Gareth Southgate Faces Dilemma: To Choose or Not to Choose Manchester City Players Against Malta

Gareth Southgate, the manager of England, has given confirmation that the treble-winning Manchester City players are eligible to participate in the Malta game. However, he has not yet made a decision on whether they will be selected to play. The likes of Jack Grealish, Phil Foden, Kyle Walker, John Stones and Kalvin Phillips only joined the team on Tuesday after Manchester City's triumph over Inter Milan in the Champions League final on Saturday.

Southgate is content to assess the group's fitness before making any selection decisions for the Euro 2024 qualifier on Friday, despite Grealish's highly publicized celebrations. "We'll need to take it step by step and evaluate their condition," he stated. "Although they're all ready for tomorrow, I have yet to determine if it's a prudent choice."

Upon their arrival, I commended their incredible achievement before acknowledging that we are venturing into unfamiliar territory. I emphasized that it is impossible to predict each individual's reaction or response to their recent experience.

Currently, everyone is in good physical condition. However, we must take into account the players who joined us later, as they are still riding the emotional wave from the weekend's game.

Making decisions is never easy. Our team has put in a lot of hard work and dedication during training, and we are all excited for the upcoming game. As the coach, I am constantly keeping an eye on the players and their progress, no matter where they are. We have experience dealing with the challenges of the Champions League, but it was particularly difficult when Tottenham played Liverpool in 2019, as we had a Nations League semi-final just three days later.

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Southgate faces tough decisions as he evaluates his team

As the team prepares for their upcoming matches, Gareth Southgate is faced with making difficult decisions regarding player selection. Despite this challenge, Southgate is confident in his ability to assess his players and make the best choices for the team. He has emphasized the importance of pushing his players to achieve the desired results and is fully dedicated to the success of the team.

"The responsibility lies with them, they have to drive the team and get the performance we want."

Chelsea's Levi Colwill has travelled with the squad after Lewis Dunk pulled out.

"We're pleased to have him here. He's been playing well for his club and has been involved with the Under-21s. It's a great opportunity for him to come and train with us and see how we work. He's got a good attitude and we're looking forward to seeing how he progresses."

"He has done really well, we know he is a good player. We have been really impressed with his mentality and his ability."

England talking points: City players to feature? Will Southgate experiment?

Despite beating Italy and Ukraine, two of the toughest opponents in their group, England's manager, Gareth Southgate, hasn't given many of his star players any rest. The job of qualifying for the next round is not yet complete, and while some may believe it's a straightforward task, Southgate remains cautious. He has even described the deployment of Trent Alexander-Arnold and John Stones as inverted full-backs as "interesting," so it remains to be seen if he will continue to utilize this tactic.

I believe that Eberechi Eze should be given more playing time in the upcoming week. He is a versatile player who can perform well in both midfield and as part of a front three. Perhaps there is an opportunity for him to play alongside Phillips and Declan Rice in Malta. Additionally, James Maddison had an impressive debut against Ukraine and should be given the chance to continue building on that success. Our team of journalists, Tom Driscoll and Mark McAdam, are currently in Malta covering England's preparations for the Euro qualifiers and are interested in discussing Gareth Southgate's plans.

Who should start for England at Euro 2024? Sky Sports writers have their say

Who should Gareth Southgate pick if England's opening game at Euro 2024 was tomorrow?

The countdown is well and truly on with the opening game of Euro 2024 in Munich just one year away.

As England aims to qualify for next summer's tournament in Germany, they are set to play against Malta and North Macedonia. Topping the qualifying Group C, the team hopes to improve on their previous runners-up finish at Euro 2020. While there is still ample time for players to prove themselves, one may wonder who would be selected if the tournament were to take place soon.

The We football writers have had their say...