Gareth Southgate has once again gone for favourites over form as Anthony Gordon misses out on an England call yet again.
There's arguably been a player in better form than Anthony Gordon this season, and that might sound like Newcastle United bias, but honestly, the transformation from the kid we signed to the kid we have now is unbelievable.
Gordon has definitely been our most consistent player this season, he's been a key figure in the Newcastle attack and his four goals and two assists in 10 Premier League games can back that up.
So how Southgate, who watched Gordon score at the weekend against Arsenal, can keep passing him up in favour of players who don't play for their club, or play in a league akin to the National League and worst of all, players who are injured, truly boggles our minds.
James Maddison is currently injured so it seems Southgate is banking on him being fit by the end of the month. He did that last month with Bukayo Saka and look how that turned out. Kalvin Phillips still can't get a game for Manchester City but is a permanent fixture in a Southgate England side. Jordan Henderson might as well be playing against Fat Baz from Benwell and his mates from the pub each week.
It's not just Newcastle fans who will be wondering what's going on. Chelsea fans will be too as Raheem Sterling, who looks back to his best and is a former Southgate golden boy is also being overlooked.
Nick Pope seems to be completely in Southgate's dog house, but he's not actually having a great season so that one does make sense. Kieran Trippier and Callum Wilson have both been called up, although Wilson is nursing a knock so that's not great news. Also, Trippier looks knackered, he could do with a rest during the international break.
The fact that Newcastle's squad is so barebones right now is the only reason my head didn't explode when I saw the England squad because if we're being honest, we'd rather none of our players were called up to ensure they remain fit for after the break.
Joelinton and Bruno Guimaraes are both off representing Brazil which is great for them, but terrifying for Newcastle fans as we'll all be hoping they come back unscathed.
PL | GD | PTS | ||
---|---|---|---|---|
1 |
Liverpool
|
12 | 16 | 31 |
2 |
Manchester City
|
12 | 5 | 23 |
3 |
Chelsea
|
12 | 9 | 22 |
4 |
Arsenal
|
12 | 9 | 22 |
5 |
Brighton
|
12 | 5 | 22 |
6 |
Tottenham Hotspur
|
12 | 14 | 19 |
7 |
Nottingham Forest
|
12 | 2 | 19 |
8 |
Aston Villa
|
12 | 0 | 19 |
9 |
Fulham
|
12 | 0 | 18 |
10 |
Newcastle United
|
12 | 0 | 18 |
11 |
Brentford
|
12 | 0 | 17 |
12 |
Manchester United
|
12 | 0 | 16 |
13 |
Bournemouth
|
12 | -1 | 15 |
14 |
West Ham United
|
12 | -4 | 15 |
15 |
Everton
|
12 | -7 | 11 |
16 |
Leicester
|
12 | -8 | 10 |
17 |
Wolves
|
12 | -8 | 9 |
18 |
Ipswich
|
12 | -10 | 9 |
19 |
Crystal Palace
|
12 | -7 | 8 |
20 |
Southampton
|
12 | -15 | 4 |