Football Manager 2023: Who England shouldve picked for their World Cup squad

Gareth Southgate’s 26-man England squad for the 2022 World Cup has been decided, but did he select the right group of players?

That will remain unknown until the tournament plays out but, in the meantime, we’ve used Football Manager 2023 to answer the question.

We’ve analysed more than 60 players who could’ve been included and used FM23 to determine which of those players have the best statistics in each position.

Methodology

Each attribute is ranked out of 20, and for each position there are multiple key attributes a player needs to excel in.

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For example, goalkeepers have 10 key attributes, which creates a total score of 200. Jordan Pickford’s total was 145 out of 200, the highest score out of England’s shot-stoppers, which means that according to FM23, Pickford should be first choice.

The players with the highest overall score in each position, according to the key attributes they need to succeed in that role, are the ones who made the cut here.

It seems likely that Southgate will opt to use a 3-4-3 at the World Cup, so we’ve used that particular formation to guide our selection too.

There are a total of 35 attributes used to rank players on Football Manager. Here, we’ve only focused on the key attributes that each player needs to have in order to play in a 3-4-3 formation.

Much like the actual squad that was picked, injured players were not included and we’ve used the same positional breakdown as Southgate did, which means we’ve included three goalkeepers, nine defenders, six midfielders and eight forwards.

This is entirely a statistics-based exercise that doesn’t take into account factors such as form, intangible attributes like a player’s leadership qualities or how often Southgate has picked them in the past.

So, here are the players England should’ve taken to the World Cup according to Football Manager 2023.

Goalkeepers

Key attributes: Command of area, kicking, one on ones, reflexes, rushing out, anticipation, composure, concentration, positioning, agility (out of 200)

Who was picked: Jordan Pickford, Aaron Ramsdale, Nick Pope

Who FM23 says should’ve been picked: Pickford, Ramsdale, Pope

There wasn’t much controversy with the goalkeepers England selected and it would seem Southgate got it right if FM23 is anything to go by.

Pickford is the highest-rated English goalkeeper in FM23, with a score of 145/200. Ramsdale only scored two points fewer than the Everton shot-stopper, but there isn’t too much difference between Pickford and Ramsdale.

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Overall, Pickford is the preferred starter, albeit by a small margin, with Pope’s score of 134/200 suggesting he should clearly be the third-choice goalkeeper.

Pope’s relative weakness passing out from the back is what makes him the clear third-choice goalkeeper, but his command of the six-yard box, rushing-out ability, anticipation and positioning is superior to Pickford and Ramsdale, while his ability to save one on ones is identical.

If Pope had better distribution, he’d likely start for England, according to FM23. Dean Henderson (132/200) scored two points fewer than Pope and therefore missed out on selection, as did Sam Johnstone, whose score of 131/200 was also not strong enough to be considered.

Full-backs

Key attributes: Passing, tackling, decisions, teamwork, work rate, stamina (out of 120)

Who was picked: Trent Alexander-Arnold, Luke Shaw, Kieran Trippier, Kyle Walker

Who FM23 says should’ve been picked: Tyrick Mitchell, Trippier, Alexander-Arnold, Shaw

If Ben Chilwell wasn’t injured, he would’ve been picked for the squad, but wouldn’t have been chosen to start, as that honour goes to Crystal Palace full-back Mitchell, whose score of 88 out of 120 is the best of any of England’s left-backs.

Chilwell would’ve been the second left-back chosen, with a score of 87 out 120, with Shaw’s rating of 82 out of 120 meaning he would miss out. Ryan Sessegnon and Rico Henry were also considered, but both had scores of 80 out of 120.

FM23 says Trippier should be England’s starter at right-back with a score of 91 out of 120. Even if Reece James was fit, Trippier’s statistics to play as a wing-back in a 3-4-3 formation are better, as the Chelsea defender’s overall rating is just 89 out of 120.

The twice-capped Kyle Walker-Peters has the exact same key attributes as Walker (88 out of 120), but the Manchester City player has made the third-most appearances of any player since Southgate took charge, so his familiarity and versatility gave him the nod, despite not being obviously better than other alternatives.

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Alexander-Arnold would be next in line to replace Trippier on the right-hand side of a midfield four, with an overall score of 89 out of 120, which is one better than Walker’s rating. James Justin’s score of 81 out of 120 puts him a long way away from being considered.

Centre-backs

Key attributes: Heading, marking, passing, tackling, composure, positioning, jumping reach, strength (out of 160)

Who was picked: Conor Coady, Eric Dier, Harry Maguire, John Stones, Ben White

Who FM23 says should’ve been picked: Chris Smalling, Maguire, Stones, Dan Burn, Joe Gomez/Dier

England’s best centre-back, according to FM23, was not selected by Southgate. Smalling, with a rating of 125 out of 160, is the highest-rated central defender in FM23 and would be one of the first names on the list, accompanying Maguire and Stones in a back three.

Eight centre-backs have better statistics in FM23 than two of the centre-backs picked in real life. Coady and White, the latter of whom who was presumably picked for his ability to also play at right-back, are two of England’s more controversial selections according to how players are ranked in Football Manager 2023.

If we were going off in-game stats, Burn would be on the plane to Qatar with a score of 119 out of 160, alongside Gomez, whose 118 out of 160 rating is the exact same as Dier, which means it would be a coin flip between the two to see who makes the squad.

Coady has a score of 110 out of 160, while White has a score of 115 out of 120. Fikayo Tomori (116 out of 160) and Lewis Dunk (117 out of 160) both have better data profiles than two of the players actually selected to go to Qatar, while James Tarkowski, with a score of 115 out of 120, is rated the exact same as White.

Tyrone Mings and Adam Webster also rank better than Coady with scores of 114 out of 160 and 113 out of 160 respectively, while Ben Mee and Rob Holding both have scores of 111 out of 160, putting that quartet ahead of Coady in the pecking order.

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In total, there are 13 centre-backs with better attributes than Coady in FM23, with Marc Guehi (109 out of 160) the only defender who may have been considered for selection with lower-rated stats than that of the on-loan Everton defender.

Centre midfielders

Key attributes: Passing, tackling, off the ball, teamwork, work rate, stamina, first touch, technique, composure, decisions, vision (out of 220)

Who was picked: Jude Bellingham, Conor Gallagher, Jordan Henderson, Mason Mount, Kalvin Phillips, Declan Rice

Who FM23 says should’ve been picked: Mount, Rice, James Ward-Prowse, Henderson, Bellingham, Harvey Elliott

Unlike other positions, the role of a centre midfielder is fluid, in that different midfielders will be deployed in different ways. Some may be tasked with sitting deeper, while others will have the licence to roam forward.

As such, we’ve included key attributes for two different central midfield roles: a box-to-box midfielder and a deeper-lying playmaker, as they cover the broadest number of key attributes so we can account for what might play out in real life.

Mount is England’s best overall central midfield option in FM23, with a score of 174 out of 220, with Rice just behind him with a total of 172 out of 220. Both of those are in the actual squad and both would be the first names on the teamsheet.

After that duo, it’s Ward-Prowse who should be next in line to feature, with a score of 169 out of 220, which is two higher than Henderson (167 out of 220) and six higher than Bellingham (163 out of 220).

One of the more intriguing picks Southgate made was selecting Gallagher. His overall score is just 156 out of 220, which means there are eight central midfielders with higher scores than him, including Kalvin Phillips (158 out of 220), Adam Lallana (161 out of 220) and Elliott (163 out of 220).

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Ruben Loftus-Cheek, a member of England’s 2018 World Cup squad in Russia, ranks the same, but Gallagher, the most recent Chelsea loanee to enjoy a productive season on loan at Crystal Palace before being selected to feature at a major tournament, was chosen instead.

Elliott, who is yet to be capped by England, would also be one of the six central midfielders selected according to FM23 because of his above-average technical ability, although, his defensive stats may leave Southgate’s side exposed.

That is also the case with Lallana, another excellent technician but a player who may fail to offer much defensively. Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain ranks the lowest of all English centre midfielders, with a score of 155 out of 220

According to Football Manager 2023, Phillips and Gallagher would miss out, with Ward-Prowse and Elliott instead being included.

Wingers

Key attributes: Dribbling, finishing, first touch, technique, off the ball, acceleration, agility, balance (out of 160)

Who was picked: Phil Foden, Jack Grealish, James Maddison, Marcus Rashford, Bukayo Saka, Raheem Sterling

Who FM23 says should’ve been picked: Foden, Jadon Sancho, Sterling, Rashford, Maddison, Saka/Marcus Edwards

In Southgate’s squad, six wingers were chosen. One would not have been chosen if the attributes in FM23 determined who would play in Qatar, and another would’ve been tied numerically with an uncapped forward who plays in Portugal.

Foden is England’s joint-best best wide option, with a score of 128 out of 160, which is the same score as Sancho, who was not picked despite having an overall score that is at least four points higher than the next-best winger in FM23, Sterling.

Sterling’s score of 124 out of 160 is two better than Rashford, while Maddison, who in this exercise was picked for his ability to play in a wide role rather than as a No 10, clocks in just behind Rashford with a rating of 121 out of 160.

Edwards (120 out of 160), who is yet to earn a senior cap for England, has the same attribute score as Saka. If Edwards did play his football in England, it’s fair to wonder if he would’ve been a more prominent feature in the conversation about who should go to Qatar.

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Grealish would’ve missed out as his overall score is just 119 out of 160, while Jarrod Bowen (113 out of 160), Callum Hudson-Odoi (112 out of 160) and Jack Harrison (109 out of 160), would’ve missed the cut too.

Michael Olise, who is eligible to play for England, France, Nigeria and Algeria, clocked in with a score of 114 out of 160, which puts him ahead of more established England internationals like Bowen and Hudson-Odoi, who have four caps and two caps respectively.

Strikers

Key attributes: Dribbling, finishing, technique, composure, off the ball, acceleration (out of 120)

Who was actually picked: Harry Kane, Callum Wilson

Who FM23 says should’ve been picked: Kane, Wilson

Southgate decided to only take two strikers to Qatar, and both of the players picked also have the best attributes in FM23.

Kane is by far England’s accomplished option up front, with an overall score of 110 out of 120. After him, Wilson has the second-best rating with a score of 101 out of 120, which puts him slightly ahead of two other players, Dominic Calvert-Lewin and Danny Ings, who are rated at 100 out of 120.

Tammy Abraham, who Southgate chose not to select because he had been on a “poor run of scoring”, after scoring just three league goals in Serie A to go along with one assist, clocks in with a score of 99 out of 120.

With 10 goals and two assists in 14 league games, Ivan Toney is one of the most in-form English strikers this season, and is also extremely reliable from the penalty spot.

But if the squad was picked according to stats on FM23, Danny Welbeck would’ve been ahead of him in the pecking order. Welbeck has a score of 96 out of 120, one higher than Toney, who also has the same attribute ranking as Patrick Bamford. Ollie Watkins’ score of 91 out of 120 meant he was a long shot to make the squad, as nine strikers had better attributes than him on FM23.

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An interesting caveat here is Jamie Vardy. If he hadn’t retired from international football in August 2018, he would’ve been the undisputed second-choice behind Kane, even at the age of 35, with an overall score of 106 out of 120.

England’s starting XI for the World Cup, according to FM23 (3-4-3): Pickford; Smalling, Maguire, Stones; Mitchell, Mount, Rice, Trippier; Foden, Sancho, Kane

(Top photos: Getty Images)

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