan Rice and Elliott Anderson with Bellingham in the number 10 position and Morgan Rogers slightly to the left." 

A lot of the talk in the past few months has been that battle between Rogers and Bellingham for that number 10 spot, but Barry believes there could be room for both of them in an England XI.

However, he has urged the German manager to lean into players who are in form now, rather than past reputations in an England shirt. 



"It’s all about what sort of season they had and their form going into the World Cup, how fresh are they?

"What form are they in, no matter what their name is. It’s not about what they have done in previous years or what they have done for England; it’s all about the 'now.'Alex Pantling/Getty Images

"Who is in form and finishing the season strongly. Unfortunately, that means there will be some players now looking over their shoulders, thinking they have not done enough.

"Players being left out of their club teams certainly won’t be helping their situations. Someone like Gibbs-White, finishing the season on form, will be catching the manager's eye. Phil Foden is an incredible player, but he’s not getting game time at City, nor is he hitting the stats of previous years.

"He’s an example of what I mentioned, looking over his shoulder. A year ago, he would probably have been nailed on, but now he really needs to get game time between now and the end of the season." 

Midnite

It's a conundrum that Tuchel needs to solve as he looks to end the country's 60-years of hurt and finally land the major tournament win that has so long eluded his predecessors.

Yet, having reached the last two Euros finals, England will go into this World Cup among the favourites and Barry is backing a squad that he says is the strongest ever available to a Three Lions boss. 

"From the pool of players we’ve got, it’s as strong as an England manager has ever had, especially in the forward areas," he said.

"At tournaments, you need those options, the game changers and the match winners, to come and make a difference in those games, especially in the conditions out there.

"It’s going to be hot, and we'll need a big squad of players ready to make a difference. The strength is certainly in the number 10s, the wingers, and Harry Kane has scored the most goals in Europe this year, we can rely on him.

"If he has a good tournament, England can go far."

Midnite, one of the fastest-growing betting and casino companies in the world, has today proven that it really is BUILT DIFFERENT, by becoming the first betting app to place a bet in space. The bet in question backed England to win the World Cup, and was placed by former England midfielder, Gareth Barry. 

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