Gareth Southgate supports 26-man squads for the European Championship in Germany this summer. The subject will be discussed at a Uefa coaches conference next month and is expected to gain support.
Injuries disrupted Southgate’s preparations during the international window, leading to speculation that larger squads may be required for the tournament due to the physical demands on players.
UEFA agreed to raise the number of teams from 23 to 26 for Euro 2020, which was impacted by the epidemic and will take place in the summer of 2021. Fifa prolonged the measure until the winter 2022 World Cup in Qatar, but UEFA is poised to return to 23 this summer.
On April 8-9, the managers of the participating Euro 2024 nations will assemble in Düsseldorf for a two-day training. Southgate will be reflecting on recent events. England’s manager selected a 25-man squad for friendlies against Brazil and Belgium. However, Bukayo Saka and Harry Kane returned to their clubs for treatment without playing. Kyle Walker and Harry Maguire were hurt against Brazil, John Stones against Belgium, and Sam Johnstone went down in training. Jordan Henderson and Cole Palmer both experienced fitness difficulties and were unable to play.
“There is one more Uefa meeting where there’s been a little bit of talk amongst some of the coaches about possibly increasing that [squad size from 23 to 26],” Southgate said.
He has had to contend with numerous other injury problems, the most concerning being Luke Shaw’s hamstring which has made him touch‑and‑go for the finals.
Southgate was asked whether he would support the push for 26-man squads. “Well, given where we are now!” he replied, with a smile.
“We have to make the best decisions [about selection] based on what we know right now, and some of those decisions will be medical. We were able to get those properly in the past two tournaments. We’ve been able to give people time [to recover, having named them in the squad]. But with 23, it’s more challenging.”
Southgate will announce his preliminary selection, often known as the training squad, on May 21, two days after the Premier League season concludes. However, he may have players in the Europa League final on May 22, FA Cup final on May 25, Europa Conference League final on May 29, and Champions League final on June 1.
England will play warm-up matches against Bosnia and Herzegovina at St. James’ Park on June 3 and Iceland at Wembley Stadium on June 7. Southgate must submit his final squad to Uefa that night at midnight CET, barely one hour after the Iceland game ends.
When naming his larger training squad, Southgate stated that it would be “really hard to be really definitive” about the identity of the guys he would like to include in his final group. “It’s going to depend on where some of the injuries are at and also how many players are in the European finals,” he added. “When players come in, I like that they have a clear understanding of their position. “I’ll probably try to manage expectations during that time.”
Southgate hailed 18-year-old midfielder Kobbie Mainoo for his outstanding performance in his full debut, a 2-2 draw against Belgium after coming on as a substitute in the 1-0 loss to Brazil.
Mainoo stood out with Declan Rice in Southgate’s 4-2-3-1 system. However, as the manager praised the teenager’s distinct profile, he sought to moderate expectations by emphasizing that the midfield with Mainoo was less strong defensively and more vulnerable to transitions.
“There was that fearlessness [from Mainoo] to come in and the technical ability to receive, when pressed, to find a pass, to manipulate the ball in tight areas,” Southgate said. “We are obviously a little bit more open with him. But it gives us a profile of player we haven’t got. That’s hugely exciting.”
Ben White, who left the Qatar World Cup early, will not participate in the European 2024 finals due to his ongoing absence. Rice stated that he believed his Arsenal teammate had communicated with Southgate following the Brazil and Belgium squad announcements to discuss the matter. But Southgate insisted that was not the case.
“It’s really for Ben now,” Southgate said. “As I’ve said, the door is open, [although] that’s clearly difficult ahead of the Euros, where he’s missed all the qualifying campaign and you’ve got players that have played all the way through.”
