Jarrod Bowen and Tyrick Mitchell make our England XI determined by Dream Team points

THOMAS TUCHEL has selected a whopping 35 players to represent England against Uruguay and Japan during this international break.

The German tactician has some big decisions to make as the World Cup draws near and we wouldn’t dare suggest he use Dream Team points as a guide but it’s a fun conversation to have while club football is on pause.

We have assembled the best possible England XI as determined by this season’s Dream Team points.

The first thing to note is that those who ply their trade outside of Dream Team’s jurisdiction are ineligible for selection in this hypothetical exercise.

This means superstar duo Jude Bellingham and Harry Kane are nowhere to be seen — obviously the latter’s tally of 48 goals in all competitions would translate to a ginormous points total but them’s the brakes.

GOALKEEPER

• Dean Henderson – 166 pts

In reality, Jordan Pickford’s status as the Three Lions’ No1 is as secure as it has ever been but he’s 21 points shy of his peer from Crystal Palace in the world of Dream Team.

Henderson has kept 13 clean sheets in all competitions this season, a tally only bettered by David Raya and Gigi Donnarumma.

The Eagles have under performed compared to 2024/25 but their problems have come in the final third, not at the back.

Henderson and company have conceded just 35 league goals so far — the joint-third best defensive record in the top flight.

DEFENDERS

• Marc Guehi – 230 pts
• Tyrick Mitchell – 205 pts
• Reece James – 198 pts
• Lewis Hall – 187 pts

Palace’s tight defence is on show again here as top performer Guehi was a mainstay for the first half of the campaign before his January switch to Manchester City.

The 25-year-old has offered a persistent threat at set pieces this term with four goals and six assists to his name.

Given John Stones’ fitness concerns, it could be argued that Guehi sits at the top of the pecking order when it comes to England centre-backs these days — the Dream Team rankings suggest so.

Mitchell has not been called up by Tuchel this week and probably has every right to feel aggrieved.

A diligent, consistent left wing-back, he is one of only two Dream Team defenders to have made 100+ tackles this season, alongside Wales’ Neco Williams.

Mitchell ranks seventh among all players in his position right now and yet he features in just 2.8% of teams — a severely underrated player.

Chelsea’s captain hasn’t made his way to St George’s Park due to an ill-timed injury but he is likely to be England’s first-choice right-back this summer.

James has also played more than his fair share of minutes as a central midfielder this season, a big reason he’s provided nine assists for his team-mates.

The left-back spot is very much up for grabs ahead of the World Cup and Hall may be peaking at the right time.

Newcastle have stuttered but their No3 has caught the eye with a series of impressive showings.

This is reflected best by his total of 63 bonus points, the highest among all players (English or otherwise) after 29 Gameweeks!

MIDFIELDERS

• Anthony Gordon – 278 pts
• Bukayo Saka – 264 pts
• Harvey Barnes – 243 pts
• Declan Rice – 241 pts
• Morgan Rogers – 234 pts

The Magpies’ No10 is categorised as a midfielder in Dream Team but has often been deployed as a centre forward by Eddie Howe in recent weeks.

Gordon saved his best performances for the Champions League this season with ten goals in the competition.

Truth be told, his returns in the league have been rather underwhelming but how can anyone have complaints about a player with 278 points to his name?

He is the top-performing Englishman in Dream Team at present.

Arsenal pair Saka and Rice have long been among the first names on the England team sheet and the same is true here.

With the Gunners still active in the FA Cup and Champions League, it’s not inconceivable this duo will finish as the two best midfielders — they rank third and ninth respectively at the moment but Rice is just 12 points off the top five.

Barnes is our third and final Newcastle representative.

The 28-year-old has been called up to replace the injured Eberechi Eze, just reward for his return of 14 goals at club level this season.

Rogers v Bellingham (or both?) is one of the biggest questions Tuchel must answer in the next couple of months.

Aston Villa’s creator-in-chief has scored ten goals and registered eight assists in 2025/26 while Real Madrid’s No5 has been hampered by fitness issues.

Phil Foden, Nico O’Reilly, Elliot Anderson, Morgan Gibbs-White and James Garner all narrowly miss out in a competitive field.

STRIKER

With Kane unavailable it’s down to West Ham’s skipper to lead the line for our imaginary XI in a 4-5-1 formation.

Only Erling Haaland and Igor Thiago boast superior points-per-game averages among forwards — Bowen has rattled along at 6.4 per outing despite the Hammers’ poor results.

The 29-year-old is a proven performer in the Premier League and many fans (not just of West Ham) believe he is worthy of more minutes in an England shirt.

He has often been squeezed out by younger talents who represent richer, more fashionable clubs.

Over to you, Thomas!

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