Another domino has fallen for Gareth Southgate. The England manager made the difficult decision to inform injured Chelsea defender Reece James that he is too much of a risk to be named in his World Cup squad.
James has established himself as one of the best and most complete full-backs in world football and to lose him for the Three Lions’ upcoming campaign is going to be a huge blow.
Southgate is going to announce his squad at midday on Thursday and he has some difficult decisions to make. People are eager to see whether he will call upon in-form Leicester City midfielder James Maddison but now they are also wondering who could fill the spots vacated by James and his Chelsea teammate Ben Chilwell.
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Kieran Trippier seems nailed on to cement his place on the right side of England’s defence given his exceptional form for Newcastle United this term, and how dependable he has been for Southgate in the past.
Southgate would not have made the tough decision to omit James from the squad if he wasn’t confident about his right side being in the safe hands of Trippier.
While it seems almost certain for Trippier to be the Three Lions’ starting right-back, questions remain over who could come in to fill the void left by James and Chilwell in the squad - especially when Southgate has three extra spaces in his squad thanks to Fifa increasing the squad size from 23 as a safeguard against Covid-19.
A player who has been excelling at club level this term is Arsenal’s Ben White, who is no stranger to the England team. He made his debut for the Three Lions last summer in the build-up to Euro 2020. Although he was initially excluded from Southgate’s final 26-man squad, an injury to Trent Alexander-Arnold saw him come into the fold.
The Gunners defender has so far made four appearances in an England shirt and with the level that he is playing at with Premier League leaders Arsenal presently, he is in the conversation to earn a few more caps on the biggest stage.
Traditionally operating as a centre-back, White has been deployed on the right side of Arsenal’s defence by Mikel Arteta this term and that transition has been seamless. The 25-year-old has not looked out of place in his new role which demands a lot more than he has been used to in the heart of the back line. His consistent performances have not gone unnoticed.
There are not many centre-backs who would not only be asked to fill that position but be able to deliver the way that White has. His defensive qualities were already known and they have stayed with him when he has had to tussle with tricky wingers as his 77% tackle success rate reflects.
But his contributions in attack have definitely taken us by surprise. The former Brighton & Hove Albion defender has looked sharp when tasked with igniting or supporting an assault from the Gunners. He has shown that he knows how to play slick passes and it is rare that he won’t find his man as he boasts an 86% success rate. He has been rewarded for his ability to move the ball around well, registering two assists already this campaign and he could arguably have more.
It would be very hard for Southgate to ignore White’s form of late and by adding him to his squad for Qatar, he’d be getting a nice two-for-one asset in the fact he can now play centrally or on the right. The England coach knows exactly how much versatile players are worth on the international stage and White could be a shrewd addition to the defensive ranks.
