No Russia? No Problem! – Missing Out On World Cup Berth Is An Experience For Barkley And He Has To Learn From It And Move On
There is one football event that unites the world and divides it in a unique way and that is the FIFA World Cup. The scintillating tournament is set to commence once more this summer and as the month of June gets nearer, the excitement is nearly palpable in the air.
With the date getting closer, there is a lot of ongoing speculation about who should or should not make it to the England squad.
For the longest time, England have struggled to do well in the World Cup. There has been a lot of talk about how English players were not up to the par when it came to international tournaments but this time, it feels different.
There’s Harry Kane, who is rightfully regarded as the best striker in the world right now and then there are a lot of other talents who seem to be in good shape to make a mark this time. Furthermore, with Gareth Southgate in charge of the team, fans are very optimistic ahead of the mega-spectacle.
However, Ross Barkley might be the only one to not feel the excitement ahead of the World Cup. At Everton, he was regarded as one of the brightest and most promising English midfielders and he almost looked like a sure-shot candidate for Southgate’s squad.
However, he endured an injury right before this season started and that prevented him from playing for the Toffees. Once January came about, Barkley moved to Chelsea for £15m but until now, he is yet to make a mark.
In fact, he has made merely 4 appearances for the club so far and a report from the Independent has claimed that Southgate has entirely ruled out the prospect of selecting Barkley for Russia.
To be honest, it is a good thing that the England manager is quite ruthless when it comes to the selection process because the Three Lions have struggled enough in the World Cup and it is high time that they show the world what they are capable of – even more so after the U17 team won the World Cup held in India last year.
Hence, it does seem like Barkley has lost his chance. Despite being filled to the brim with potential and talent, he will simply become yet another player who could not make it due to circumstantial troubles. However, this is definitely not the end of the road for him and it will be important for him to utilise this as a learning experience and move on to come back stronger.