Eze aims to resist walkout again as unlikely England hero emerges – World Cup squad number analysis

 Eberechi Eze will once again hope to resist the urge to walk out on England, with an unlikely Three Lions hero made clear by the squad numbers.

The England squad numbers are out and they offer irrefutable proof that Thomas Tuchel absolutely has to start Jordan Henderson against Croatia.

The ‘leak’ also suggests that Reece James is about to do a madness, based on who wore the numbers in England’s other three 26-man major tournament squads at Euro 2020, World Cup 2022 and Euro 2024.

1 – Jordan Pickford

Will become the first England keeper to wear the No. 1 at three different World Cups, and sits behind only his current captain (29) for all-time Three Lions appearances at major tournaments (26). No-one kept more clean sheets at Qatar 2022 than the Euro 2021 Golden Gloves winner.

2 – Ezri Konsa

Probably won’t be England’s starting right-back, but does break Kyle Walker’s stranglehold on the No. 2 jersey, dating all the way back to 2014. The previous wearer at a World Cup or Euros for England was Glen Johnson.

Going off that, Konsa is about to be awfully fast and defensively suspect. Walker’s Euro 2024 final performance is still haunting.

3 – Nico O’Reilly

For the fourth consecutive World Cup, the No. 3 will be donned by someone new. Leighton Baines was first choice in 2014, Danny Rose was not in 2018, and Luke Shaw again was in 2022. Then he made his only start at Euro 2024 in the final.

O’Reilly has quite definitively won what was once a rather competitive race to go as England’s primary left-back.

4 – Declan Rice

The last four players to wear the No. 4 for England at a major tournament before Rice first did at Euro 2020 were Eric Dier, James Milner, Steven Gerrard and Trevor Sinclair. That is heritage

5 – John Stones

The last five men to wear the No. 5 for England at a major tournament before Stones first did at the 2018 World Cup were Gary Cahill, Martin Kelly, Michael Dawson, Rio Ferdinand and John Terry. Try scoring against that team at Powerleague.

6 – Marc Guehi

Harry Maguire and his family were not particularly happy about it but they ought to have seen the snub coming; Maguire in any England shirt other than what is now Guehi’s No. 6 would have been wrong.

7 – Bukayo Saka

The thought of Saka in the No. 7 at left wing-back remains triggering. Far better to recall the various Jack Grealish clamours.

8 – Elliot Anderson

On the other hand, Trent Alexander-Arnold as the 8 at Euro 2024 has been entirely memory-holed. He was taken off after 69 and 54 minutes of England’s first two games, then made just 11 minutes’ worth of substitute cameos thereafter.

9 – Harry Kane

The last two England players other than Kane to head to a major tournament wearing the No. 9? Daniel Sturridge and Andy Carroll. There’s the bar.

10 – Jude Bellingham

Time to get sad by remembering Raheem Sterling at Euro 2020. Bellingham himself was largely dreadful throughout Euro 2024 as the No. 10 but his unique knack for producing moments of absurd quality was its most intoxicating.

11 – Marcus Rashford

The weight of Emile Heskey’s old shirt sat particularly heavy on the shoulders of a poor Phil Foden throughout Euro 2024. For those who believe Rashford being given the jersey back points to him starting, consider that he played 228 of a possible 1,140 minutes as the No. 11 at Euro 2020 and the 2022 World Cup.