England World Cup guide: James Maddison has ‘earned’ seat on plane to Qatar

After months of speculation, England’s squad for the 2022 Fifa World Cup has finally been confirmed – and Gareth Southgate has sprang a few surprises in his 26-man line-up heading to Qatar. 

The England head coach has taken a “shock decision” to include Leicester City playmaker James Maddison, said David Hytner in The Guardian. The 25-year-old has only one senior cap to his name, but “makes the cut” having been on “outstanding form” in 2022. 

As well as Maddison, Newcastle striker Callum Wilson, Liverpool full-back Trent Alexander-Arnold, Chelsea midfielder Conor Gallagher and Arsenal defender Ben White are also included. There is, however, no place for AC Milan centre-back Fikayo Tomori, Brentford striker Ivan Toney or West Ham forward Jarrod Bowen.

Speaking to the media after his announcement today, Southgate praised Leicester star Maddison and said he had “earned the right” for a seat on the plane to Qatar. “He’s playing really well – he’s a good player, we’ve always said that,” said the Three Lions boss. “He can give us something slightly different to the other attacking players we’ve got. He is playing as well as any of the attacking players in this country.”

Twenty-one players out of the 26 were also selected in the squad that reached the final of the European Championship last year. 

A big gamble? 

While Maddison’s form in the Premier League has earned him a spot, Southgate has taken a “big gamble” on a few of his other picks, said Will Pickworth in the Daily Mail. Despite fitness concerns Kyle Walker and Kalvin Phillips both “get the nod”, with Southgate admitting that he has taken “a couple of risks” on players who are not yet fully fit. “We’ve had to cover a couple of players who aren’t fully fit,” he said. “So having 26 available we’ve been able to take a couple of risks that you might not have been able to with 23.”

Harry Maguire has also been picked, even though he is the “fourth-choice centre-back” at Manchester United, said Tom Blow in the Daily Mirror. The 29-year-old has “struggled for form” since England reached the final of Euro 2020, “fallen down the pecking order” at Old Trafford and “made a costly mistake” in England’s last international against Germany in September.

Former Manchester United and England defender Rio Ferdinand told Metro that although Maguire “hasn’t let England down ever”, his form has “gone out the window” for United and he isn’t in the team. “Going into a tournament, I couldn’t think of another worst-case scenario,” Ferdinand said. “I would be concerned about that. But to be fair to him, Harry hasn’t let Gareth down. It could be blind trust, I don’t know. But he does trust him.”

The Three Lions begin their World Cup group B campaign against Iran on Monday 21 November.

England’s 26-man squad

• Goalkeepers: Jordan Pickford (Everton), Nick Pope (Newcastle), Aaron Ramsdale (Arsenal)
• Defenders: Kieran Trippier (Newcastle), Trent Alexander-Arnold (Liverpool), Kyle Walker (Man City), Benjamin White (Arsenal), Harry Maguire (Man Utd), John Stones (Man City), Eric Dier (Tottenham), Conor Coady (Everton, on loan from Wolves), Luke Shaw (Man Utd)
• Midfielders: Declan Rice (West Ham), Jude Bellingham (Borussia Dortmund), Kalvin Phillips (Man City), Jordan Henderson (Liverpool), Conor Gallagher (Chelsea), Mason Mount (Chelsea)
• Forwards: Harry Kane (Tottenham), Callum Wilson (Newcastle), Marcus Rashford (Man Utd), Raheem Sterling (Chelsea), Bukayo Saka (Arsenal), Phil Foden (Man City), Jack Grealish (Man City), James Maddison (Leicester City)

Fixtures

• Monday 21 November: England vs. Iran (Khalifa International Stadium; 1pm; BBC) 
• Friday 25 November: England vs. USA (Al Bayt Stadium; 7pm; ITV) 
• Tuesday 29 November: Wales vs. England (Ahmad Bin Ali Stadium; 7pm; BBC)

Article source: https://www.theweek.co.uk/news/sport/football/958471/england-world-cup-guide-fixtures-squad