The next World Cup is just around the corner and as strange as it is to be in the middle of winter in the UK and in the middle of a domestic season, the excitement for it is now starting to build, as it is for any world.
It is the biggest of the biggest in the sport, and every player dreams of playing there. Players will now wonder and make one last push to try and make their respective country’s teams.
Chelsea midfielder Ruben Loftus-Cheek played for England in the 2018 World Cup, and I think he has a real, genuine chance to do this as a last-minute wildcard option, due to his current and consistent performances from high quality at Chelsea last season and this season. .
Given current form and injuries, he’s the first name I’d pick in this Chelsea midfield, hands down. It’s been great for us this season and we even started to see signs of it last season. His versatility has proven to be one of our most useful tools, as has his physique and power.
You just have to admire the mentality of the man. He wasn’t ready to give up his Chelsea dream, even when so many others had. He wasn’t going to throw in the towel and take an easy route to go and get a guaranteed start elsewhere, he was going to stay at Chelsea and fight for his place against all odds.
Thomas Tuchel first showed real faith in him, and I completely respect him for this, and now Graham Potter is doing the same. But he has earned and deserved that trust. He just keeps his head down, he hasn’t complained, he doesn’t do anything dumb off the field, he has the best attitude and mindset possible, and his work ethic is second to none. He has worked hard, and even harder, and focused on making his Chelsea dream come true.
I really think that now he has become a key player for Chelsea, and I also think that now he will go to the World Cup with England. Why wouldn’t he go himself in all honesty? Bringing in such a player to be part of the team would be very smart for Gareth Southgate, a player who can have so much impact and play in so many different positions and be more than useful there. He just has to go now, and he deserves it.
In 2018, at the last World Cup, ironically, Loftus-Cheek absolutely dominated England’s midfield. He was superb and playing with absolute confidence, just as he is now at Chelsea.
Ruben deserves to be a regular starter at Chelsea right now, and he deserves to be in the England World Cup squad at the very least. May this comeback continue for a long time, because on his day, Ruben is absolutely unplayable, and he can literally do anything.
