Arsenal: 3 ways England could line up with Emile Smith Rowe

Emile Smith Rowe is an England senior international. While the Arsenal man has yet to earn his first cap, he’s got a taste for the pinnacle of international acknowledgment. It’s sure to be the start of a fruitful union.

Fans will think back to the first caps earned for Bukayo Saka and Ainsley Maitland-Niles as gloriously proud moments. Seeing them take to the pitch for the first time sent beaming smiles across north London, and while only one has gone on the cement his place in the team, they were still moments to cherish.

Flying high in the Premier League this season, the possibility of getting to see Smith Rowe replicate what he’s been doing against Watford and Leicester on the international stage have risen since his call-up.

Key players dropped out to hand him his spot in the squad, and further withdrawals have improved his chances of stepping out on the Wembley turf for the first time as Three Lions player.

3 ways England could line up against Albania in their World Cup qualifier with Arsenal forward Emile Smith Rowe included

Injuries to Marcus Rashford and Mason Mount cut Gareth Southgate’s options down, while Jadon Sancho wasn’t even selected at all and had to sit and watch as Smith Rowe got the call his £73m self should be receiving, were it not for him being employed by a clueless club with an inept manager. Oh, and there is no Jesse Lingard either, for similar reasons.

(have to get the point scoring in somewhere)

But with news coming out that Jack Grealish has also been feeling unwell and may not be risked for Friday’s clash with Albania, Smith Rowe might be looking at a genuine possibility of making his debut. As it stands, the options in wide areas are Bukayo Saka, Phil Foden, Raheem Sterling and Smith Rowe. Depending on system, one will also have to slot into the No. 10 role.

He may or may not start. After all, England have yet to secure top spot in their group and need four points from their two matches to confirm it, but there are three systems Southgate could go with that could incorporate Smith Rowe.

1. Smith Rowe as the Left-Winger in 4-3-3 or 4-2-3-1

England’s last two World Cup qualifiers came against Andorra and Hungary, and on both occasions Southgate opted to go with a 4-3-3 shape with a single pivot. If he sticks with that against Albania, who are third in the group and only two points behind Poland in second, there will be space out on the wide left berth.

It’s his best position for Arsenal (albeit not in a 4-3-3) and the one he personally favours, and with a midfield trio behind him it will grant him more license to roam forward and press from the front.

Should the manager go with a 4-2-3-1 then it will more closely resemble what Mikel Arteta likes to do, in which case Smith Rowe can simply take his left sided position with the added benefit of an attacking left-back behind him.

England and Arsenal share this trait in that they play an attack-minded full-back on the left, with the Three Lions likely to use Ben Chilwell over the course of the international break in Luke Shaw’s stead.

Allowing Smith Rowe to pick this left half-space and receive on the half-turn, his form for his club could encourage the England boss to follow suit.

Mock lineup: Pickford; Walker, Stones, Maguire, Chilwell; Bellingham, Henderson, Foden; Sterling, Kane, Smith Rowe

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