[Football] England 2018 World Cup Squad - No Hart, no Wilshere...

[Nixonator]

FTFY

 

[HastingsSeagull]

Wellbeck? Seriously?

 

[seagulls4ever]

From the BBC:

Who misses out...
So, who is missing out from this squad and the stand-by list? Here are those who may have thought they had a chance or had been called up recently.

Goalkeepers: Joe Hart.

Defenders: Alfie Mawson (injured), Jamaal Lascelles, Michael Keane, Chris Smalling, Ryan Bertrand, Luke Shaw, Joe Gomez (injured), Lewis Dunk.

Midfielders: Jonjo Shelvey, Michail Antonio, Jack Wilshere, Ryan Sessegnon, Jack Cork.

Forwards: Theo Walcott, Tammy Abraham.

They've missed out at least a couple of players there.

 

[Kalimantan Gull]

Jeez. If that was the Albion squad for next season I'd be worried about whether we'd stay up or not.

Still c'mon England! No one's expecting anything so you can't disappoint.

Don't be daft, that squad would challenge for the title

Kane Vardy Sterling - they would score so many goals in the league

 

[Kinky Gerbil]

Wellbeck? Seriously?

Welbeck can play in a few positions, which is key in a squad - Same with Delph

 

[Kalimantan Gull]

There will be differences of opinion on pretty much every selection, bar Harry Kane, but seriously, can ANYONE suggest a SINGLE REASON why Danny Wellbeck should be included in that squad?

Sure. Assuming we don't change the formation, who is backup to Kane in that team as a forward to lead the line? Vardy and Rashford are different styles of player. I might have preferred to see Glenn Murray or Andy Carroll there, but there needs to be someone and that man is Welbeck

 

[mejonaNO12 aka riskit]

Jeez. If that was the Albion squad for next season I'd be worried about whether we'd stay up or not.
.

Stop it.

 

[Nixonator]

Don't be daft, that squad would challenge for the title

Kane Vardy Sterling - they would score so many goals in the league

Curb your expectations right now for your own sake. It is the worst squad in (my) living memory.

 

[Kinky Gerbil]

Taking Alexander-Arnold makes no sense when Trippier and Walker are already there. As for taking full-backs for the experience, it hasn't exactly helped England that we took Luke Shaw to Brazil 4 years ago.

As a squad it's undoubtably the worst on paper that I can remember us taking to a major tournament.

I don't see much cohesion (especially in defence), there's a lack of creativity in midfield, the goalkeeping inexperience is a worry AND YET our attacking players are in good form - Kane, Sterling, Alli, Vardy all carry a threat.

I assume Walker will be playing at CB.

I possibly wouldn't have taken Trippier

 

[ifightbears]

Personally i want to see:

Pickford

Stones
Dier
Walker

Trippier
Henderson
Rose

Ligard
Ali
Sterling

Kane

Essentially bypass the midfield.

 

[Kalimantan Gull]

Curb your expectations right now for your own sake. It is the worst squad in (my) living memory.

Of course we're not going to win the world cup or get close. They haven't had any substantive game time together and the formation is still new. World Cup's are won by teams that have been playing together for a long time with settled formations. I'm just pointing out that if you gave them a good manager, had them training together and playing together week in week out, that squad would challenge for the premier league title

 

[seagulls4ever]

I'd go with a Liverpool-style 4-3-3

Pickford

Rose
Stones
Jones
Walker

Henderson
Alli
Dier

Vardy
Kane
Sterling

Might score a few goals

 

[Easy 10]

There will be differences of opinion on pretty much every selection, bar Harry Kane, but seriously, can ANYONE suggest a SINGLE REASON why Danny Wellbeck should be included in that squad?

15 in 37
Tournament experience (2012, 2014, 2016)
There's nobody else

I don't particularly rate the fella either, but the England cupboard is bare. In the absence of any viable alternatives, he's gone with experience. Much as I'd LOVE to have seen Glenn on the plane (after all, he does actually offer something else to what we've taken), it was never gonna happen was it.

 

[Two Professors]

Well,I'm naturally an optimist,but Panama must be confident now.

 

[hans kraay fan club]

Sure. Assuming we don't change the formation, who is backup to Kane in that team as a forward to lead the line? Vardy and Rashford are different styles of player. I might have preferred to see Glenn Murray or Andy Carroll there, but there needs to be someone and that man is Welbeck

If that's the best you can do, you've just reinforced my point. Wellbeck can't play Kane's role. No chance. He's physically weak, poor in the air, his touch is embarrassingly poor - he'd never be able to protect the ball long enough to involve others. All he can do is hang around the near the goal and hope the ball bounces off him in the right direction.

Forwards who I genuinely would have taken over Wellbeck:

Callum Wilson - strong, quick, decent finishing. Everything Wellbeck is not.
Andy Carroll - no fan especially, but at least he offers a 'plan B'
Glenn Murray - has massively outperformed DW this season - would prove an excellent foil for Vardy / Rashford if Kane were missing.
Peter Crouch - too old, too slow, but still offers more than Wellbeck.
Jermaine Defoe - we don't need him, as he'd be behind both Vardy and Rashford for the same role, but I'd rather have him on the end of a chance than Wellbeck.
Dominic Calvert-Lewin - not ready, but capable, and at least taking him might have a long term benefit.

 

[Sam Ovett]

No Dunk = No care

 

[hans kraay fan club]

15 in 37
Tournament experience (2012, 2014, 2016)
There's nobody else
.

Shall we look a little closer at those stats?

He has scored ONE goal across those three tournaments.

He scored just ONE goal in Internationals since March 2015, and that was the fourth in a 4-0 against Malta.

 

[Kalimantan Gull]

If that's the best you can do, you've just reinforced my point. Wellbeck can't play Kane's role. No chance. He's physically weak, poor in the air, his touch is embarrassingly poor - he'd never be able to protect the ball long enough to involve others. All he can do is hang around the near the goal and hope the ball bounces off him in the right direction.

Forwards who I genuinely would have taken over Wellbeck:

Callum Wilson - strong, quick, decent finishing. Everything Wellbeck is not.
Andy Carroll - no fan especially, but at least he offers a 'plan B'
Glenn Murray - has massively outperformed DW this season - would prove an excellent foil for Vardy / Rashford if Kane were missing.
Peter Crouch - too old, too slow, but still offers more than Wellbeck.
Jermaine Defoe - we don't need him, as he'd be behind both Vardy and Rashford for the same role, but I'd rather have him on the end of a chance than Wellbeck.
Dominic Calvert-Lewin - not ready, but capable, and at least taking him might have a long term benefit.

I didn't say it was a good plan, but thats why hes there.. I don't know much about Wilson but there must be some reason why there hasn't been a sniff of interest by England. Carroll I'm surprised hes slipped so far off the radar. He'd be the one for me. Crouch, Defoe, DCL, would definitely pick Welbeck over them, because too old / too slow / wrong role / not ready are all good reasons. And our Glenn - well it was always ridiculous wasn't it - but on form he should be going.

 

[Easy 10]

Shall we look a little closer at those stats?

He has scored ONE goal across those three tournaments.

He scored just ONE goal in Internationals since March 2015, and that was the fourth in a 4-0 against Malta.

Well if you can tell me the bloke we've left behind who's scored a hatful of goals in recent tournaments or internationals, then I'm all ears.

 

[Ninja Elephant]

I feel Hans Kray's pain at seeing Welbeck in the squad, it's a pain I know only too well..

I don't dislike Welbeck as much but he is particularly weak. Callum Wilson is very unlucky not to be thought about, Glenn would have done a job for sure and Ryan Sessegnon of Fulham has only missed out because he's at Fulham.

It's also interesting to me that Walcott wasn't considered again. Having made the 2006 squad, he's missed out in every squad since and I can't imagine there's another player in world football who went to a World Cup at 16, but was never selected again despite playing in the Premier League and semi-regularly for England throughout his career.