Ahead of England’s Nations League games against Greece and the Republic of Ireland this week, both of which are must-win if the Three Lions are to secure automatic promotion back to League A, nine players withdrew from the squad.
Arsenal duo Declan Rice and Bukayo Saka, Manchester City pair Jack Grealish and Phil Foden, Liverpool right-back Trent Alexander-Arnold, Chelsea counterparts Levi Colwill and Cole Palmer, Everton centre-back Jarrad Branthwaite and Southampton goalkeeper Aaron Ramsdale all pulled out of the games, a blow to Lee Carsley’s hopes of topping the group.
Speaking to ITV, Harry Kane expressed his disappointment at the number of players who made themselves unavailable for international duty this week.
“I think England comes before anything. It comes before club and it is the most important thing you play as a professional footballer. Gareth [Southgate] was on hot on that and he wasn’t afraid and he wasn’t afraid to make decisions if that started to drift from certain players,” the England captain said.
“It’s a shame this week obviously. Yeah, I think it’s a tough period of the season and maybe that’s been taken advantage of a little bit. I don’t really like it if I’m totally honest. I think as I just said there England comes before before anything, any club situation.
“The joy to play for England. I think Gareth brought that back. Every camp, people were excited to come, every camp people wanted to play for England and, yeah, that’s the most important thing.”
Legitimate Reasons
While Kane’s comments on the importance of playing for England ring true, it feels as though he is failing to see the bigger picture.
Premier League managers pulling their players out of international squads is not a new thing – former Manchester United midfielder Nicky Butt once revealed that Sir Alex Ferguson used to force him and others to skip playing for their countries even when they weren’t injured.
However, the vast majority of those who have failed to report for England duty this week all have legitimate reasons.
Rice started Arsenal’s 1-1 draw with Chelsea on Sunday despite having a broken toe, and was forced off in the second half along with Saka, who limped off with a suspected hamstring issue.
Alexander-Arnold lasted just 23 minutes of Liverpool’s 2-0 victory against Aston Villa on Saturday evening before he had to be substituted, while Grealish was left out of Manchester City’s squad entirely for their trip to Brighton.
Ramsdale has undergone surgery on a broken finger and Branthwaite picked up an injury during Everton’s draw with West Ham.
There is less certainty regarding the other three, all of whom completed 90 minutes for their clubs over the weekend; Palmer was however pictured pre-match with heavy strapping on his leg.
Too Many Games
While Palmer, along with Colwill and Foden, may have withdrawn from the squad purely for precautionary reasons, it’s understandable why they may feel the need to do so given the number of matches set to be played over the coming months.
What Kane fails to mention is just how busy the football calendar is, and how players are being asked to play so many games, something highlighted by the number of injuries suffered by England players.
Having three international breaks within the first three months of the season, coupled with an expanded Champions League and a new 32-team Club World Cup at the end of the campaign, seems like far too many, especially on the back of a summer which included both the Euros and the Olympic football tournament.
The Nations League has been a net positive for international football; it is undoubtedly an improvement on meaningless friendlies and provides competitive games between the best nations in Europe.
Playing for England is always a privilege, but for players who just months ago were involved in the Euro 2024 final, it is perhaps understandable why the fight to top their Nations League group and avoid a promotion play-off does not seem like something they should put their bodies on the line for.
Another thing Kane overlooks is how passionate players are for their clubs as well as their country.
While Kane had enormous emotional attachment to his former club Tottenham, the same cannot be said of his current club Bayern Munich; his commitment to the German side is undoubted but for him, there is only one winner in the choice between them and his country.
For the likes of Saka, Foden and Alexander-Arnold, who came through the youth-teams and are boyhood fans of their clubs, it is not such a simple choice to put country before club, especially when the England duty is just the Nations League rather than a major tournament.
Kane also has the luxury of a month-long winter break in the Bundesliga, something those England stars playing in the Premier League do not enjoy – the winter period is in fact the busiest of the English season.
So while the England skipper makes a fair point regarding the importance of England duty, it is unfair to suggest those who pulled-out do not share his passion for the Three Lions.
