Thirty-two teams will be drawn into eight groups of four, with teams divided into four pots based on their position in the Fifa world rankings which were updated on Thursday.
England’s fifth-placed Fifa ranking means they are placed in Pot 1 meaning they should, in theory, be handed a kind draw.
When is the World Cup 2022 draw?
The World Cup 2022 draw takes place at 5pm BST on Friday 1 April. It is being held at the Doha Exhibition & Convention Center.
You can watch the draw live on BBC One from 4.45pm until 6.00pm, when the coverage will switch to BBC Two until 6.30pm.
The broadcast is being hosted by Mark Chapman, with commentary from Jonathan Pearce, and you will be able to watch live online via BBC iPlayer here.
Who could England face at World Cup 2022?
England will discover their group stage opponents in Friday’s World Cup draw (Photo: Reuters)
While England will avoid South American heavyweights like Argentina, Brazil and defending champions France who are also in Pot 1, there are still some very difficult opponents they could face.
Among the most difficult teams in Pot 2 are old rivals Germany, 2018 conquerors Croatia and the always strong Netherlands.
A resurgent Canada sit in Pot 4 with African heavyweights Ghana and Cameroon. Scroll down for the full list of teams.
What about Scotland and Wales?
Gareth Bale’s Wales will face Scotland or Ukraine for a place at Qatar 2022 (Photo: Reuters)
The conclusion of the play-off path featuring Scotland, Wales and Ukraine has been delayed to June because of the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
To overcome this in the draw, the three teams will be treated as one draw “placeholder” and have been allocated to pot four alongside the lowest-ranked countries.
Are there any other places still to be determined?
Yes – the winners of the intercontinental play-offs which take place in June. Peru will take on either Australia or the United Arab Emirates, plus Costa Rica (Concacaf) face New Zealand (OFC).
Are there any other draw rules to be aware of?
Qatar will be placed into Group A from pot one, with the other top seeds assigned to groups B through to H in turn. Once placed in a group, they will be assigned a number in the group between one and four.
Qatar are automatically designated as A1, and will feature in the opening match of the tournament on November 21. The pots will be emptied in turn, from pot one all the way down to pot four.
The World Cup 2022 draw is taking place on Friday 1 April (Photo: AFP/Getty Images)
World Cup draw pots
Pot 1
Qatar
Brazil
Belgium
France
Argentina
England
Spain
Portugal
Pot 2
Mexico
Netherlands
Denmark
Germany
Uruguay
Switzerland
USA
Croatia
Pot 3
Senegal
Iran
Japan
Morocco
Serbia
Poland
South Korea
Tunisia
Pot 4
Cameroon
Canada
Ecuador
Saudi Arabia
Ghana
Costa Rica/New Zealand
UAE/Australia/Peru
Wales/Scotland/Ukraine
Can teams from the same continent be drawn together?
Fifa says that whenever possible teams from the same confederation will not be drawn together at the group stage, with the exception of Europe where each group can contain a maximum of two teams from the continent.
Anything else?
The match schedule will not be confirmed until after the group draw has taken place, to afford scope to provide suitable kick-off times for television audiences in the countries involved or for spectators in Qatar.
When is the World Cup?
The finals get under way on 21 November, and finish on 18 December. There will be up to four matches a day in the group stage. Matches at the group stage will kick off at 10am, 1pm, 4pm and 7pm GMT.
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Ralf Rangnick looks set to take more of a backseat at Manchester United when his consultancy role kicks in over the summer and a new era unfolds at Old Trafford.
Rangnick is in temporary charge until the end of the season but the German is not a contender for the full-time job, which Manchester United hope to have filled before the end of the season to allow for planning for the summer transfer window.
i understands the club are waiting to see how the season plays out before defining the terms of Rangnick’s continued role, with sources close to the German saying he is focused on achieving a top-four finish rather than thinking about next season and beyond.
But it is envisaged that he will be “knowledge on tap” for the club’s hierarchy rather than moving into the equivalent of a sporting director position when he steps down from the manager’s role.
Football director John Murtough and technical director Darren Fletcher will retain their central roles with Rangnick able to give advice on things like restructuring scouting processes and innovation. He is a world-renowned sporting director and carved out a formidable reputation at Red Bull Leipzig for his job in turning them into one of the Bundesliga’s most forward-thinking clubs.
Rangnick has endured criticism for a perceived lack of impact in the job since taking over on an interim basis with the club knocked out of the FA Cup by Middlesbrough and in the last 16 of the Champions League earlier this month. But within the club it is acknowledged that he took over from Ole Gunnar Solskjaer at a time when the season was listing badly. He has inherited a group of players that includes many who wish to leave Old Trafford including the likes of Dean Henderson and Jesse Lingard who saw moves away in January blocked.
Even though he is not in the running to take over in the long-term Rangnick could offer invaluable advice to the next man based on experience of the changes that need to be made. He has impressed some supporters with his honesty in press conferences and the short shrift he has given players who are reported to have been unhappy.
Some sources close to Rangnick believe he should have been backed more in the transfer market and to bring in more support staff to complete a culture shift. But with a new man to be appointed soon, that feels like a forlorn wish.
All roads lead to Erik ten Hag as the frontrunner for the Old Trafford job although Mauricio Pochettino remains a candidate.
The Ajax manager reportedly impressed in the first round of interviews and is interested in the role. But he may have other offers in the summer and the Dutch giants have not given up hope of him staying in Amsterdam for another season. Former Red Devils boss Louis van Gaal urged him to join “a football club and not a commercial club” in comments that captured headlines earlier this week.
Luis Enrique and Sevilla boss Julen Lopetegui have also featured in discussions but the latter appeared to put an end to speculation surrounding his own future when he told a Spanish TV station there was “no doubt” that he would remain at the club.
Whoever takes over, transfer priorities appear clear: a high-class defensive midfielder and a prolific forward.
The draw for World Cup 2022 is taking place on Friday 1 April, starting at 5.00pm UK time. It is being held at the Doha Exhibition & Convention Center.
You can watch the draw live on BBC One from 4.45pm until 6.00pm, when the coverage will switch to BBC Two until 6.30pm.
The broadcast is being hosted by Mark Chapman, with commentary from Jonathan Pearce, and you’ll be able to watch live online via BBC iPlayer here.
In the draw, 32 teams will be drawn into eight groups of four, with countries divided into four pots based on their position in the latest Fifa world rankings.
England have been seeded in Pot 1 for the 2022 World Cup (Photo: PA)
Ukraine themselves remain in with a chance of making it to Qatar. Their play-off clash with Scotland has been postponed indefinitely, with the winner facing Wales for a spot at the finals.
Hosts
Qatar
Europe
Belgium
Croatia
Denmark
England
France
Germany
Netherlands
Poland
Portugal
Serbia
Spain
Switzerland
South America
Argentina
Brazil
Ecuador
Uruguay
Asia
Iran
South Korea
Japan
Saudi Arabia
North, Central American and Caribbean(CONCACAF)
Canada
Africa
Cameroon
Ghana
Morocco
Senegal
Tunisia
Who else can still qualify?
Scotland, Ukraine or Wales
Australia or United Arab Emirates vs Peru
Costa Rica vs New Zealand
The 2022 World Cup draw is taking place in Doha (Photo: AFP/Getty Images)
How do the World Cup draw pots work?
Fifa published the latest world rankings on Thursday 31 March, with England retaining fifth place to be confirmed in the top pot of seeds. The rankings are based on results weighted over several years.
That means the Three Lions are seeded alongside Brazil, Belgium, France, Argentina, Spain, Portugal and hosts Qatar, with Holland, Germany and Croatia in pot two.
Wales are ranked 18th in the new table but will be among the lowest seeds in pot four if they make it to Qatar, as would Scotland and Ukraine. The bottom pot also contains the other two other placeholders.
Here are the pots in full for the 2022 World Cup draw:
Pot 1
Qatar
Brazil
Belgium
France
Argentina
England
Spain
Portugal
Pot 2
Mexico
Netherlands
Denmark
Germany
Uruguay
Switzerland
USA
Croatia
Pot 3
Senegal
Iran
Japan
Morocco
Serbia
Poland
South Korea
Tunisia
Pot 4
Cameroon
Canada
Ecuador
Saudi Arabia
Ghana
Costa Rica/New Zealand
UAE/Australia/Peru
Wales/Scotland/Ukraine
Each team in pot one will be assigned to Groups B to H, with Qatar automatically going into Group A. They will then be assigned a number in that group to determine the order of the fixtures. Qatar will be designated as A1, and feature in the opening match on November 21.
The match schedule will be confirmed after the draw, to allow for the selection of optimal kick-off times for television and live audiences.
England’s position in pot one means they avoid many big hitters, including the likes of Brazil, France and Belgium.
However, the Netherlands, Germany and Croatia could all be drawn alongside England from Pot 2.
While from the same continent generally can’t go in the same group, Europe has 13 of the 31 qualifying slots and so the teams cannot all avoid each other.
Japan, Serbia and Senegal are some of the stand-out teams in Pot 3, while England will be hoping to avoid Canada, Ghana, Cameroon or the final European qualifier from Pot 4.
Which group England are drawn in could have some impact, too, given the truncated nature of the tournament.
Landing in Group B means starting on 21 November instead of 24 November in Group G or H, resulting in theree extra rest days.
The Group G winner would have to play seven games in just 25 days to win the World Cup, and would get just two days off before their round of 16 clash.
Additional reporting from agencies
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Trent Alexander-Arnold finds himself in a race against time to be fit for Liverpool’s season-defining month in which the Reds will face Manchester City twice.
Jurgen Klopp revealed on 18 March that Alexander-Arnold had suffered a hamstring injury that prevented him from playing in England’s friendlies against Switzerland and Ivory Coast despite being called up by Gareth Southgate.
The right-back suffered the injury during a Premier League 2-0 win over Arsenal but played the full 90 minutes, after which Klopp said he would spend “weeks” on the sidelines, but did not specify how many.
The 23-year-old’s fitness has been a key part of Liverpool’s success under Klopp, playing every game for the Reds in the title-winning season and starting the Champions League final win over Tottenham.
They now hunt down England’s first quadruple, one point behind City in the league, the same team Liverpool will face in the FA Cup semi-final. If they want to add a second Champions League trophy in four seasons, they must next make it past Benfica in the quarter-finals.
Alexander-Arnold has only missed three league games this season and has played over 3,000 minutes in the last two campaigns.
An update on his condition is expected at Klopp’s pre-match conference on Friday ahead of the Reds game against Watford (Saturday, 12.30pm).
Importance of Alexander-Arnold
Alexander-Arnold is the definition of a modern full-back, able to add another layer of strength to the attack in an inverted position.
His tactical relationship with Jordan Henderson is key to balance attack and defence as the midfielder often drops back to fill the space left by the right-back advancing.
Not only is Alexander-Arnold is not just another player of strength to Liverpool’s attack, he is arguably their main creator, with 17 assists this season, 11 of which have come in the league, placing him top of the assists chart above team-mate Mo Salah.
But the man who wears the number 66 has received criticism over his ability to defend which resurfaced when Arsenal winger Gabriel Martinelli repeatedly skipped past him during Liverpool’s 2-0 win over the Gunners, the game in which he seemingly suffered the hamstring injury.
That perceived weakness is perhaps also why he has not nailed a starting position under Southgate, but fans have been calling for the Liverpudlian to start because of the service he could offer England’s forward line with his trademark precise long balls and crosses.
On a bridge on the main road that leads into Kryvyi Rih, someone has installed a banner on which five words are written, draped down so nobody who passes beneath can miss them: “Welcome to hell, Russian occupant”. To the south of the city, Kherson has been captured. To Kryvyi Rih’s east stands Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant, Europe’s largest. It is also under Russian control.
Kryvyi Rih is a mining city, the second biggest in Ukraine by area. It is a crucial location in Russia’s invasion of Ukraine because it provides the only viable entry point to Dnipro, one of the country’s foremost industrial hubs. It has also become famous as the hometown of modern Ukraine’s most famous son.
Volodymyr Zelensky was born in Kryvyi Rih, where his father was a professor at the University of Economics and Technology and his mum worked as an engineer. His comedy group and film production company were named after the Kvartal 95 housing block in which he lived as a child. His parents still own an apartment in the complex, although they were moved on the eve of war.
Kryvyi Rih is also home to FC Kryvbas. Its men’s team participate in the Ukrainian second tier, but its women’s team were third in the highest division of Ukrainian women’s football and challenging for the title when the league was suspended.
On 24 February, the squad climbed onto a bus headed for the local airport – they were flying to Belek in Turkey for a training camp ahead of the end of the winter break in Ukraine. On 24 February, Russia began its invasion of Ukraine. On the same day, Russian forces struck two military installations in Kryvyi Rih with missiles and everything changed.
That shift can be best seen in two Facebook posts from the team’s head coach Alina Stetenko, less than 48 hours apart. The first discusses the plans for the warm weather camp and talks of playing three matches during which work will focus on game patterns with and without the ball. The second shares information from the Moldovan government about entering the country from Ukraine without an identification card or visa.
“It was early morning,” says Violetta Tian, one of FC Kryvbas’ players. “We were incredibly scared. We heard three major explosions and we decided that the bus should take us to a safer place in the centre of the city where we would be in less danger. Our sanctuary was a hotel owned by the man who also owns our football club, so the conditions were thankfully fine. We had meals and we could sleep. We stayed there for two weeks.”
Their escape came via Artur Podkopayev, a twentysomething Hamburg resident who had played in FC Kryvbas’ youth teams as a child, winning a national championship before he moved to live in Germany. When the invasion began, he phoned his old coach Evhenii Arbuzov who was now the club’s technical director and asked him about the club’s situation. Arbuzov told him the news of the women’s team, and the pair worked on a plan to get the squad to Germany. At that point, Podkopayev says, everything was decided. The team had to move to further safety.
“I always wanted to go back to Ukraine to help people, but for various reasons it wasn’t possible,” he says. “Ukraine will always remember people who have helped them during this war, both its own citizens and those from other countries. They will always have in their heads those who helped and those who didn’t. The message has to be that we are stronger together and with strength we can overcome evil.”
Podkopayev reached out to FC Koln, who deserve huge praise for the haste and extent of their welcome. Koln, Podkopayev and Arbuzov worked alongside three charitable foundations in Cologne to organise accommodation for the players and coaches and ensured that food, clothing and supplies would be readily available.
But leaving home with little time to prepare creates its own wounds. The players were not able to retrieve extra belongings from their homes. Tian says that she could not say goodbye to her parents because they live in the north of the country where the Russian army was already in control. They are able to keep in contact via various messaging services and platforms and, for now, they are safe.
“Everything changed overnight and it changes you emotionally too,” says Anna Ivanova, the team’s captain. “You come to value different things in different ways. Before the war, material possessions appeared important and now they are meaningless. And the things that used to seem unimportant, everyday things, now have a greater importance than we could ever have known.”
“It is a shitty feeling to have to leave your house not because you want to but because you have been forced out,” Tian says. “We are incredibly grateful to the city of Cologne and to FC Koln and all of the volunteers who have helped us in Germany. But the overriding feeling is that this doesn’t feel like home. We just want to go back to Ukraine, to Kryvyi Rih and to once again play for a club that plays in its home country.”
The gratitude to FC Koln is obvious; it is merited too. The concept of a football family is wonderful in theory, but you sometimes doubt its real-world practicality. Not here. Koln invited the team as guests of honour to both the men’s fixture against Dortmund and the women’s match against Bayer Leverkusen. They have also allowed them to use the club’s training complex as much as they would like. The two young women have just arrived back at their accommodation after one such session.
Training has been welcomed as a way of passing the time, but the notion of football as escape only stretches so far. “When we are training, it’s a wonderful distraction,” Ivanova says. “We can laugh and smile and when we are training we only think about football. But as soon as we get back on the bus and we read the news, it all comes back to us. We are back in reality again.”
It is impossible to imagine the fear that must haunt FC Kryvbas’ players in Germany. The cliched image of a refugee is someone thoroughly grateful for their own safety; clearly that is true. But it’s also only ever a half-truth. They – and so many others now dotted across Europe – were forced to leave in horrific circumstances. Fear doesn’t dissipate when you cross the border and uncertainty about your new existence exacerbates it.
Some of the squad are also dogged by guilt because they are a few of the few while many others remain at home. When those others include your closest family and friends with whom you have shared at least half a lifetime, guilt mixes with angst and is multiplied. Players have spoken of a second-hand insomnia, the inability to sleep because you know the explosions and sirens are stopping millions of others sleeping too.
They cannot escape the news from Ukraine, from Kryvyi Rih, Mariupol, Kharkiv and beyond. Nor do they want to, as upsetting as it might be. Despite regular updates from family and friends that they are safe and surviving, their city stands at the epicentre of a war that their compatriots are fighting desperately to win against all the odds. Having managed to find refuge, thoughts inevitably turn to those who could not escape.
“When we were in Ukraine, we were always watching the TV because the news was on all day long,” Tian says. “When we moved abroad we had less news. But we are all always checking social media. It’s important for us to know how our cities and our country are coping. Even if we feel nervous or are afraid of what we might read, we have to know what is happening to our home.”
For now, Kryvyi Rih is being defended. On Monday, Oleksandr Vilkul, head of the Kryvyi Rih Regional State Administration, announced that Russian troops had been forced at least 40km back from the city. It also still remains high on Russia’s list of next objectives and its people are preparing for street battles. Locals have armed themselves and are determined to make good on President Zelensky’s lead. Zelensky was not universally popular in Kryvyi Rih before the election but they have been surprised and impressed by his strength over the last month.
Players from FC Kryvbas Kryvyi Rih hold up a peace banner at FC Koln’s training ground (Photo: FC Koln)
What strikes most about Tian and Ivanova is the fierce pride they have for their country, doubled down by the distance they now temporarily live away from it. Both express their gratitude for President Zelensky, who they see as a regular man doing extraordinary things. Think of the image of Zelensky created in Europe, the comedian who became the leader who became the symbol of resistance, and multiply it several times over.
“We are extremely proud of the Ukrainian army and the Ukrainian people, because I think they have become something quite unique: at one together,” says Ivanova. “With this mentality we believe that we can win this war. That is the same mentality that we have in our team, that everyone is a unit and looks after each other and nobody is left behind. That spirit of the country has brought us closer as a group.”
“I want to say thank you to everyone who has helped, but also to everyone who has been interested and has spread the message of what is happening,” Tian says. “International society has really focused on our plight, and we will be forever grateful for that.”
They are also insistent that a no-fly zone must be installed over Ukraine. It is the first time they speak over each other, to reinforce the point. If they have one main message it is that everyone can do something to help, to make a difference. If the skies over her city are not closed, Ivanova says, more women and children will die. “Please help us by doing that.”
I wonder what these two young women, these professional sportspeople forced out of their everyday normality overnight and through no fault of their own, miss most about Kryvyi Rih. I am primed to expect answers relating to football: the first training session, the first match, the first goal, the first shared experience of absolute normality rather than a manufactured construct of it hundreds of miles from home.
But football isn’t mentioned once. Tian talks of the streets you walk along in half-thought and the houses you occasionally notice because you have never noticed them before. She thinks fondly of the specifics of her own home and the bizarreness of missing an entire country, as if countries have their own distinct feeling.
“I’m looking forward to seeing my family, firstly; that’s obvious,” Ivanova says. “But beyond that it’s the ability to do normal things without planning them first or worrying if they are even possible, like sitting outside in the sunshine with a plate of food. More than anything, I want to talk about meaningless subjects that have nothing to do with war.”
But until then, only war. Even in Germany, only war. They train for matches that are not yet scheduled, because there is only war. And only the end of war can bring a return to the lives they once knew and to the Ukraine they long to see again. “Our country isn’t real without peace,” as Tian says. “First comes peace. Then comes everything else.”
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“The Northern Notebook” is the i‘s weekly look at the issues and news setting the agenda for football in the north
Nick Hammond told Newcastle United’s owners the January transfer window would be the hardest of their time in charge as he praised the dynamic of the club’s new set up.
First recruitment meetings have reprised the transfer committee of Eddie Howe, Amanda Staveley, Mehrdad Ghodoussi, head of recruitment Steve Nickson and Jamie Reuben – which navigated its way through January.
And if Ashworth is not on board by the summer, Hammond may even reprise a role he spoke about in detail at the recent Training Ground Guru recruitment webinar.
“I said to [the new owners] at the start, ‘This will be the hardest transfer window you ever have’ because you are literally a group of people coming together in a very short space of time and having to hit the ground running.
“Fortunately there’s a very experienced head coach there, a clear thinking guy, very precise in terms of what he wants. That is critical for a head coach – that clarity is massively important and thankfully Eddie Howe gave that.
“The owners were fantastic supporting him in terms of that.”
Hammond said Newcastle prioritised experience of playing in the Premier League and “coachability” to fit in with Eddie Howe’s system in January but that could change in the summer: “Decisions will be made in the summer moving forward and if they retain Premier League status it’ll be a different marketplace that they’re looking at.”
On his own role, the hugely experienced Hammond – a former director of football at Celtic – said he was “in the background” while others made the big calls.
“I thoroughly enjoyed it,” he said.
“It was interesting – here you have a group of people who all want to achieve the same thing but they’re new, they’re thrown together and all of a sudden in a short space of time you have to come together to make some decisions to try and strengthen the team for what is the short-term ambition of staying in the Premier League.
“I was a little bit more in the background than I would be as a director of football. This role was doing the checks and balances in the background; obviously having an opinion on the players who had been identified by Steve Nickson and his team.
“My role was to advise the owners in relation to the players, due diligence around the players and financial aspects of the deals they were trying to do.”
Manchester United interest in Nunez
Manchester United have emerged as another club who are interested in Benfica’s highly-rated Darwin Nunez amid reports in Portugal that super agent Jorge Mendes may be involved in any summer deal for the forward.
The Uruguay forward has 26 goals in 33 games for Benfica and has attracted interest from Newcastle, West Ham and Spurs.
It’s claimed that current agent Edgardo Lasilvia only has a contract with the player until June and is keen to do a quick deal. Mendes has talked about “partnerships” and has extensive Premier League contracts.
Manchester United are known to be looking for a striker this summer and the prolific Nunez fits the bill. It is set to be a summer of big transfers with Harry Kane, Kylian Mbappe and Erling Haaland all potentially moving.
Uruguay’s Darwin Nunez in action – he has plenty of Premier League suitors ((Pic credit: PA)
The accounts revealed the scale of the reliance on Farhad Moshiri but insiders tell i that will continue despite the sanctioning of his business partner Alisher Usmanov.
And they say the stadium build, which reached an important milestone this week with the “fourth corner” being installed, remains on track and is not under any threat.
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Eight months out from the World Cup and with the draw looming on Friday, there’s already a major conundrum for England manager Gareth Southgate waiting in the wings.
It’s what football managers like to call a good problem, a welcome problem, a problem they would rather have than not. And if there are no questions about Southgate’s man-management skills, what lies ahead will test his tactical acumen and the ability to analyse opponents.
What does Southgate do with all his wingers? He has fast ones, ones who like to dribble and take defenders on, ones who prefer to come inside, ones who are better defensively and offer better shape and solidity.
For certain Southgate will play three up front and captain Harry Kane is as close as a player can get to a guaranteed starter as central striker. That leaves two slots on either side. And if Raheem Sterling keeps turning up when he plays for England, one of those goes to him.
When it works for Sterling, and it often does for England, he is a menace. But if there’s a weakness to his game it’s that he can dribble down blind alleys. But say Sterling starts with Kane, that leaves one. And there are probably seven players who can stake a realistic claim for it.
Phil Foden, winner of three Premier League titles by age 21, played often as a central midfielder in years gone by but has made it clear he wants to play at the sharp end of the team. “I see myself as one of the front three, anywhere along the front three,” Foden said. “As I mature a bit, maybe becoming more of a midfielder, as I mature with age and understand the role more. But right now, I see myself more as one of the front three.”
What about Bukayo Saka, who impressed Southgate so much last year that he stood in for Foden when he was injured during Euro 2020 and took his place? Southgate likes that Saka can defend as well as he can attack.
And England’s manager had intended to try Saka at right wing-back in the friendly against Switzerland before the player was sent home due to a positive Covid test. That could point to one way Southgate will attempt to partially solve the problem.
But Mason Mount can and has played there well for Chelsea and England. With the options available is he destined for a central role? And then there’s Jack Grealish, the fan-favourite who Southgate sees as a winger.
Consider all of the above and things start to look decidedly shaky for Manchester United pair Marcus Rashford and Jadon Sancho, who failed to make it into the latest squad despite not being injured.
It may well be that Southgate does not have one fixed World Cup starting XI, that he instead switches formations and tweaks his wingers depending on the opposition. The first three group stage opponents will be revealed in Friday’s draw in Doha, leaving plenty of time to prepare.
“We did that through the Euros and sometimes players are suited to different roles and opposition teams might have weaknesses in certain positions,” Southgate said. “We’ve got different profiles of wingers that can pose a different sort of threat. All of the players have individual attributes that might be better suited to a certain game. They are the sorts of choices we’ve got to get right.”
Still, he has only six games Nations League games left to experiment and get them right, against testing opponents, playing Hungary, Italy and Germany home and away in June and September.
Southgate sees it as an opportunity to keep players on their toes, providing the motivation required to give his players an edge in Qatar.
“They can all get on with it and fight it out amongst themselves and we’ll pick the ones that are playing at the best level and who can do the job,” Southgate said.
“We’re in a fortunate position that we do have good players. You can motivate players as a manager, but there’s no higher motivation than two more on the bench that can come and take your place.
“That’s how the big clubs work and we’re starting to get that competition in most positions on the field. We’re always open minded, we’re always assessing, we’re watching them every week, we see the positive qualities and we see the little bits that, ‘OK, how can we improve that a little bit?’
“We’re all wanting to develop the best possible players and the best possible team. Without a doubt, none of the players in the squad can sit and think they’re in the 23, 26 or in the 11. They’ve all got to keep playing well and keep pushing each other.”
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It’s the end of the international break and in a merciful release, it’s the last one of the season – which means we are entering the home stretch of the Premier League campaign.
John Stones and Bukayo Saka were the most high-profile casualties from an injury-ravaged England camp, though the Manchester City defender only left the squad as a precaution and Saka is recovering from Covid-19.
There are still plenty of selection headaches for FPL managers this weekend, with Trent Alexander-Arnold yet to return from a hamstring injury and facing a race against time to be fit for the 10 April title showdown with Manchester City.
Patrick Bamford is also likely to miss most of the business end of Leeds’ season having been ruled out for around six weeks.
Nor is there much of a boost from the double gameweek, as the two clubs featuring twice are the increasingly undesirable Burnley and Everton. Neither has particularly appealing fixtures.
Here are i‘s picks this week:
Edouard Mendy (Chelsea)
Aaron Ramsdale’s continued absence will leave FPL managers searching for a replacement and Mendy’s Chelsea face Brentford, who have failed to score in five of their 10 matches against the traditional “big six” since winning promotion. The Blues stopper has 11 clean sheets so far this season – only Alisson, Ederson and Ramsdale have more.
Alexander-Arnold’s replacement will be the priority for those who have leant on the Liverpool right-back in recent weeks and Cancelo is the second-highest scoring defender points-wise (after Alexander-Arnold) with 162. The 27-year-old may not have the same reputation going forward but he does have six goal contributions in the league this season.
White isn’t a particularly well-kept secret and hasn’t been since his summer move from Brighton, when his £4.5m price tag made him an instantly appealing budget option.
The consensus was that Dier was unfortunate to miss out on an England return but at least he has remained unscathed, particularly when Tottenham centre-back partner Cristian Romero endured a wasted trip to South America having seen his appeal against an Argentina ban turned down. Dier is the best value defender in terms of pounds to points under £5m and faces a Newcastle side who haven’t scored in their last two games.
Mitchell’s Crystal Palace form has earned him an international breakthrough alongside Eagles team-mate Marc Guehi. Despite his 90 points in FPL this season, he is still largely being ignored by the bulk of selectors with just 1.2 per cent picking him in their teams.
Price: £4.5m Points: 90 Gameweek 31 fixtures: Arsenal (h)
Francisco Trincao (Wolves)
Trincao comes with a huge note of caution as his loan spell at Wolves has largely been disappointing, but he sprung into life against Leeds with a goal on the verge of half-time. Only Son Heung-min scored more FPL points from the midfield last gameweek.
Price: £5.6m Points: 52 Gameweek 31 fixtures: Aston Villa (h)
Christian Eriksen (Brentford)
Eriksen missed the Bees’ last Premier League game with Covid, but made an emotional return to Denmark duty with a goal against the Netherlands in midweek. He has re-energised Thomas Frank’s attack and while he’s only registered the one assist so far, he has played the second highest number of key passes and played more passes into the final third than any other Brentford player.
Price: £5.5m Points: 8 Gameweek 31 fixtures: Chelsea (a)
Maddison may not have been the most fashionable choice over the last 18 months but his performance in the European Conference League against Randers has kickstarted a revival and he’s now scored eight goals and assisted another three in the league this season.
Price: £6.8m Points: 118 Gameweek 31 fixtures: Manchester United (a)
Kai Havertz (Chelsea)
Regardless of what’s happening off the pitch at Chelsea, Thomas Tuchel has done an admirable job of maintaining their focus on it and Havertz has been the key man during that period, with four goals in their last three games. The Germany international continued where he left off in midweek too, finding the net against Israel.
Jesse Marsch’s arrival has done little to stem the sense of chaos at Leeds (if anything it’s got even worse) but Rodrigo has been among the goals in their mini-revival with two in his last two appearances.
I know, I know. Richarlison is firmly down in the lower echelons of wished-for FPL forwards, but he has an almost identical points return to Romelu Lukaku, who costs almost £4m more. It is also worth taking advantage of Everton’s double gameweek, rather than Burnley’s, as the Clarets begin it by hosting Manchester City.
Price: £7.5m Points: 64 Gameweek 31 fixtures: West Ham (a), Burnley (h)
How i‘s Gameweek 30 picks performed
Jose Sa (Wolves) – 1
Gabriel Magalhaes (Arsenal) – 8
Conor Coady (Wolves) – 1
Sergio Reguilon (Tottenham) – 2
Harvey Barnes (Leicester) – 5
Christian Eriksen (Brentford) – N/A (did not play)
Son Heung-min (Tottenham) – 15
Bukayo Saka (Arsenal) – 11
Philippe Coutinho (Aston Villa) – 2
Harry Kane (Tottenham) – 13
Ivan Toney (Brentford) – 2
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from Football | News and analysis from the Premier League and beyond | iNews https://ift.tt/mvEKVok
Gareth Southgate has criticised the England fans who booed Harry Maguire before and during England’s friendly with the Ivory Coast.
A small section of supporters inside Wembley Stadium jeered Maguire when his name was announced pre-match and then again when he touched the ball for the first time.
“I thought the reception was a joke, an absolute joke,” Southgate said in his post-match interview.
“What he’s done for us, the way he’s performed for England has been phenomenal. I don’t get it. We’re either all in this together or we’re not.
“He’s in an England shirt, not only should you support a player in an England shirt regardless, but when he’s played at the level he has and put in the performances for us that he has, it should be total commitment behind him. I don’t get that at all.”
Maguire enjoyed a quiet evening, largely owing to a first-half red card for Ivory Coast captain Serge Aurier. The former Tottenham Hotspur defender was awarded a second yellow for dissent with the score 1-0 to the hosts and from there the game settled into an hour-long procession of attack vs defence.
The treatment of Maguire comes as the latest black mark against England fans in the eyes of Southgate and his captain Harry Kane, after fan unrest at the European Championship final in the summer prompted Uefa to order that England play two Nations League fixtures behind closed doors in June.
“We’ve worked hard to rebuild our connection with England fans in the last few years so to hear [Harry Maguire] booed at Wembley before kick off was just not right,” said Kane.
This latest incident could erode the reconnect between fans and players that Southgate has driven since his appointment in 2016.
Southgate added: “Don’t think for one minute the other players won’t be looking at that thinking ‘that could be me one day’.
“That’s been one of the problems with playing for England. Players have thought ‘hmmm, do I want to go because when it turns a little bit difficult then the crowd are going to turn on me’.”
The image of him stood talking to his fiancee, arm casually resting on a railing, after England beat Colombia on penalties was one of the defining images of the 2018 World Cup. It encapsulated the positive feeling in the England camp in much the same way that the picture of Bukayo Saka riding an inflatable unicorn did at last summer’s European Championship. Saka remains an immensely popular figure and it is easy to forget that Maguire was also a poster boy for Southgate’s England not so long ago.
The defender has been integral to England’s improved performances at the last two international tournaments, having been involved in every game at the 2018 World Cup, before starting all bar two matches at the Euros, when he was side-lined with an ankle injury. His importance to the England team was apparent when he was one of just three England players selected in the official Euro 2020 Team of the Tournament, alongside Kyle Walker and Raheem Sterling.
But his performances at club level have been less consistent. He has faced criticism from former players, including former United captain Roy Keane for his showings in a United defence which has leaked 40 goals in 29 Premier League matches this season. Crystal Palace and Brighton are among nine defences in the league to have conceded fewer.
Despite being United’s captain, Maguire was then jeered when replaced in the 84 minute of that contest with Atletico Madrid, and was perhaps hopeful that the international break would provide some respite.
Southgate has stood by the 29-year-old, but his place in the United team could soon come under serious threat. He was dropped by interim manager Ralf Rangnick for the visit of Watford in February and will need to impress a new manager in the summer, when United appoint a permanent successor to Ole Gunnar Solskjaer.
How United fare in their final nine matches of this season could determine Maguire’s future at club level, with the next manager likely to reshape the team in his image, while taking Rangnick’s thoughts into consideration when he moves into a consultancy role. The German has so far been unconvinced of Maguire’s ability to play at the top-level.
With the World Cup in Qatar just eight months away, regular first-team football is a must if Maguire hopes to keep his international place. Without it, Southgate’s faith in him may face its toughest test yet.
from Football | News and analysis from the Premier League and beyond | iNews https://ift.tt/jBJYx6O
