In his exclusive column for CaughtOffside, former Aston Villa and Liverpool attacker Stan Collymore reacts to the latest England squad, including which Chelsea star should be Gareth Southgate’s wildcard and Marcus Rashford’s reemerging links to PSG, plus much more.
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Ben White should never play for England again…
The biggest talking point from Gareth Southgate’s latest England squad is that Ben White refused to be called up.
The defender, according to The Athletic, doesn’t want to represent his country for several reasons, including finding it difficult being further down in Southgate’s pecking order.
Firstly, and assuming The Athletic’s report is accurate, what a disgrace. If every player took that same stance, international football would be chaos and probably couldn’t happen. Being called up to represent your county is an honour, you should want to do it regardless of whether you’re the first name on the manager’s teamsheet or the last.
Even though I am incredibly disappointed a player has made this decision, I don’t think it’s a great loss to England. White is having a decent season for Arsenal, but I don’t think he’s good enough anyway.
Credit where it’s due — he is certainly versatile — he can play at right back, centre-back and even drift into midfield, but there is no way he’s going to get in ahead of Kyle Walker or John Stones, both of whom can also play those roles.
So for me, thanks but no thanks, Mr White. We know you want to be a nailed-on starter, but you can’t always get exactly what you want, especially at international level and especially in tournament football. It’s a squad game, and if you’re lucky enough to get a chance, it’s on you to take it, but he’s refused the opportunity, so in my opinion, he should never be called up again — regardless of who is in charge.
No surprises Kalvin Phillips not included…
Moving on from White, Kalvin Phillips’ exclusion has been another big talking point from Southgate’s England selection.
I don’t think anyone is really surprised the 28-year-old hasn’t been included in the Three Lion’s latest squad. His form has dropped off a cliff since he joined West Ham at the start of the year. He’s had an absolute nightmare.
The on-loan Manchester City midfielder is living proof that accepting some transfers may not be best in the long run. I am sure he received a massive pay rise by leaving Leeds and joining City and he has a token treble but there is no way he’s getting back into that England squad in time for the Euros in the summer, so was it really worth it?
What would he rather have? — A treble of winners’ medals that he didn’t really contribute toward, or the chance to represent England, and potentially win the country’s first piece of major international silverware since 1966?
England’s best XI includes Cole Palmer…
Irrespective of Phillips, England’s midfield is arguably the strongest in world football. I do not see any other way to lineup other than to have Declan Rice alongside Jude Bellingham with Phil Foden as the number 10.
Southgate should say to both Bellingham and Foden: ‘You’re both intelligent enough to know when one should drive forward and the other stays back.’
England’s midfield, when everyone is fit and available, pretty much picks itself. The same can be said for most of the starting lineup to be fair. I think the only question marks are over who should play as the left winger and at left back.
I’d be happy with either Ben Chilwell or Luke Shaw at full-back, but when fully fit, the latter just pinches it for me. As for left-wing, I know Southgate has included Marcus Rashford and Anthony Gordon, but I would go with Cole Palmer.
I know Palmer plays on the right for Chelsea, but he’s left-footed so can definitely do a job on that side of the pitch. He’s one of the most in-form attackers in Europe too so why not be brave and give him the chance? — I would — the kid looks special.
How’s your nerve Man United and Liverpool?
Moving on from international football, there is a huge FA Cup game coming up. Manchester United host Liverpool in the competition’s quarter-finals on Sunday afternoon.
It’s a big game, especially for United, who only really have the FA Cup to compete for. It’s also a massive game for Liverpool, who remain in all four competitions. The Reds also seem to be getting stronger the deeper they go, so I’m expecting another really hard-fought game for Erik Ten Hag’s men.
I won’t call a winner, but I do fancy this one to go the distance. It may end up won in extra time, but I certainly wouldn’t be surprised if it went to penalties, and from there, flip a coin.
PSG wouldn’t be the right move for Marcus Rashford…
Marcus Rashford could end up being the Red Devils’ hero later this weekend but his inevitable inclusion comes at a time when he’s once again linked with a summer move to Paris Saint-Germain.
The Ligue 1 giants, according to the Mirror, are preparing to make an offer worth £75 million for the Englishman. Should United take it if it comes in? — Absolutely.
However, for the player, I am not sure a move to France would benefit him as a professional. Ligue 1 is a dire league in terms of competitiveness. Paris Saint-Germain wins virtually every game like they’re expected to, but on the rare occasion when they don’t, all hell breaks loose. Is that the right environment for a player like Rashford? — I don’t think so.
If he really wants to test himself and take on a new challenge and is open to moving abroad, he should be looking at Germany or Italy. The Bundesliga and Serie A are highly competitive and would certainly test him in all the areas France wouldn’t.
Hang your heads in shame…
I can’t do a column and not mention the 10 Premier League clubs who have just vetoed payments to the EFL.
Arsenal, Liverpool, Aston Villa, Crystal Palace, Bournemouth, Nottingham Forest, Chelsea, West Ham, Wolves, Crystal Palace… You are all total and utter disgraces! — One of these is my boyhood club too, by the way.
I just think it’s an absolute scandal that these clubs have basically given the middle finger to the teams who are where they were, and in the cases of Bournemouth, Aston Villa and Forest, not so long ago too.
Have they forgotten where they came from? — The English pyramid is what makes this country’s football the best in the world. We should be proud of it, but instead, it seems now the Premier League view the EFL as a business competitor, and that’s wrong because every player, every coach and every manager would not be where they are now had it not been for grassroots football.
The sooner an independent regulator comes in and ensures all Premier League clubs give 10 per cent of TV revenue to the EFL, the better.
Interesting!