John Stones and Trent Alexander-Arnold in midfield, Luke Shaw in defence and why Gareth Southgate should copy the Premier League's top managers when England face Malta

If England's last two European Championship qualifiers against Italy and Ukraine were not suitable for experiments, then their next fixture against Malta certainly is. Malta are ranked 172nd in the world (England are fifth) and have only won two of their last 14 competitive games.

So what better opportunity for Gareth Southgate to try out some new ideas and innovate? And after seeing a number of his players thrive in different roles for their Premier League clubs, the time is ripe for the manager to follow the lead of Pep Guardiola, Erik ten Hag and Jurgen Klopp and see if he can get the same results from his players in their new positions.

Here, GOAL selects England's potential starting XI against Malta on Friday to make the most of the versatility shown by the likes of John Stones, Trent Alexander-Arnold and Luke Shaw, as well as give Eberechi Eze the opportunity to prove himself on the international stage.