England eyes lineup shake-up with Grealish, Sancho, Bellingham for Czech Republic test

England's performance against Scotland left little room for interpretation: one shot on target, no goals, and a growing sense that Gareth Southgate's tactical choices were holding the team back. The draw at Wembley on June 21, 2021, was meant to be a statement in England's Euro 2020 campaign. Instead, it raised urgent questions about whether the manager had been outthought by Scotland's Steve Clarke and whether the squad's most talented attacking players were being deployed correctly.

The pressure to change something—anything—was immediate and loud. Jack Grealish, the Aston Villa captain, had come on in the 63rd minute but made no visible difference to the game's trajectory. Yet in England's warm-up friendlies against Austria and Romania, he had shown he belonged in the starting eleven. Fans wanted him there from the first whistle against the Czech Republic. Raheem Sterling, meanwhile, had been quiet against Scotland and seemed a natural candidate for rest. The incoming match offered Southgate a chance to recalibrate without abandoning the core of his team.

Defense presented its own puzzle. Reece James had made a crucial goal-line clearance against Scotland and impressed on his tournament debut, but Kyle Walker—left out of the matchday squad entirely—could return. More significantly, Harry Maguire, the Manchester United captain, had not played competitive football since injuring his ankle against Aston Villa on May 9. Getting him minutes seemed important for his fitness and confidence, though Tyrone Mings had been faultless in both Euro 2020 appearances so far. Kieran Trippier might also return at left-back, despite Luke Shaw and Ben Chilwell—a Champions League winner—being available.

The midfield was where the most pointed criticism had landed. Southgate had fielded two defensive midfielders, Declan Rice and Kalvin Phillips, against Scotland, a choice that drew fire from observers who felt it strangled England's attacking potential. Jude Bellingham, who would turn eighteen at the end of the month, represented a more adventurous alternative to Phillips. He was young but had shown the technical quality and composure to operate in that space. On the wings, the logic seemed to point toward Grealish on the left and Jadon Sancho on the right. Sancho had scored sixteen goals and registered fourteen assists in the Bundesliga that season—a record that made his absence from the Scotland lineup look, in the words of former Arsenal striker Ian Wright, simply embarrassing. Phil Foden, who had occupied the right wing in the previous two matches, had not translated his club form to the international stage, though he had shown flashes of brightness in more central positions.

Bukayo Saka, the nineteen-year-old Arsenal winger, had been among three players left out of the matchday squad against Scotland but could return to the bench. Harry Kane, the world-class striker and England captain, remained goalless at the tournament and had been uncharacteristically anonymous against Scotland. Finding a way to unlock him was perhaps the most pressing tactical question facing Southgate.

Former England defender Stuart Pearce, speaking to talkSPORT, expected changes but not a wholesale overhaul. He believed Maguire might play and that Mings, despite his solid performances, could make way. Pearce also floated the possibility that Southgate might experiment with a back three in this final group game—a formation that could give Kane and the advanced players more freedom to operate. David Moyes, the West Ham manager, had suggested the same idea to Pearce after the Scotland match. The Czech Republic fixture, then, was not just about bouncing back from a disappointing result. It was a chance to test whether a different shape and different personnel could unlock the attacking potential that everyone knew existed within this squad.