England face Bulgaria on Friday night before hosting Wales next Wednesday and Fabio Capello has named his squad for both qualifiers, with the likes of young United trio Smalling, Jones and Cleverley all getting call-ups.
After a fantastic start to the new Premier League season it is perhaps unsurprising to see Manchester City represented by no less than 6 players in the squad, the most of any club, while high-profile absentees include the injured Rio Ferdinand, Jack Wilshere and Steven Gerrard.
Other than the aforementioned United youngsters, Capello has picked a familiar group of players and is unlikely to experiment, so WhoScored.com has decided to experiment instead!
We look at the top rated English players in a standard 4-4-2 formation, that could easily adapt to a more fluid 4-2-3-1, based on performances in the opening 3 matches of the Premier League season. In turn we also look at the best rated line-up in terms of those available to Capello following his 23-man squad selection and how this compares/differs.
WhoScored.com's Best Rated XI
Goalkeeper/Defence
It is of little surprise to see that Joe Hart, with a rating of 6.83, leads the way for English keepers early on in the season. The City stopper has made 8 saves thus far this season, conceding 3 goals. Interestingly, Norwich keeper John Ruddy is tied with Hart on the same rating, despite being sent off at Chelsea last time out. The 24-year-old has conceded 5 goals, but has made more saves (12) than Hart, including a penalty stop in the draw with Stoke.
Micah Richards has started just twice for City with a rating of 7.44 from right-back, though his rating is lowered due to his latest substitute appearance to 6.94- still the best of any Englishman in that position in the league. Richards ability to venture forward has seen him pick up 2 assists already this season, making 1 key pass per game. He has also made 1.7 tackles per game, more than any other City defender.
Alan Pardew's worries after losing Jose Enrique to Liverpool have been eased by the performances of Ryan Taylor at left-back. A rating of 7.2 from the first 3 games sees him make our XI having netted the winner in the Tyne-Wear derby against Sunderland ensuring his heroic status at the club. Taylor has made 2.3 tackles and 1.7 interceptions per game to help his side concede just 1 goal thus far.
Gary Cahill is a wanted man having begun this season in the fine form that he finished the last. The centre-back has averaged as many shots per game as top scorer Klasnic for his side with 1.3 and netted a spectacular opener in the opening day rout over QPR. Cahill has made just 1 tackle per game compared to defensive partner Knight, but leads the way for his team in terms of interceptions per game (3) and clearances per game (10).
Having completed his move across the Midlands from Birmingham to Wolves, Mick McCarthy's new captain has bedded in to his side superbly. A rating of 7.2 sees him tied as the best English defender thus far according to WhoScored ratings having made 1.7 tackles, 2.3 interceptions and 7.7 clearances per game for his new club.
Midfield
James Milner's inclusion in our XI comes having made just 1 start for City this season, with many feeling his place in the side will be limited due to the arrival of Samir Nasri. A further substitute appearance has seen his rating reach a combined total 7.46 after a fantastic display against Bolton that saw him pick up 2 assists, only to be dropped the subsequent weekend. 2 shots per game, an 85% pass success rate and 2.5 key passes per game prove just what the 25-year-old has to offer when needed at Eastlands.
Milner's former Villa teammate Ashley Young occupies a place on the left in our XI having made a fantastic start to his Manchester United career. A hat-trick of assists against Arsenal last time out were accompanied by 2 great goals, and all against a team he supported as a boy! A further assist this season on the opening day, along with an 87% pass success rate, 2.7 shots per game, 3 key passes per game and 1.3 dribbles per game have led him to a WhoScored rating of 7.99.
The fourth and final Manchester City player in our top-rated XI is another ex-Villan, Gareth Barry. In the absence of Nigel De Jong the 30-year-old has flourished in the holding role, netting a screamer against Bolton and picking up an assist at the weekend. A pass accuracy of 87%, 2.3 tackles per game and 2.7 interceptions per game prove the midfielder's reliability, while he has also made an impressive 1.7 key passes per game.
Frank Lampard opened his account last weekend and a man of the match display against Norwich has helped him in no small part to WhoScored rating of 7.58. In his first 3 games the veteran international has also picked up 2 assists, achieved a pass accuracy of 89% and laid on a magnificent 4.7 key passes per game, proving there is life in the old dog yet, despite rumours that his days in the England starting XI may be numbered.
Attack
Surprise, surprise. Manchester United forward Wayne Rooney is the top-rated Englishman in WhoScored ratings with his 5 goals in 3 games helping him to a figure of 8.97. A phenomenal 5.3 shots per game, 4 key passes per game and further assist have seen the 25-year-old start this season better than any other- a worrying sign for Premier League fans other than United but a huge boost to Fabio Capello.
Rooney's strike partner at United this season thus far has not been Hernandez, nor Berbatov, but 20-year-old Danny Welbeck. The forward, who spent last season on loan at Sunderland, has netted twice, and picked up 1 assist, with his latest effort beginning the 8-2 rout over Arsenal at the weekend. His superb form early on has seen him pick up a WhoScored rating of 7.41 and the youngster would surely have joined the likes of Jones, Smalling and Cleverley in the England squad were it not for a hamstring injury suffered in the aforementioned drubbing of the Gunners.
Best Rated XI from Selected Squad
Encouragingly for England fans there are only 3 changes from the top-rated English XI thus far, suggesting that the side should be in good form ahead of the upcoming double-header. England captain John Terry comes in for Roger Johnson, not selected, with a far from poor rating of 6.97, pipping Jones on 6.95. At left-back, Leighton Baines gets the nod over regular starter Ashley Cole, with a rating of 7.14 to Cole's impressive 7.11 replacing Ryan Taylor.
The midfield is unchanged and could well be the one entrusted with taking on Bulgaria away from home, though the likes of Parker, Downing, Johnson, Cleverley and Walcott are all available. Up front Danny Welbeck, unavailable through injury, drops out with Darren Bent coming in having picked a greater rating than Andy Carroll (6.36) and Jermaine Defoe (6.53) after a goal and an assist versus Blackburn have helped him accumulate a rating of 6.72- the weakest in the potential line-up and only real concern for Capello, who may favour the height of Andy Carroll with plenty of quality service available from his prospective wingers.
