Dropping out of an international squad has become normal, especially when the title races in the various leagues begin to take shape. But with eight of Lee Carsley's twenty-six players dropping out of the England squad for the November international break, is there a storm brewing ahead of Thomas Tuchel's arrival at St. George's Park in January?
Several of the players to drop out of England's November squad are involved in heated battles at either the top or bottom of the Premier League and have quite clearly prioritised their club over their country.
Only half of those to drop out went into this weekend with any sort of question mark over their fitness, prompting questions over their commitment to the national team.
Carsley's position is similar to that of a supply teacher, struggling to control a class who are waiting for the real teacher (Tuchel) to come in.
So are those skipping out on the squad simply waiting for the main man to come in or is there a commitment problem for England?
UEFA Nations League
The Nations League problem is one that is far from unique to England. Along with Germany and Croatia, England have never really had an iron-clad focus on the newest competitive international competition.
England though are by far the best representatives of the lack of respect given to the Nations League; the Three Lions reached the finals of both Euro 2020 and Euro 2024, but managed to get relegated from League A of the Nations League in between.
It appears then that the Nations League is not exactly high on England's list of priorities, full squad or not. The competition replaced international friendly windows when it was introduced in 2018, which supporters were all for given the low-key nature of those friendlies.
But for national teams, the friendlies provided opportunities for rotating squads, trying new formations and experimenting with uncapped players; there is very little opportunity to do that in the modern international calendar.
Because of this rotation, England find themselves in the second tier of the Nations League with the prospect of another season at the same level a real possibility if they can't beat Greece and Ireland in the next week.
There is however a very credible debate that players should answer the call of their country regardless of the situation.
So how many of the eight players to drop out of the England squad are likely to be re-integrated under Thomas Tuchel?
The Players
Eight players from five clubs have dropped out of the November squad; all of them play in the Premier League, with seven representing one of the clubs in the top four.
Manchester City were perplexed by the decision to call up Jack Grealish given his lack of minutes this season. The winger has played just 539 minutes this season, a fraction of what City have completed across the three competitions they've played in so far.
Grealish hasn't really been fit at any point this season, and so when he was called up by Carsley, City quite rightfully informed England that Grealish wouldn't be answering the call.
Phil Foden followed Grealish in remaining in Manchester for the duration of the break, as he looks to re-discover the form which won him the Premier League Player of the Season award last term.
City's title rivals from the past two seasons Arsenal also pulled two players from the international squad, and like the Champions, the Gunners have one genuine injury concern and one slightly unconvincing story.
Declan Rice was a doubt for the weekend's trip to Stamford Bridge and was withdrawn with the Gunners defending a 1 - 0 lead; not a change Mikel Arteta would've made unless he had to.
In fact, completing 70 minutes was remarkable for the midfielder after he'd been forced to miss the Champions League clash with Inter Milan on Wednesday.
Arsenal's white lie seems to be Bukayo Saka; although the winger limped off a few minutes before the conclusion against Chelsea, Gabriel Jesus was warming up long before Saka went down.
Unlike Foden, Saka has certainly kicked on from his form last season, leading the Premier League assist board despite having missed a game through injury. Arsenal seem to be protecting their number seven as they enter a crucial period of must-win games after the international break.
If Arsenal are in the title race, Chelsea have to at least be in the conversation given that they sit above the Gunners on goal difference. Although they haven't played as many of the tough fixtures as Arsenal (especially away from home) the Blues have made enormous improvements under Enzo Maresca.
Just like Arsenal and City, Chelsea have pulled two players out and also similarly to their rivals, one of those players, Cole Palmer, is a genuine injury concern, while the other, Levi Colwill, is more than likely fine.
Colwill has no stated injury, but has played every minute of Chelsea's Premier League season so far.
Palmer meanwhile suffered a knee injury in the Blues' 1 - 1 draw at Old Trafford before passing a late fitness test to face Arsenal in another 1 - 1 draw. Although Chelsea's star man did complete the full 90 minutes in the London Derby, he was reportedly playing through pain towards the end of the game.
The other two injury withdrawals are similar to the first six in that one is genuine and the other appears to be a little thin.
Southampton goalkeeper Aaron Ramsdale hasn't missed a minute since signing for the Saints and kept a vital clean sheet in the 1 - 0 win over Everton at the start of November; he has withdrawn with what Southampton simply called "an injury" without any sort of explanation.
Trent Alexander-Arnold on the other hand could be a genuine concern for Liverpool. He is perhaps the only player of the eight to withdraw who might actually miss his club's first game after the break, which for Liverpool is away to Southampton.
While that may not sound awful for the Reds, their next four after that are against Real Madrid, Manchester City, Newcastle and Everton.
Alexander-Arnold has certainly found his attacking form under Arne Slot, although doesn't often complete 90 minutes as Slot often brings him off in favour of a more defensive full back, a strategy which has helped Liverpool to concede just six goals in their first eleven league matches.
The right-back hobbled off against Aston Villa just 25 minutes in, sparking concerns that what was described as a "low grade hamstring injury" could rule him out of the huge clashes with City and Madrid this month.
Although that may not hamper Liverpool's defensive form, it would certainly take away an enormous attacking threat ahead of a crucial run of games.
But for the other seven, especially those who have no reported injury concerns, there's every chance that they are simply prioritising their clubs because of the low stakes of the international matches against Greece and Ireland this month.
With Arsenal, Chelsea, Liverpool and Manchester City sitting in the top four and Southampton bottom of the Premier League, the players certainly haven't withdrawn without reason, but it's certainly arguable that they could have represented the Three Lions this month.
Perhaps the first challenge for Tuchel then will be to ensure his players re-affirm their commitment to the national team as England prepare for World Cup Qualifiers in March.
Replacements
Despite eight players pulling out of the squad, Lee Carsley has elected to call up just five replacements.
Jarred Bowen and Jarrad Branthwaite have both been involved before and were initially left out because of a lack of club form. Both however are more than capable of deputising for their country having been capped before.
The spotlight will more likely be on the three uncapped players in the new group of five; James Trafford, Tino Livramento and Morgan Rogers.
Livramento has been on form for Newcastle, but realistically Alexander-Arnold doesn't face a threat to his place in the squad from the Newcastle full-back.
Morgan Rogers is another exciting addition to the squad, especially given his impressive form in the Premier League.
With the number of attackers Tuchel picks a main discussion point for his first squad in March, there is a real opportunity for rising stars such as the Aston Villa forward to work their way into the squad, especially if he can make a good impression this month.
The biggest threat in the squad though is to Aaron Ramsdale. With Nick Pope knocking on the door for a re-call and James Trafford looking to break into the side, Ramsdale can't really afford to skip international breaks.
On top of that, form for Southampton may not help him, with the Saints rock bottom of the Premier League and struggling for form.
Ramsdale has just one clean sheet this season, and with the Saints having already played four of the other five sides in the bottom six, the prospect of more clean sheets in the next few weeks are not high.
Realistically the England players who have dropped out this week aren't likely to be shunned altogether by Tuchel, but if there's a tough decision to be made, commitment to the national team may well be a deciding factor.
With no more internationals until March, the eight players to drop out will have to make missing these games worth it if they are to make the first squad under new manager Tuchel in the New Year.
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