Chelsea’s Gary Cahill has been called up to England’s World Cup squad, fairly unexpectedly, after a late run in the Chelsea team.
It always seemed as though Gareth Southgate wanted to pick the defender, but wouldn’t as long as he was out of the Chelsea setup.
His late run of fixtures has got him on the plane in the end though.
After two seasons under Conte Cahill has a lot of practice playing in the back three that Southgate looks set to use. Not only that, he provides a rare bit of experience in the squad. Just look at these stats below:
Players in England squad with 40+ caps at time of squad announcement in last 5 World Cups:
2018 – 1
2014 – 6
2010 – 8
2006 – 8
2002 – 7 pic.twitter.com/UQX2vDhTAc— Sky Sports Statto (@SkySportsStatto) May 16, 2018
Southgate’s squad is extremely raw and young, especially compared to previous World Cup squads. Cahill will bring leadership and valuable knowledge of how to cope with the pressures of major international tournaments.
He may not be the most exciting player in this talented squad, but he will be as important as any of them.
