BIT-PART PLAYERS PUT WEIGHT OF THE WORLD ON GARETH
After ‘dementia’, ‘clown’ and ‘little man’ barbs, Mourinho wants to end his feud with Conte
JOSE MOURINHO is ready to make peace with arch-rival Antonio Conte on Sunday. CHELSEA’S line-up against Barcelona would have been a major concern for Gareth Southgate.
Another Three Lions regular was dropped for a big game as Gary Cahill (above) was benched in favour of Germany star Antonio Rudiger.
And if you look at England’s last meaningful qualifier, against Slovenia, when they clinched World Cup qualification in October, it is even more worrying.
The team that night was: Joe Hart, Kyle Walker, Ryan Bertrand, Gary Cahill, John Stones, Eric Dier, Jordan Henderson, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, Raheem Sterling, Marcus Rashford and Harry Kane.
Out of that starting XI, only Walker, Bertrand, Dier, Sterling and Kane are guaranteed starters for their club teams.
Stones did not begin Manchester City’s last Champions League game, while Henderson and Oxlade-Chamberlain get game time but are not guaranteed starters at Liverpool.
England manager Southgate (above) has insisted Hart is his No.1, but he has lost his place on loan at West Ham and Rashford has not started in the Premier League since Boxing Day.
Now Cahill has become a concern because he has been a mainstay in the England team. And if he is not playing for Chelsea where does that leave his World Cup hopes?
Normally injuries are the curse for any England manager in World Cup year but this time Southgate faces a very different challenge.
Oxlade-Chamberlain has kicked on at Anfield, and Kane is breaking records, while Sterling has matured into a lethal force for City, with outstanding goals and assists. But as England face friendlies next month with Holland and Italy there remain so many player doubts. Southgate has maintained that to start for England, players must be starting for their clubs.
The keeper dilemma is a big issue as Jack Butland has struggled this season at Stoke, Tom Heaton is just coming back from injury and Everton’s Jordan Pickford has had a decent but not outstanding campaign.
Harry Maguire has done well at Leicester, but his lack of mobility has been an issue. Danny Rose would be first-choice left-back but he has not played regularly for Spurs.
In fact, Kane and Sterling are the only England players who have enjoyed stand-out seasons – which is a big worry in World Cup year.