Despite all of England's riches, Southgate is still missing one key position.

Rice is probably the closest England player has to a holding midfielder. Photo: Reuters/CARL RECINE

Has the England manager ever turned to a major tournament that could call up, as it did at the start of the weekend, Spain's top scorer, Germany's top scorer and six of the top 10 scorers in England's top flight?

With the European Championships approaching, it is easy to forget that this is England's golden generation of attacking players. Gareth Southgate dared to say that the likes of Marcus Rashford and Jack Grealish may not feel their places this summer are guaranteed, and given the competition for those attacking spots, he's right. There are nine attacking players to face Brazil and Belgium over the next nine days, and they don't even include Jude Bellingham, who is listed as a midfielder despite being La Liga's top scorer last week.< /p>< p>The new dawn of youth development, the Elite Player Performance Plan (EPPP), has produced a rich crop of strikers, wingers and number 10 players over the past decade. So much so that Dominic Solanke, who is currently third in the Premier League goalscoring table and has scored 15 goals for Bournemouth (by no means one of the most influential players), is not mentioned without much murmur of dissent.

Apart from Grealish, there are other good attacking players in this squad. Take Eberechi Eze, who is on the verge of full fitness, and Callum Wilson, who is likely to miss the summer with injury. Southgate appears to have decided there is no turning back for Raheem Sterling and he can afford it given the options available to him. Curtis Jones, who is the main attacking midfielder, would have remained in the squad if not for the injury.

Southgate has plenty of good players to choose from. Of all the options, there are some whose potential absence will hit England harder this summer. Starting with Harry Kane, the Bundesliga's top scorer, or the rest of the team's untouchables: Bellingham, Declan Rice, John Stones, Kyle Walker. However, international teams are often characterized by a player profile that they simply don't have. Neither can be signed or co-opted: there is no choice but to make the most of what is available.

Once again for England in the tournament cycle, there is one glaring lack of player in Southgate's squad. Orders: Elusive, deep-lying midfield playmaker.

This week Southgate again described him as «the midfield organizer with the ball» — a position he has defined many times during his eight years in charge. “Like Jorginho, [Sergio] Busquets, [Toni] Kroos or [Luka] Modric,” is how he defined it. Of course, England had Michael Carrick for many years, but there was rarely a place for him in the rigid 4-4-2 system of the era. Since then, that type of player, the selfless type who brings the game together and wins the ball in difficult circumstances, seems to be defying the tens of millions of pounds invested in the EPPP.

When Wayne Rooney and Rio Ferdinand selected their England squad as pundits, the former immediately saw the problem. Ferdinand chose Phil Foden's midfield trio along with Rice and Bellingham. Rooney was adamant this midfield was too open. Foden is likely to start as one of the three strikers. Bellingham will be the most improved linebacker. Rice will have to play deeper than he did for Arsenal, but who is the man next to him?

That's why Jordan Henderson and, until this month, Calvin Phillips stayed with the team for so long. Potentially Trent Alexander-Arnold will do the job in the summer, although Southgate will be hoping for his immediate return to fitness for Liverpool to make sure of that.

“In my time in England there have rarely been players of this type, “So we have different profiles for number six,” Southgate said. So [the range of players in midfield] is the number six or number six Eights or the double [two] number 6 and number 10? It's about getting players into a position on the field where they can perform at their best.»

In any case, there is no specialist for this job. That's the big question facing Southgate, a naturally cautious coach who has been criticized accordingly but deep down knows the truth about international competition. They are usually won by teams that control the ball and patiently build the game. In short, good players who dominate possession. However, England are missing this vital link in the chain between defense and midfield.

Southgate would no doubt prefer to have a few more options to partner Stones in central defence, so the left-footed Jarrad Branthwaite is worth a look. Southgate would benefit from alternative left-backs Luke Shaw and Ben Chilwell and their fragile fitness. Walker is so good that he cannot be replaced. The availability of Reece James is by no means guaranteed. But there is still a chance that all the pieces could fall to Southgate's side and that his big players will travel to Germany fit and fit.

What he knows he won't have until June is playmaker in this style. Modric, who captained Croatia's victory over England in the 2018 World Cup semi-final, as he did in the Euro 2008 qualifier at Wembley more than a decade ago. One begins to wonder whether this is a flaw in the English psyche that has never manifested itself. Indeed, an Englishman like Modric can win more matches than anyone before him. Although, given the fortunes of this country, his appearance would certainly coincide with a sudden and inexplicable absence of worthy strikers.