Throwback To England's Starting XI From Last Game Vs. Sweden

England's starting XI for their last game versus Sweden was pretty bad.

Sure, it was just a friendly but it's a far cry from the current England set-up under Gareth Southgate who is hellbent on bringing football home.

England are moments away from facing Sweden for a spot in the World Cup semi-final.

Southgate has named his team which includes skipper Harry Kane spearheading the attack. The prolific Spurs striker has already chipped in with six goals this tournament.

Captain Kane celebrates scoring a goal. Image: PA

Not to mention the likes of John Stones and Harry Maguire in the heart of England's defence, who have performed heroically.

But six years ago, then-manager Roy Hodgson handed six players their first cap while fielding an uninspiring side.

Steven Caulker, Leon Osman, Raheem Sterling, Ryan Shawcross, Carl Jenkinson and Wilfried Zaha all made their England debuts in the 4-2 defeat to Sweden, with Zlatan Ibrahimovic bagging four goals.

Caulker and Welbeck netted for England.

Here's who else started in November 2012:

Image: Lineup Builder

In 2018, England find themselves in the World Cup quarter-final.

And following victory against Colombia in the last 16, Southgate has selected an unchanged XI:

Sterling and Young, who played against Sweden back in 2012, remain in the England fold for today's game.

C'MON England!

Topics: Football News, Football, England, World Cup, Sweden

Nasir Jabbar

Nasir Jabbar is a journalist at SPORTbible. He graduated from Bath Spa University with a BA in Media Communications. He's a combat sport aficionado, and has contributed to MMA websites AddictedMMA and CagePotato. Nasir has covered some of the biggest fights, while interviewing the likes of Conor McGregor, Michael Bisping and Anthony Joshua. He's also an avid Bristol City fan.

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