In a month the World Cup begins in Qatar, and and the names of the players on the 32 teams will be known shortly, this also means that as of now any injury can pose a serious risk of exclusion.
Playing a World Cup is the desire of every professional, and for this reason even non-serious injuries can hinder participation, however.
The English Premier League breaks only the week before net the first match between Qatar and Ecuador. Unfortunately, there is still time for injury, especially for teams that will also play in the European cups.
Gareth Southgate’s England was tipped to bring home the iconic trophy after reaching the semifinals of the 2018 tournament before suffering defeat to Croatia. But the team will be severely depleted after the loss of defenders Reece James and Kyle Walker. James was the favorite for the right-back role, as the Chelsea player is not only solid in defense but also excellent going forward. But now Southgate is likely to have only two options to fill that role – Keiron Trippier and Trent Alexader-Arnold – and neither is known for his defensive abilities. So the team already appears weakened, at least on paper.
Another big loss is midfielder Kalvin Phillips, who has undergone shoulder surgery, while his Manchester City teammate John Stones has missed most of the season and if selected may not be fit for the game, which would be detrimental to the team.
France, the last edition’s champion team, also has a big void to fill in the middle of the field, as Chelsea midfielder N’Golo Kante has been ruled out following an operation for a hamstring injury suffered in August. Boubacar Kamara is also out, while Wesley Fofana is in strong doubt. Like England, they look weaker and could be in trouble.
The favorites are Brazil, but there were fears that Richarlison could miss the tournament after he was injured in Tottenham’s win over Everton last week. Coach Antonio Conte said the striker should be back in action before the tournament, good news for those of us who want to see the biggest names in world soccer face off for international glory.
We have already been hit hard with Norway’s Erling Haaland and Egypt’s Mo Salah not making the trip to the Middle East because of their countries’ failure to qualify. These two players were in incredible form for Man City and Liverpool respectively and would have lit up the tournament.
The teams are coming to terms with injuries to key players, but it was inevitable that it would be this way. The Qatar World Cup starts right in the middle of the championship season around the world, and the risk of injury was huge. Because of Qatar’s intense summer heat, this World Cup will be held at the end of the year, making it the first tournament not to be held in May, June or July. This idea was initially opposed by most participating nations because of its impact on European national seasons. But it is happening and there is nothing that can be said about it.
But the World Cup must have the best players competing, and if others get injured and are excluded, the tournament may be less spectacular.
(Source: Imran Malik)
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