England boss Gareth Southgate said he would pick a World Cup squad based on form, which explains James Maddison's selection, but not Harry Maguire's.
So now we know! Gareth Southgate’s 26-man England squad has finally been revealed.
As always, there are plenty of names included that have generated widespread debate, while others who have been left behind will justifiably be feeling quite hard done by at missing out.
So, who are the big winners and losers from the England squad that will be travelling to Qatar?
GOAL takes a look below…
Getty WINNER: James Maddison
There is no doubt that Maddison deserved to be in the England squad. A quick look at his numbers over the past 18 months tells you all you needed to know.
Since August 2020, he tops the charts when it comes to goal contributions (30) from English midfielders in the Premier League. He’s ahead of the likes of Bukayo Saka, Mason Mount, Phil Foden and Jack Grealish.
And he’s done that in a struggling Leicester City side, which makes his output all the more impressive.
Yes, there are some question marks over his temperament and how he handles himself off the pitch. His decision to go out to a casino when he had pulled out an England squad through illness in 2019 was certainly ill-advised.
But players make mistakes. Other players in this England squad have and they haven’t been permanently banished by Gareth Southgate.
So, it would have been a travesty had he not made it on the plane to Qatar. This is football and you have to be rewarded for your performances in the here and now.
And right now Maddison is as good as it gets when it comes to English midfielders, so it’s good to see Southgate swallow some of his pride and make the right call.
Maddison isn’t the answer to England’s prayers. He’s not the wildcard who is suddenly going to come in and win them the World Cup.
But the simple fact is that he deserves to be in the 26-man squad.
AdvertisementGettyLOSER: Tammy Abraham
“Tammy has had a poor run of scoring form at the wrong time.” That was Gareth Southgate’s explanation for leaving the Roma striker out of his squad.
Abraham has undeniably struggled to replicate the goalscoring form he showed during his debut season in Serie A, but his omission still feels harsh.
The former Chelsea man must have thought he would be going to Qatar given he has been so heavily involved in the England set-up during the last 18 months.
But the fact he has scored just four times this season, coupled with Wilson's fine form in the Premier League, has clearly worked against him.
This setback will certainly be a tough one for Abraham to take.
GettyWINNER: Kyle Walker
As soon as he went down injured during the Manchester derby on October 6, Walker would have been fearing for his World Cup chances.
It looked almost certain he would miss out when he was forced to undergo groin surgery, but remarkably he has recovered in time to make the plane to Qatar.
Whether he is fit enough to feature straight away remains to be seen, but just the fact he has been included in the squad is a victory for Walker.
There aren’t many players Southgate would have gambled on, but he trusts Walker implicitly and his ability to play on the right side of the back three has clearly been a major factor in the manager’s decision.
Walker’s inclusion is a risk, but it’s one you can understand Southgate taking.
Getty ImagesLOSER: Fikayo Tomori
The fact that Tomori has not made the squad and Harry Maguire has is pretty laughable.
Maguire may have been an excellent servant to England in the past, but his form has been awful for months now – so much so that he barely gets a look in at Manchester United anymore.
Quite how Southgate can use a loss of form as the reason for Abraham’s omission from the squad and then turn around and take Maguire over Tomori is anyone’s guess. It just doesn’t stack up.
Tomori will understandably feel very hard done by and it is tough not to come to the conclusion that the only reason he isn’t going is because he’s playing in Italy, rather than England.
And that is frankly ridiculous, given how well he has performed for reigning Serie A champions AC Milan.