Football news - A message to Gareth Southgate: play the kids

'Should I gamble?'

That’s the question Gareth Southgate will be mulling over as England prepare to face Spain in the UEFA Nations League, with the unlikely pin-up having the option of unleashing his untested young talent against the 2010 world champions.

He’s basking in the longest run of English optimism in a decade, but risks trampling on this goodwill if he continues to pick teams – à la those against Switzerland and Croatia – that produce such stale performances.

Joe Gomez and Harry Winks are expected to replace suspended duo John Stones and Jordan Henderson in the England XI, while Kieran Trippier could take over right-back duties from Kyle Walker.

Sky Sports believe they have the line-up already, and it's bad news for fans of change:

Spain boss Luis Enrique could be tempted to give Paco Alcacer the nod from the start. The Borussia Dortmund striker, on loan from Barcelona, has scored a ridiculous nine goals from just two starts and three substitute appearances for club and country.

The Nations League was introduced to replace pointless friendlies with competitive matches. Nice idea. But even if England win in Spain, their hopes of topping Group A4 rest on Enrique’s side slipping up against Croatia in November – a side they thrashed 6-0 in September. So surely it’s time to risk the youngsters against proper opposition, rather than wait for a Euro 2020 qualification dead rubber or friendly?

Does Raheem Sterling merit inclusion just because he is scintillating for Manchester City? Does Ross Barkley merit inclusion just because he scored one goal for Chelsea against Southampton? No. The former’s international goal drought stands at 1,102 days – no, that’s not a typo – while Barkley can’t expect to be an England regular after a lengthy absence.

Jadon Sancho’s cameo against Croatia last week was as promising as anything produced by Southgate’s side, while Mason Mount and James Maddison have started the season brightly at club level.

What will England gain from a cagy affair in Spain with the usual cast members playing? Sure, it might backfire. Sancho might be overawed at just 18; Mount and Maddison are complete unknowns at this level; England leave themselves at risk of relegation with defeat. But better test these players against good opposition now, rather than hope they can do it when Euro 2020 rolls around.

Of course, Southgate has been backing Sterling in the build-up to the match as he continues to field questions about the 23-year-old.

"What do we do? We’ve got to keep getting him in the right positions. We’ve got to create chances for him and he’s got to keep getting in the right areas," he said.

"But I think it is going to be a confidence thing that when the goal comes he will go on a scoring run. For all our attacking players, we’ve got to make sure we are creating chances and that we are in the right areas and then they’ve just got to go and finish them."