PUNCH LION
Chilwell’s aiming to land KO blow on rival Shaw
BEN CHILWELL is fully aware he is in a battle with Luke Shaw for his England place.
But he feels that may be a benefit for the Three Lions this summer.
The Chelsea star, 24, had established himself as Gareth Southgate’s firstchoice left-back before lockdown, having started 10 of the previous 14 internationals.
However, injuries in the autumn together with recovering from Covid have restricted him to just one game against Belgium since.
And Thomas Tuchel’s arrival at Stamford Bridge has seen Marcos Alonso get the nod for the big games, putting further pressure on his position at a time when Southgate ruthlessly axed
Trent Alexander-arnold.
“At Chelsea you’ve got two or three good players in each position,” said Chilwell. “At England you should expect the same.
“Going into the Euros, if me and Luke are battling it out and trying to prove who’s having the best club form, that’s only positive.
“That means, if everybody in each position is doing that, everyone should be sharp and ready to play and confident.
“Then whoever plays that’s important.”
England begin their World Cup qualifying campaign at home to San Marino on Thursday before a trip to Albania on Sunday ahead of next Wednesday’s Wembley clash with Poland.
When he gets his chances with Chelsea, at least Chilwell is learning to play more as the sort of wing-back Southgate prefers after previous Blues boss Frank Lampard played most of the time with a flat back four.
“If you look at the formation England are playing, the formation we’re playing here at the moment gives us the best possible chance to get used to a is ready and playing in the positions that England want us to play in,” added Chilwell.
“I’ve spoken to Reece James and hopefully that gives us a good chance that we can be used in the summer.
“My whole career I’ve been more used to playing left-back than left wing-back. If I want to play, I have to adapt my game to be able to play both.
“I’m working hard and coming into games I’m asking a lot of questions, where I can be positionally, so I can improve and get more opportunities to play in that role.
“Against Sheffield United in the FA Cup I put in a good performance (he forced an own goal and set up the second), so on the attacking side of things I’ve showed I can play there as well as left-back.”
Shaw, 25, (inset) has not played for England since facing Spain in a Nations League clash in September 2018, three days before Chilwell’s Lions debut. An injury-ravaged career has restricted the Manchester United man to just 60 minutes of international action since September 2015.
He said: “At times, I made bad mistakes, pulling out of squads maybe at times when I shouldn’t have.
“Back then, I was going through bad times. My family and my girlfriend, they thought that it was done.
“But at the start of the season I had ambitions and sat down with my girlfriend and said I wanted to get back in the England squad, doing everything I can to be back
there.”