Three key takeaways from England's preliminary Euro 2024 squad

England made it all the way to the final of the last European Championships in 2021, but wound up losing to Italy on penalties after a tense match. It will aim to better that performance in 2024 and take home the European trophy for the first time.

Here are three key takeaways from Southgate's selections as the Euros draw nearer:

England's forward line is changing for the better. England brought five forwards to the last European Championships: Harry Kane, Raheem Sterling, Marcus Rashford, Jadon Sancho and Dominic Calvert-Lewin. All five were still available for selection this time around. But Southgate opted to retain just one — Kane — and filled out his strike force with hungry, underrated players who will no doubt relish this opportunity to prove their worth. 

Aston Villa's Ollie Watkins and Manchester City's Phil Foden were two of the best players in the Premier League last season; Chelsea's Cole Palmer, West Ham's Jarrod Bowen and Newcastle's Anthony Gordon all outperformed their expectations, too. 

Southgate has often opted for experience over form — it's wonderful to see him make the opposite call.

The troublemakers are staying home. England is known for its brilliant players, but it's also known for its controversial troublemakers — players whose off-field behaviors are excused in favor of their on-field performance. For the first time in a long time, none of those troublemakers made the cut. 

Jordan Henderson, a one-time LGBTQIA+ ally who angered his supporters by moving to Saudi Arabia and defending the nation's human rights record, is staying home. So is Mason Greenwood, the former Manchester United winger sent off to Spain for his involvement in a domestic violence case. 

That leaves us with a preliminary squad of 33 committed, distraction-free players — a rarity for England at international tournaments.

Crystal Palace's epic Premier League turnaround did wonders for its English players. No one expected lowly, underperforming Crystal Palace to send multiple players to the England squad at the beginning of the Premier League season. But the team's wild about-face under Austrian coach Oliver Glasner has pushed its players into the spotlight at precisely the right time. 

Goalkeeper Dean Henderson, defender Marc Guehi, midfielder Adam Wharton and striker Eberechi Eze all made the cut for England's preliminary squad thanks to their stellar Palace records.

England will face Bosnia and Iceland in friendly matches in early June before kicking off its European Championship campaign against Serbia on June 16.