Euro 2020: The key dilemmas facing England boss Gareth Southgate

England starting XI v RomaniaGetty Images

Goalkeeper Sam Johnstone and defenders Ben Godfrey and Ben White were given their full England debuts against Romania

By Phil McNulty
Chief football writer

England manager Gareth Southgate knows the phoney war is over and the serious action starts now.

Hoping to build on reaching the World Cup semi-final in 2018 when the Euro 2020 campaign starts against Croatia at Wembley next Sunday, Southgate will already have his ideal starting line-up in his head, but the selection picture still remains unclear.

He has been asked questions by the outstanding performances of Aston Villa captain Jack Grealish in friendly wins over Austria and Romania.

He must measure the fitness of Liverpool captain Jordan Henderson as well as his Manchester United counterpart Harry Maguire, while deciding on the claims being pressed by Manchester City's prodigious Phil Foden, and Mason Mount, a Champions League winner with Chelsea.

What must Southgate decide in the next crucial seven days?

Is it now impossible to leave Grealish out?

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Grealish impressed in both of the friendly wins over Austria and Romania

Grealish is assembling a mounting body of work that suggests it is almost impossible for Southgate to leave him out of England's opening game of the Euros against Croatia at Wembley.

Grealish had only started three games since returning late in the season after three months out with shin problems and it was slightly alarming to see him with an ice pack wrapped around that area after he was substituted against Austria on Wednesday.

The good news is that Grealish was back running the show for the second game in succession in the 1-0 victory over Romania, looking close to full fitness and tormenting England's opponents every time he got on the ball.

If Southgate's thinking for that crucial opening game is shaped by performances in these two friendlies, then Grealish could not have done more.

He has been England's standout performer in both - but Southgate is facing complex decisions over personnel and formation, as well as the availability of other creative forces in those areas such as Foden and Mount.

Grealish's arrival on the England scene has been something of a slow burner but he looks totally at ease at international level, playing the game with a smile on his face, demanding, probing, forcing the opposition into fouls in dangerous areas - one of which brought a penalty for England's winner here.

His brilliance provides a nice headache for Southgate to have but a headache nonetheless.

Can Henderson and Maguire really be risked?

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When will Harry Maguire return after suffering ankle ligament damage last month?

England have a long and undistinguished history of taking players into major tournaments when they are desperately short of match fitness.

It has happened with David Beckham and Wayne Rooney, to quote two examples, while at Euro 2016 then manager Roy Hodgson picked Arsenal's Jack Wilshere after he had only played 141 minutes over three games in the previous season - with the inevitable result that Wilshere performed like a man who had only played 141 minutes over three games in the previous season.

Henderson and Maguire do not have tanks as empty as Wilshere had when he struggled in France but there is no question Southgate is taking a big gamble and trusting to their powers of recovery by taking them into the Euros.

Henderson looked lively enough at the Riverside Stadium in his 45-minute appearance as a substitute, although he rightly took a hefty verbal dig from Southgate for pulling rank on Everton's Dominic Calvert-Lewin only to miss a late penalty.

But this was his first action since 20 February and he was reporting discomfort as recently as last Wednesday, when he withdrew from the friendly against Austria.

Can he really be a contender to face Croatia with so little football behind him in recent months?

Henderson, along with Maguire, has been a vital part of England's setup on and off the pitch in recent seasons, key figures in a squad that has developed since reaching the World Cup semi-final in 2018 and now carries high hopes into the Euros.

Maguire's case is even more clouded as he has not played since sustaining ankle ligament damage against Aston Villa in early May, subsequently missing Manchester United's Europa League final loss to Villarreal. He is doing some running but he will need to be doing a lot more than that pretty soon.

He is clearly not going to be fit for England's opener and there must be a question mark over his participation in the other group games, as they come in swift succession.

The dilemma Southgate faces is that they are so important as both players and personalities that they are almost impossible to ignore - but the manager must ensure he does not make the mistakes of predecessors such as Sven-Goran Eriksson and Hodgson by leaving his squad short on resources with players who may not be able to make their full contribution.

Is Sterling's place under threat?

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Sterling, as well as other England players involved in the Champions League final, were rested for the two warm-up games

It was almost unthinkable not so long ago that Raheem Sterling's place in England's team would come into question just a week before the start of the Euros.

Southgate has steadfastly supported Sterling through fallow spells earlier in his England career and has huge faith in a player who has delivered so much for him and played such an integral role throughout his time as manager, becoming a figure of such significance.

Sterling's form dipped in the latter part of this season as Manchester City won the Premier League, when he was left out on occasions by manager Pep Guardiola even though he played in the Champions League final loss to Chelsea.

He seemed to be grasping for his best form, almost trying too hard to find the perfect end product.

What Southgate has, and what makes this a genuine source of debate, is an array of options now on offer to put Sterling under pressure.

He can call on Grealish, Foden and Mount, who can all flourish in the wider areas, while Borussia Dortmund's Jadon Sancho is developing rapidly and his flashes of inspiration against Romania - especially his shot against the bar - hinted at what he can offer.

Marcus Rashford also operates out wide so Southgate has an embarrassment of riches.

If nothing else, the presence of so much talent in and around Sterling means if he is not at his best then Southgate has other players to turn to.

Can Grealish, Foden and Mount play in the same XI?

It was inevitable that one of the main questions fired at Southgate after this win against Romania was whether he could find room for Grealish, Foden and Mount in the same England side when the Euros get under way?

This would undoubtedly be the choice of the romantics, with three gloriously talented creators building a supply line for Southgate's world-class captain Harry Kane.

Southgate, rightly, pointed out that during the course of a tournament he will need all of his resources but his natural inclination in previous competitive games has been to go for two holding midfielders, with West Ham United's Declan Rice as first choice and either Leeds United's Kalvin Phillips or Henderson also being used as anchors.

There is no doubt Southgate will be under pressure (pressure he is strong enough to ignore) to play the dream trio of Foden, Grealish and Mount, but it may yet be that pragmatism is the order of the day - at the start at least.

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