Cahill dug deep to win spot back
I ALWAYS HAD BELIEF I COULD MAKE THE SQUAD After the World Cup he wants to make amends at Chelsea.
Gary Cahill admits he is relieved to be back in favour with England and Chelsea after a frustrating campaign. Cahill found himself dropped by both England manager Gareth Southgate and Chelsea boss Antonio Conte at various times this term.
But the defender worked his way back into Conte’s plans in time to captain Chelsea to their FA Cup final victory over Manchester United earlier this month.
That success came just days after Southgate, impressed by Cahill’s resurgence, had named the centreback in England’s 23-man squad for the World Cup in Russia.
That was a big turnaround for Cahill after he was left out for England’s friendlies against the Netherlands and Italy.
“I felt like my World Cup chances had taken a knock, missing out on that squad, especially that last squad just before you meet up was kind of a big squad to miss out on,” Cahill said this week.
“I realised I really had to dig deep to try to perform from there until the end of the season to get myself back in the frame.
“Of course, last time I was disappointed, there was a lot going on in that time and I missed the squad. But I always had the belief that I could make the squad.”
Cahill’s focus in recent weeks had been on helping Chelsea to a strong end to the season, confident that it would improve his England prospects.
“First and foremost, I needed to get my place back at Chelsea. We had a huge end to the season with the cup final,” he said.
Cahill, the most experienced member of England’s squad with 58 caps, added: “It’s very difficult and frustrating when you don’t play regularly. I’ve been lucky to do that for the majority of my career.”
Once the World Cup is over, Cahill will return to Stamford Bridge hoping to make amends for a dismal Premier League season that saw the Blues finish fifth and miss out on a place in the Champions League.
There is constant speculation that Conte will be replaced before next term amid talk that he has fallen out with Chelsea stars due to his intense personality. – AFP