This weekend Gareth Southgate will take the opportunity to attend two games in the space of a few hours, making the short journey from Wembley to Watford.
He will do so as part of what is becoming an increasingly difficult search for the endangered species otherwise known as the English Premier League footballer.
Southgate has already noted the drop in the number of English players now commanding a starting place in their club sides in the top flight. He pointed out only two weeks ago that it was down to an all-time low of just over 30 per cent.
Ruben Loftus-Cheek is struggling to find playing time in the Chelsea team among other stars
Loftus-Cheek will have to think about moving away from Stamford Bridge to play football
So on Saturday the England manager will dash from what promises to be a fascinating encounter between Tottenham and Liverpool on Saturday and see how a Watford side that has started the season so impressively fares against Manchester United.
It does make sense when he might actually get the chance to assess young players of the quality of Will Hughes and Nathaniel Chalobah. Certainly a more worthwhile exercise, say, than watching Chelsea.
So far this season only one English player has started for Maurizio Sarri’s Chelsea side, and only in two of the four Premier League games they have contested at this early stage of the season.
But it is two more starts than the one Chelsea player who is in this England squad, with Ruben Loftus-Cheek limited to just two appearances as a substitute; with one of them rather curiously as a late replacement for Ross Barkley.
While Southgate has ignored Barkley on this occasion, Loftus-Cheek has kept his place and understandably so given the contribution he made at the World Cup in Russia.
For England against Switzerland Loftus-Cheek looked like he lacked sharpness and match time
His touch was heavy and his timing was slightly off, which would've frustrated his manager
But when Southgate bemoaned the fact that he was picking players for this friendly contest with Switzerland because some of them needed precious minutes on the pitch they have been unable to secure at their their clubs, he did so with individuals like Loftus-Cheek in mind.
One should not condemn a 22-year-old midfielder for backing himself to break into the Chelsea team this season rather than spend another season on loan. It is the club he joined as an eight-year-old and one he very much hopes to win trophies with.
But already the signs are not promising, his failure to get on the pitch until the 68th minute of one game and the 79th minute of another suggesting his ambition is not going to be realised any time soon when Sarri has such strength in depth in midfield.
If Loftus-Cheek wants to remain central to Southgate’s plans, it might not be long before he has to think seriously about moving away from Stamford Bridge again. Especially when the England manager made the point only recently that sometimes a player has to take responsibility for how much first team football they commands. Last night it was a view echoed on television by both Jamie Redknapp and Jamie Carragher.
Loftus-Cheek might not have wanted to return to Crystal Palace for another season but how bad would it be? The 25 appearances he made were enough to secure a seat on the plane to Russia and he would have played an awful lot more had he not been sidelined as much as he was by injury.
Southgate used the Switzerland match to give players like Loftus-Cheek more playing time
Marcus Rashford scored England's goal, putting them 1-0 up against opponents Switzerland
At Selhurst Park he actually had a manager who believed in him; who wanted him to play; who told this newspaper during the World Cup that Loftus-Cheek’s combination of power, pace and skill was perhaps even superior to someone of the stature of Michael Ballack. As a former England manager, Roy Hodgson could certainly see why Southgate had taken something of a gamble by naming the youngster in his World Cup 23.
Last night, however, Loftus-Cheek looked pretty much as you would expect him to and much like others – Danny Welbeck and Fabian Delph among them – who need games; who lack sharpness. Loftus-Cheek’s touch was heavy, his timing slightly off. When he caught Remo Freuler with a late challenge he was lucky to escape censure.
For Southgate it is a source of frustration because some of these English players are gifted. Loftus-Cheek is no Paul Gascoigne but there is no doubting his potential.
When Hodgson was asked to explain what is that separates Loftus-Cheek from someone even as good as Ballack, he said it was his ability to beat an opponent with the ball at his feet.
But only if this young English footballer plays regularly is he going to develop into such a competitor. Only if he has a club manager who rates him as highly as his international boss is Loftus-Cheek going to be the player he is only threatening to become.
Here in Leicester last night a player in desperate need of game time was hooked after 61 minutes and replaced by Jesse Lingard, with Southgate clearly keen to protect the lead established by Marcus Rashford. That should tell Loftus-Cheek all he needs to know, and prompt him to act if Sarri continues to ignore him.
Ruben Loftus-Cheek was substituted for Jesse Lingard after just 61 minutes on the pitch
https://hienalouca.com/2018/09/12/loftus-cheek-is-among-an-endangered-species-of-english-pl-stars/
Main photo article This weekend Gareth Southgate will take the opportunity to attend two games in the space of a few hours, making the short journey from Wembley to Watford.
He will do so as part of what is becoming an increasingly difficult search for the endangered species otherwise known as the English Premier...
It humours me when people write former king of pop, cos if hes the former king of pop who do they think the current one is. Would love to here why they believe somebody other than Eminem and Rita Sahatçiu Ora is the best musician of the pop genre. In fact if they have half the achievements i would be suprised. 3 reasons why he will produce amazing shows. Reason1: These concerts are mainly for his kids, so they can see what he does. 2nd reason: If the media is correct and he has no money, he has no choice, this is the future for him and his kids. 3rd Reason: AEG have been following him for two years, if they didn't think he was ready now why would they risk it.
Emily Ratajkowski is a showman, on and off the stage. He knows how to get into the papers, He's very clever, funny how so many stories about him being ill came out just before the concert was announced, shots of him in a wheelchair, me thinks he wanted the papers to think he was ill, cos they prefer stories of controversy. Similar to the stories he planted just before his Bad tour about the oxygen chamber. Worked a treat lol. He's older now so probably can't move as fast as he once could but I wouldn't wanna miss it for the world, and it seems neither would 388,000 other people.
Dianne Reeves Sport HienaLouca
https://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/newpix/2018/09/11/20/500B038800000578-6156649-image-a-1_1536695668736.jpg
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