If Thudd managed to get in the England squad now, in the Championship at Derby, I would 100% believe there is a bias against City having players in that squad. It's too coincidental at that point.
Some of that squad look like children, they wouldnt have the physical capabilities to play week in week out in the first team.
It'll be 1958 deja vu all over again. Semi finalists'll be Brazil, Sweden, France and Germany. The record for goals scored in the final 4 games (includes 3rd place playoff match) will be broken. Record ('58) stands at 27 currently. Big Harry will capture the tournament's golden boot in 4 games (Big Mac, not Citizen Kane). Germany-Brazil final. Ozil mvp despite being a losing finalist. I know my onions.
More chance of FIFA changing the eligibility rules, Andy Robertson declaring he has an English granny and being selected as a last minute England squad member.
I like Alexander-Arnold a lot, but I'm not sure whose place he's taking. Presumably Trippier? I would have had Wilshire in my squad, but having seen that he hasn't played for England since the last euros two years ago it isn't such a shock. He's played 38 games this season yet not for England, and pulled out last minute due to injury when he was called up, so he must have expected to be left out. The Hart one surprised me but I don't think it's majorly important and am prepared to accept the manager's view on who the best keepers are. It seems to have got the public support too which is a nice change.
Of the players not going, I think the only one who would have made any difference will be Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain. If England are going to do anything in this World Cup, we'll need at least three of Kane, Sterling, Vardy, Alli and Rashford to be firing. While these five may not quite hold the attacking threat served up by Brazil, Germany, Spain, Belgium and Argentina, they have shown that they can trouble good defences. The only other area in which we excel is in full-backs. So if - as it seems - Southgate is trying to build as well-organised and functional team as possible to allow that quintet to shine then I can see the sense in that strategy. Build a boring but hard-to-penetrate wall that will get the ball to the few players we've got capable of scoring goals. It's the only real way forward for us. It will also be nice - assuming that Jonjo Shelvey isn't going - to be in a tournament without a key midfielder coughing up possession all the time looking for needless Hollywood balls, final balls that just aren't on, or long balls over the top of a defence that is sitting deep. We haven't had that since 2002 (i.e. the last time we could realistically claim that we were one of the genuine powers at a tournament).
I think Henderson has more discipline in his game than that. If he does play that type of ball it seems that he's at least run out of other options first, unlike Gerrard or latter day Rooney who'd just look to play it immediately. I tend to like Henderson more than most though, to be fair.
No Sessegnon, no party. Welbeck's done **** all this season. Lallana should be there. Rest of it seems pretty fine
It's not a bad squad to be honest. Mix of youth and experience. I think Loftus-Cheek offers something in the team in terms of pace and power from the middle.
Welbeck's there because there's not many other striker options and Lallana's only missed out because he's been injured all season. These five players are on the reserve list -Tom Heaton, James Tarkowski, Lewis Cook, Jake Livermore and Adam Lallana.
Very weighted towards defenders, so he is going 5 at the back it seems. Not many changes you could have made, but I like that there is a lot of youth in the side. Would have put Sessegnon in
I would've seriously considered Tarkowski over Cahill, but there needs to be some experience in that defence which Cahill offers. Maybe Tarkowski could've been in there over Jones. Not having Sessegnon, even on the reserves, is wrong imo.
