The 2022 FIFA World Cup is barely a month away and excitement levels have already reached a fever pitch. Admittedly, watching the big event with a mug of hot chocolate rather than in your favorite beer garden will take some getting used to but, once tournament hosts Qatar raise the curtain on November 20th against Ecuador, all of that will be forgotten. Oddschecker, which compares odds and provides free offers on the World Cup, has made Brazil and France the early favorites for glory in the desert. And in months gone by, England were considered one of the contenders as well.
The Three Lions shocked everybody four years ago with their run to the semifinals. They went one better last summer when they reached the final of the European Championships. We all know how both those runs ended – with the most painful of heartbreaks.
But the next logical step in the evolution of Gareth Southgate’s young side was surely silverware. The recent UEFA Nations League campaign, however, appears to have put those thoughts to bed. Fans have been clamoring for Southgate’s head following a disastrous campaign in which England didn’t manage a single win, and were humbled home and away to lowly Hungary.
One of the biggest talking points regarding the national team in recent years has been the plethora of world-class right-backs available to Southgate. Kyle Walker, Reece James, Kieran Trippier, and Liverpool’s Trent Alexander-Arnold have all been battling out for a place in the former Middlesborough boss’ starting eleven.
It had been expected that Trent wasn’t at the top of the pecking order, much to the dismay of every pundit who understands modern football. Admittedly, the opinions of those in the darker corners of Twitter who regularly slate Trent’s defending probably won’t have been much of a concern for the England manager, but it was still expected that Walker or James were the number one choices. What a difference a few weeks can make…
Injuries to key men open the door for Trent
Back on October 2nd, Manchester City were handing out a 6-3 drubbing to archrivals Manchester United at the Etihad. But a major problem was about to strike for both Pep Guardiola and Gareth Southgate when Kyle Walker aggravated a known groin injury just six weeks out from England’s opening group game against Iran on November 21st.
Eight days later, it was the turn of Chelsea’s Reece James. He limped off during The Blues’ 2-0 win in the San Siro against AC Milan, and it is thought that the 22-year-old is the player with the most to worry about, with no guarantees of him being fit in time for England boarding the plane to the Arabian Gulf.
Trent himself also picked up a knock in Liverpool’s recent 3-2 defeat away at Premier League leaders Arsenal and was expected to miss weeks of action for The Reds. He missed the 7-1 thrashing of Rangers at Ibrox, however, managed to make a late cameo in the recent victory over Manchester City at Anfield. He is expected to be fully fit for Qatar and surely now is England’s first choice option at right back.
The other name in England’s vaunted full-back quartet is Newcastle United’s Kieran Trippier. The former Atletico Madrid man was the first choice in Russia four years ago ahead of Alexander-Arnold – who had just reached a Champions League final at age 19. It is thought that many prefer Trippier’s defensive qualities in comparison to Liverpool’s number 66, and the ‘Bury Beckham’ may be the preferred choice should England reach the latter stages of the competition.
But in a relatively simple-looking group alongside Iran, Wales, and the USA, surely Trent Alexander-Arnold is the undisputed number one? His Pirlo-esque playmaking capabilities should be crucial to England’s plan in the group stage and, let’s face it, how much defending will they be doing against those three games anyway?
Photo credit: History Of Soccer