Clyne called up by England; Forster also in squad

With the international break coming up after this weekend's fixtures, national team managers are beginning to announce their squads for the upcoming round of games that they will be facing. For England and Roy Hodgson, this means the European Championship qualifiers, which will be held in two years time in France. With two games coming up against San Marino and Estonia, Roy has announced his squad and there are two current Saints player in the squad.

Fraser Forster is one of three goalkeepers that has been called up by Roy Hodgson. Forster has been part of the squad for quite some time now, and he was also part of the World Cup squad that went to Brazil. However, Forster is stuck behind Joe Hart and Ben Foster and has to be satisfied with the role of a backup. But judging from the performance of his two compatriots, its fair to say that Forster deserved a chance to start for England, especially considering Southampton's impressive defense record (only four goals conceded, best in Premier League).

Part of that impressive defense unit is Nathaniel Clyne, the right back has had a great start to the season. Whereas he struggled to make the starting lineup last season due to Luke Chambers' emergence, he has thrive without a competition for his spot in the right side of defense. As with any modern full backs, Clyne is a solid defender, averaging four tackles per game, which is good for eight among other Premier League players. But Clyne also shows an improvement in offense, having bagged two goals in the season (including THAT thunderbolt against Arsenal at The Capital One Cup).

With San Marino coming to Wembley three days before a trip to Talinn to play Estonia, an experiment in the starting XI could be on the books. Don't be surprised to see both Saints' men starting the game on October 9.