One of the two players has featured for England since 2019, but recent form for the club has seen him earn a call-up for the Qatar tournament, which starts on November 20. Discussing Maddison’s inclusion, Southgate said: “He’s playing really well. We think he can give us something slightly different to the attacking players we have. “He’s playing as well as any of the attacking players in this country. He’s a bit different from the others. I think we could use that.” Use Chrome browser for more accessible video player England manager Gareth Southgate explains why he included James Maddison in his World Cup squad and says he has earned the right to be called up. Maddison last played for England in November 2019, while Wilson’s last international appearance of 2020 came a month earlier in October 2019. Among English players, Maddison has had one of the highest number of goal appearances since August 2021, while Wilson has scored six Premier League goals this season with two assists. Image: James Maddison has had the most involvements in goals of any English player in the Premier League since August 2021 Leicester boss Brendan Rodgers raved about Maddison, calling him “one of the best players in the Premier League”. “It’s great news for James and his family. I’m also delighted that Gareth from a coaching perspective has this talent available at such a great tournament,” Rodgers said. “I think his level of consistency, his work ethic, his talent and what he’s proven over the last few years has led him to this decision because he’s a fantastic player and one of the best players in the Premier League. Really pleased for him. Use Chrome browser for more accessible video player Leicester manager Brendan Rodgers has congratulated James Maddison on his call-up to England’s World Cup squad and says he has proven himself with consistency, work ethic and talent. “I’ve always felt with James that he wants to improve and be the best he can be. “When I spoke to him this morning – I was just expecting either way [that he was in the squad] because at that stage we didn’t know – my case was really building up to the next World Cup. “Whether it goes, whether you make the decision or not, he’s really about progress and development and he’s got that mindset to do it. It’s great news for him and great news for his country.”
Gareth Southgate on his overall World Cup squad
“We wanted to make sure we got the balance right. In this day and age, the team is more important than ever, with five innings you can change almost half of your team. “You want different things in different phases of matches and in different phases of the tournament. “We had to cover some players who are not fully fit, so having 26 meant we could take some risks that we couldn’t with 23. “We think we’ve got the coverage we need, we’re lighter on depth in some areas than others in our country, but we think we’ve got everything covered.”
Gallagher and White also feature in the 26-man squad
Image: Conor Gallagher has been included after breaking into Chelsea’s first team this season
Chelsea midfielder Conor Gallagher will also be heading to his first senior World Cup, having just earned his first senior cap last November as a second-half substitute against San Marino. He has won three more appearances in 2022. Arsenal defender Ben White is also on the plane, following his inclusion in Euro 2020. He did not play for England as they finished second, but injured full-backs Rhys James and Ben Chilwell, along with White’s excellent form, resulted in his inclusion for Qatar. Manchester City pair Kyle Walker and Calvin Phillips were included despite a lack of fitness following recent injuries, while Manchester United captain Harry Maguire was named in the squad despite limited game time. When asked about the trio, Southgate said: “Harry is one of our best centre-backs. I think we know within the squad that we have a lot of players who have been to tournaments and played at the level and know what is required. “Kalvin played last night [for Man City against Chelsea in Wednesday’s Carabao Cup win] so I think with him, he’s injury free. We know he won’t be able to play seven 90 minutes. This will not be possible. “We will have to build his fitness level but he is available, injury free and we don’t really have a lot of cover for that role in the country. Kalvin is a super player and we think he’s a risk worth taking. “Kyle is a bit different because he’s not back in full training yet, but he’ll be available before the end of the group stage. Use Chrome browser for more accessible video player England manager Gareth Southgate says including the injured player in his World Cup squad is not a gamble as they have backs in those positions. “Obviously, we had to make a very difficult call with Rhys James, who we think is a fantastic player, but he wouldn’t be available, if everything went perfectly, until the latter stages of the tournament. “There have been too many unknowns for us on this road to recovery and also, I don’t think we can get a player who is not available for the group stage. This will be considered presumptuous in some circles. “It was a tough call, but Kyle is way ahead of it. He’s doing really well.” Some notable omissions include Ivan Toney, Tammy Abraham, James Ward-Prowse, Jadon Sancho and Jarrod Bowen. Defenders Tyrone Mings, Fikayo Tomori and Marc Guehi have also not won a place.
Gareth Southgate picks Wilson over Abraham
“Tammy’s had a bad run of form to score at the wrong time, really, and it’s not like we’re three or four weeks away from a final and the start of the first game. “We are now 10 days away so form could be more important. “We are monitoring their club form but we don’t really know where the players are until we see them face to face and until we see them on the training pitch. We get regular medical updates from their clubs but there will be medicals that we don’t know about yet fully. “We know the form we see in games, but even so, you still don’t get the full picture from the players until you can talk to them, work with them and see how they train with each other.”
England’s World Cup squad in detail…
Goalkeepers: Jordan Pickford (Everton), Aaron Ramsdale (Arsenal), Nick Pope (Newcastle). 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 Cody (Everton, on loan from Wolves), Luke Shaw (Manchester United). Midfielders: Declan Rice (West Ham), Jude Bellingham (Borussia Dortmund), Calvin Phillips (Manchester City), Jordan Henderson (Liverpool), Conor Gallagher (Chelsea), Mason Mount (Chelsea). Forwards: Harry Kane (Tottenham Hotspur), Callum Wilson (Newcastle), Marcus Rashford (Manchester United), Raheem Sterling (Chelsea), Bukayo Saka (Arsenal), Phil Foden (Manchester City), Jack Grealish (Manchester City), James Maddison ( of the city of Leicester).
Analysis: Southgate changes tack to include Maddison
Sky Sports’ Nick Wright: The inclusion of James Maddison represents a departure from Southgate’s usual modus operandi. The England boss tends to favor international experience and familiarity. Maddison, his lone senior cap return in 2019, isn’t giving him either. What had become clear, however, is that what she gave him was worth changing course. Maddison has excelled not just in recent times, but over a period of over a year, with 18 goals and 12 assists in 47 Premier League games since the start of last season. His numbers are better than those of any of his contemporaries and while there may not be an obvious place for him in the England line-up, he has rightly been deemed worthy of a place for him. Maddison is a difference-maker whose spontaneity could prove just what England need in the tight games of football’s major competition, which are often decided by individual moments of brilliance. Image: James Maddison last played for England in 2019 And besides, there is more than enough experience and familiarity elsewhere in Southgate’s squad. His preference for those qualities can be seen in his decision not to bring in an additional left-back to support Luke Shaw following Ben Chilwell’s injury, preferring to rely on Kieran Trippier to cover both flanks rather than turning to a Ryan Sessegnon or Dan Burn.
Analysis: “Southgate was realistic”
Use Chrome browser for more accessible video player England manager Gareth Southgate says the balance of his squad has been the main focus and believes he has everything covered…
