We are now into the business end of the season but for many there is a greater prize at stake later this month: a World Cup squad place.
Forty-eight nations competing with 23-26 players per squad means a maximum of 1,248 players could be heading to this summer’s showpiece in Canada, Mexico and the United States of America.
Barring injuries, Declan Rice and Jude Bellingham are certainties to go on the plane for England as the Three Lions look to end 60 years of hurt.
Rice is an automatic starter under England head coach Thomas Tuchel, while Bellingham’s omission from the starting XI would raise some eyebrows.
However, for one former England midfielder – starting both this summer isn’t a foregone conclusion.
Gareth Barry knows the importance of a balanced midfield at international level, having won 53 caps over a 12-year England career and starting three of their four matches at the 2010 World Cup.
Gareth Barry believes Jude Bellingham (left) and Declan Rice (right) shouldn’t necessarily start together in midfield for England at the upcoming World Cup in Canada, Mexico and the USA
Barry believes Aston Villa’s Morgan Rogers has to start for England in midfield
Ex-England star Barry spoke exclusively to Daily Mail Sport as a TOCA Social ambassador
A fan of both, Barry would have the duo starting on most occasions but warned that Tuchel needs to find the right formula to succeed while ensuring there is a place for Morgan Rogers in the line-up too.
‘I think when you’re looking at the definites, Declan Rice is probably the best player around at the moment and he can play different roles as well,’ Barry told Daily Mail Sport in an exclusive interview when asked about which midfielders he would select for England’s World Cup squad.
‘Jude Bellingham has obviously proved already that he’s used to the big moments as well. I think Morgan Rogers is a lot different to the other players, so I would definitely have him as a shoo-in. They would be my three that would definitely go to the World Cup.
‘But I think Thomas Tuchel has got to find the right mix for his starting XI, I wouldn’t necessarily play Bellingham and Rice as both are playing further forward for their clubs.
‘I’d play one of them, probably Rice, deeper and then you’ve got to pick one more.
‘In the qualifying games Tuchel mixed it up quite a bit in there, didn’t he, so I think that one place is the one probably up for grabs.’
Rice and Bellingham have started 29 matches together for England – winning 16, drawing seven and losing five for a 55.2 win percentage. Their last four starts together have yielded triumphs too – with wins against Finland (Nations League), Albania, Latvia and Albania (all 2026 World Cup qualifiers).
Notable victories in that period include triumphs against Italy (twice) and the Netherlands but have been offset against agonising losses to France at the 2022 World Cup quarter-finals and Spain at the Euro 2024 final.
Rice and Bellingham celebrate England beating the Netherlands to reach the Euro 2024 final
Barry won 53 caps for England during his career and played at the 2010 World Cup
Since Tuchel succeeded Gareth Southgate, Nottingham Forest’s Elliot Anderson has been the man in possession of a central midfield berth alongside Rice and is likely to fill that other position that Barry alluded to.
While he has slight reservations on the suitability of Rice and Bellingham starting in midfield, Barry is in no doubt about the qualities that Aston Villa star Rogers brings to England’s XI.
‘I think you have to find a space for Morgan Rogers,’ he said. ‘He’s different with the way he travels with the ball to the front, I don’t think there’s many players like him who can take the ball from his own 18-yard box to the opposition’s in a flash.
‘He travels with the ball so well, so he’s a definite for me to start.’
While the aforementioned trio are virtual guarantees to be part of Tuchel’s final squad, the jury is surprisingly still out on Phil Foden.
The Manchester City forward has endured a mixed campaign by his lofty standards and was underwhelming in England’s two Wembley friendlies in March – starting as a No 10 in a 1-1 draw with Uruguay before being deployed unsuccessfully as a false nine in the 1-0 defeat by Japan.
But Barry is a firm believer in the 25-year-old’s skillset.
‘I think when you’ve got that World Cup around the corner, it is all about timing,’ he said. ‘Phil Foden has had a few incredible seasons, but this one has been a bit stop-start. He’s not been as consistent as he’d probably liked to be, so at the minute he’s probably going to need finish the season strongly.
‘For me, he should still be in the England squad but to guarantee it he’s going to probably need what Man City need from him: which is goals and assists and be on that winning team every week.’
Phil Foden struggled during March’s friendlies but Barry backs him to make the World Cup
While Foden may face a fight on his hands for England World Cup selection, the same cannot be said for his Manchester City team-mate Nico O’Reilly.
The 21-year-old is enjoying an outstanding breakout season and has shown his adaptability at playing at left back and central midfield. He also has a knack for scoring important goals – such as his match-winning brace in the Carabao Cup final against Arsenal in March.
‘You forget how young he is,’ said Barry, who was speaking to Daily Mail Sport as an Angry Birds ambassador for TOCA Social.
‘He’s starting every game in different positions, he looks like a Rolls Royce out there, moves so well and plays with maturity. If you’re to pick one of the two now, you could possibly say O’Reilly is in the manager’s [Tuchel’s] thinking ahead of Foden but they’ve got a great argument to both be going.
‘It’s important for a lot of players, not just them two, to finish the season really strongly.’
O’Reilly’s form has been a key reason for Manchester City’s renewed pursuit of Arsenal in the Premier League title race, although that was stunted by Monday’s 3-3 draw at Everton.
Their slow start to the season raised question marks about Pep Guardiola’s future at the Etihad, with his contract expiring at the end of the next season.
And even if City don’t go on to win a fifth Premier League title in six years, Barry – who won the club’s first in 2011-12 – believes Guardiola will look to go out on a high next year instead after what he calls a ‘rebuilding season’.
‘I think when you look at teams that have dominated for a period, to keep it going you’ve always got to keep that recruitment right – so I think it’s probably the players they’ve had to try and replace. Players like Kevin De Bruyne don’t come along that often.
‘I think it’s probably a couple of signings that they haven’t just got right, and sometimes you do need a rebuilding sort of season to start again. It seems to be that sort of season for Man City.
‘Not to say that they could finish like a train and still finish the season well, but it feels a bit like that season. I’ll be surprised if this is Pep Guardiola’s last year at the club. I’m sure he’ll want to go out on a high season, and he’ll be confident that he can still maybe turn things around this year, possibly get the other side of Arsenal. There’s a lot of football left, but I wouldn’t be surprised if he’s got another summer of signings in him to try and finish out on a proper high.’
Barry feels Pep Guardiola (left) will stay at Manchester City next term to end on a ‘proper high’
City’s title chase this year could come down the final game of the season, when they take on Villa. Both clubs are close to Barry’s heart. Having joined the club as a trainee in 1997, he made his first-team debut a year later, going on to make 441 appearances in total over 12 years – including captaining the club – before leaving for City in a £12million transfer in June 2009.
During his time at Villa Park, the closest Barry got to silverware was as a runner-up in the 1999-00 FA Cup final, which he started, as Chelsea won 1-0.
Villa have not won a major trophy since their League Cup success since the 1995-96 season but are the favourites in this year’s Europa League which would end that 30-year drought.
‘I think they’ve had an incredible season to be, at one point, talked about winning the Premier League. It wasn’t that long ago that their name was being thrown around [as potential champions].
‘They’ve had the injuries to the midfield players, which to such a tactical manager like Unai Emery is crucial as he needs those different options. For me, that’s been a big factor for their drop off but I’m still confident they can get inside the top five which will be their target.
‘Any Villa fan will tell you they’d swap the top five for a trophy, it’s been a long time, so if they win the Europa League that would be a great season.’
But despite the focus on silverware, Barry is still confident they’ll be playing in the Champions League next season due to their league position.
‘I’m confident they’ve had their little dip and can finish the season strongly – and possibly upset Liverpool to fourth. Manchester United are finishing fairly strongly and they’ve got the right vibes, so I think they’re going to continue going [in third].’
Aston Villa are on course to secure a top-five finish and compete in the Champions League
Barry’s time at Villa and City, as well as England, saw him become team-mates with James Milner – starting 124 games together in that period.
In February, the pair returned to the spotlight when Milner surpassed Barry’s all-time Premier League appearance record, which stood at 653 games, during Brighton’s 2-0 win at Brentford.
And while 45-year-old Barry is happy for Milner, 40, the competitive juices were flowing when it was put to him that he had played almost 14,000 more minutes in the top-flight when his record was eventually beaten.
‘I know, I didn’t want to tarnish his record!’ Barry laughs. ‘I’m obviously happy for James, he’s an ex-team-mate. He’s had an unbelievable career and to still be playing in the Premier League at 40 years old means he deserves all the credit.
‘If you asked me would I rather be No 1 or No 2 on the list, I’d rather be No 1! But I’ve been retired for five years now so it’s nice to see my name come back into the spotlight almost for a bit with other things and stats coming out about myself.
‘It’s quite a nice moment for James to pass and I’m sure it was for him because people have probably been speaking about it to him and myself for the last five years. So, it’s probably a relief for him to finally get there, carry on with life and forget about the appearances now!
‘I’ve spoken to him and congratulated him. I’m not sure if he’s made his mind up if he’s going to carry on next year – he’ll probably see how he finishes the end of the season but playing in his forties in the Premier League is incredible.’
Barry’s all-time Premier League appearance record was recently surpassed by his old team-mate James Milner (the pair pictured together playing for Aston Villa)
Barry retired from professional football aged 39 in August 2020, ending his career at West Brom in the Championship and describing their Premier League relegation in 2017-18 as an ‘all-time personal low’ to Daily Mail Sport.
However, in July 2024 he dusted off his boots to join Hurstpierpoint, who play in the second tier of the Mid Sussex Football League – the 12th tier of the English pyramid. The news brought some focus to Barry and Hurstpierpoint, something he still seems surprised by.
Relaying how the opportunity came about, he said: ‘So, my best friend Michael Standing, who I joined Aston Villa with, started managing and coaching a team down there for his son.
‘He just asked me to come down and play the odd game. The media got hold of it and blew it up a little bit [laughs], so it caught me by surprise by that one, but it was a good bit of a profile for the Hurstpierpoint.
‘I haven’t played for them in the last 18 months. I played a couple of games and it was tough going!’ he laughed. ‘The left foot still works, but the body’s not listening to my head, so I’m going to have to leave it now!
‘It’s all about fitness and the pitches are obviously not quite as good as the Premier League pitches, so I found them quite difficult to deal with! [laughs] I think I was unbeaten in the games though so my head was held high.’
And did he get any special treatment from rival teams due to his pedigree?
‘There was probably a little bit of treatment, but nothing I’ve not seen before so I was able to deal with it. I enjoyed it and it was all-in-all good and competitive football. We love playing at any level. It was good to go back and finish playing in grassroots and understand that you’ve still got the bug to try and win a game of football.’
Cricket and golf are the order of the day for Barry, these days – who is ‘looking forward to the better weather to get back out there’ to play both. He bats at No 5 for Temple Grafton Cricket Club in the Cotswolds and ‘can turn my arm over now and again if needed too’ for his side. He says he is chomping at the bit after not ‘getting to play as much as last year’.
Unlike many of his former team-mates, Barry has no desire to go into coaching for now instead relishing the family time he didn’t have while playing.
Since retiring, Barry has played non-league football in his 40s but loves cricket and golf now
He showed Daily Mail Sport’s Luke Augustus his skills while playing the new Angry Birds game
‘If I was to answer yes or no now it’d be a no, but I’ve always took it a day at a time,’ he said about that prospect. ‘If I was to take a phone call from God knows who to ask me and if it turned me a little bit differently, then I’d never say never. At the moment, no, but never say never.
‘I’ve still not got my badges and I speak to a lot players that are in it and they’re not always selling it to me. I think if you’re going to go down that road of coaching and managing, you are dedicating your life and I think to do it properly you have to do that.
‘I’ve enjoyed my five years in retirement and spending a lot of time with my family, who are seeing my differently, so at the minute I’m happy where I am.’
Barry sat down with Daily Mail Sport after playing at the new Angry Birds game at TOCA Social in west London. Holding the record for the most yellow cards in top-flight history with 123, he is their new ‘Angry Ambassador’.
Despite the role, Barry showed off his composure as he played alongside Daily Mail Sport in a game. And reflecting on that, he spoke positively about his new midfield partner.
‘You played yourself down, so the only way was up and I think you delivered. Then as a team and as a midfield unit it was alright there! [laughs].’
He may not be a coach, but Daily Mail Sport will take that all day from a Premier League and England stalwart.
The new Angry Birds game launched at all TOCA Social UK venues in the UK from March 30. Book now: https://www.toca.social/whats-on/angry-birds
