As many powerhouses for the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar have already announced their squad, full or provisional ones, fans were anxiously and eagerly awaiting Gareth Southgate’s announcement for the England squad. And their wait was finally over when the England coach revealed his 26-man selection this Thursday, with much of their expectations met but they were too left with upsets and unanswered questions as several popular names were snubbed.
Let us dive deeper into the squad details right away.
Tomori Overlooked and Shaw the Only True Left Back
Perhaps the biggest name that has been dropped for the England defence is Fikayo Tomori from AC Milan. Tomori, regarded as one of the best centre backs the Italian Serie A has at the moment, has been consistent and durable this season, having played 1,572 minutes already for AC Milan in all competitions. Overlooking him has raised controversies as Eric Dier, who has not been selected for Southgate’s UEFA Euro 2020 squad and Harry Maguire, Manchester United’s captain who has not been playing well and enough were selected ahead of Tomori. Besides, Luke Shaw from Manchester United is England’s sole left back in the tournament as Chelsea’s Ben Chillwell is out injured; Kieran Trippier is likely to play as Shaw’s backup should the England team wish to twist things up in a match.
Not Much Surprises in the Midfield
Gareth Southgate has been known to have not much rotation over his midfield options, especially in major tournaments. In the past UEFA Euro 2020, he had consistently picked Rice, Phillips and Mount as his preferred midfield lineup. But with Phillips’ fitness level being questionable, we could see Jude Bellingham coming in and shining at the international level for the first time.
Abraham and Sancho Axed
Like Brazil, England has plenty of choices at front, with their captain Harry Kane leading the way. Kane is also three goals shy from breaking Wayne Rooney’s all-time goal scoring record for England and would look set to break it in this tournament as he had finished the last edition as the Golden Boot winner with six goals. James Maddison’s recent decent form in Leicester City has also earned himself a well-deserved call-up to the biggest sporting event in the world, but Tammy Abraham and Jadon Sancho did not enjoy the same luck as Southgate decided they would not board the plane to Qatar this time around.
Do you think that it was a fair decision to pick the players that Southgate had done for England in the World Cup?
Full Squad:
Goalkeepers: Jordan Pickford (Everton), Nick Pope (Newcastle), Aaron Ramsdale (Arsenal)
Defenders: Kieran Trippier (Newcastle), Trent Alexander-Arnold (Liverpool), Kyle Walker (Manchester City), Ben White (Arsenal), John Stones (Manchester City), Eric Dier (Tottenham), Conor Coady (Wolves), Harry Maguire (Manchester United), Luke Shaw (Manchester United)
Midfielders: Declan Rice (West Ham), Jude Bellingham (Borussia Dortmund), Jordan Henderson (Liverpool), Kalvin Phillips (Manchester City), Mason Mount (Chelsea), Conor Gallagher (Chelsea)
Forwards: Raheem Sterling (Chelsea), Phil Foden (Manchester City), Jack Grealish (Manchester City), Bukayo Saka (Arsenal), James Maddison (Leicester), Harry Kane (Tottenham), Marcus Rashford (Manchester United), Callum Wilson (Newcastle)
Notable Absentees:
Tammy Abraham (AS Roma), Jadon Sancho (Manchester United), Fikayo Tomori (AC Milan), Ivan Toney (Brentford), James Ward-Prowse (Southampton)
(Photo Credits: Sky Sports)
