For the second straight squad announcement, Jarrad Branthwaite’s name was a glaring omission for England. The centre-back was not included for Thomas Tuchel’s maiden squad in March and is again missing this month. When England take on Andorra and Senegal in June, Branthwaite will be watching on from home.
Everton may feel a sense of relief that the 22-year-old is getting some well-earned rest, but it raises the question as to what England feel Branthwaite is missing? Those who watch the defender on a regular basis in blue are in no doubt that he belongs in the Three Lions’ squad.
A towering aerial presence, quick across the ground, and two-footed, the attributes are there for all to see. Except, it seems, England, with Branthwaite’s international career spanning just 28 minutes as things stand.
This month, Tuchel has included the uncapped Trevoh Chalobah, the latest name selected ahead of Branthwaite. Even in the absence of the experienced Harry Maguire, John Stones and Marc Guehi, he finds himself behind the Chelsea defender, Levi Colwill, Ezri Konsa and Dan Burn in Tuchel’s plans.
The eye-test would certainly question that decision, but what do the numbers suggest? Judging defenders on volume of actions is dangerous territory, with those in the lower-half of the table required to do more - and more often.
Success rates offer a better gauge and Branthwaite outperforms all of England’s current centre-back options on a variety of metrics. He ranks in the 80th percentile of Premier League defenders for percentage of defensive duels won, a statistic that improves to 84th percentile when it comes to aerial contests alone.
For comparison, Colwill (60th percentile) comes closest for overall defensive duels won, while even the 6ft 7in Dan Burn falls behind Branthwaite (74th percentile) for aerial successes.
Branthwaite also leads the current squad selections when it comes to progressive carries (68th percentile) and ranks behind only Colwill for progressive passes per 90.
So far, so good.
The glaring weakness in the comparisons is Branthwaite’s pass accuracy. At just 82%, it places him in the lowest 13% of Premier League defenders. Only Chalobah (38th percentile) joins him in the bottom 40% of his positional peers.
Stylistic differences will be a factor, with each of the names ahead of him currently competing for sides who, on average, have the greater share of possession. Everton’s average of 40.5% was the second-lowest in the league last season, behind only Nottingham Forest.
Tuchel may want to see more from Branthwaite, but omitting him from recent squads has denied him the chance to see his capabilities up close.
It feels as if there’s an opening for England at centre-back heading into next summer’s World Cup and Branthwaite has shown he’s more than capable. With only a handful of international breaks until next summer’s World Cup, here’s hoping he has the opportunity to prove it.
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Posted 06/06/2025 at 16:20:11
Bloody hell, I can't keep up with all these articles.
Posted 06/06/2025 at 16:20:58
Anyway, he's injured. Pointless asking the question.
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