49erssports.com - Gareth Southgate has announced 26 England national team players at the 2022 World Cup. Of the 26 players he chose, Southgate decided not to call up two former Chelsea players, Tammy Abraham and Fikayo Tomori.
This is quite surprising considering the two players who play in Serie A are playing quite well with their respective clubs. Fikayo Tomori even managed to become an important part of AC Milan which won Serie A last season.
Tammy Abraham also performed quite well last season with 27 goals despite currently being on a goal drought with AS Roma. Southgate's decision caused a lot of reactions from English football fans.
"I have to be honest, I'm not surprised that Tammy Abraham and Fikayo Tomori were left out (not in the England squad)," Ferdinand told the BBC quoted from Metro.
Ferdinand: Playing in Serie A is no excuse
The absence of Tammy Abraham and Fikayo Tomori created a lot of speculation regarding the Serie A factor as the main reason for Southgate. It's only natural if it is questioned considering Southgate called the majority of players who competed in the Premier League.
Even out of 26 players, only Jude Bellingham is a player outside the Premier League. Of course this decision raises the question of whether Southgate is not paying attention to English players outside the Premier League.
Responding to the speculation, Rio Ferdinand thought that Serie A was not the main problem. "They (Tammy and Tomori) play in Serie A, I don't think that's the case," Ferdinand said as quoted by Metro.
Fikayo Tomori Very Disappointed
Playing in the World Cup representing his beloved country must be the dream of every player including Fikayo Tomori and Tammy Abraham. But knowing their names were not in the squad after what was done at club level would certainly be disappointing.
In response, Ferdinand himself did not know the exact reason why the two players were not called up by Southgate. In particular for Tomori, Ferdinand felt that the player would be very disappointed with Southgate's decision.
"Tomori I think will be very disappointed (not in the England squad) with what he has achieved AC Milan. Played in the Champions League (this season), won Serie A last season, and became an important player for that team (AC Milan),” said Ferdinand.
"But these guys (Tomori and Tammy) have to use this (not in the England squad) as fuel now for the next stage in their careers," added Ferdinand.
Southgate: Last-second performance matters
Regarding his decision, Southgate has also prepared a strong reason to leave Tomori and Tammy. According to him, the performance ahead of the 2022 World Cup is the most decisive thing whether a player is worthy or not.
"This (the England squad call-up) is not a case where we are three or four weeks away from the first game (World Cup 2022). We are now 10 days away, so the performance (shown) could be more important," said Southgate.
Southgate also gave specific reasons why Tammy Abraham did not get a place in the England national team. According to him, the decline in Tammy's performance at AS Roma was in the wrong momentum. "Tammy had a bad score at the wrong time," added Southgate.
As for Fikayo Tomori, Southgate feels that the player has not been able to replace the more senior players in the England national team. "We don't think the young (central defender) (Tomori) has done enough to push the older ones out," Southgate added.
Source: Metro