We are just over a year away from experiencing the thrills and emotions associated with the extravaganza that is the FIFA World Cup. While most of us are still coming to terms with Gonzalo Higuain’s incredible misses and the agony experienced by Lionel Messi in the previous edition, the World Cup qualifiers are moving to the business end.
Managers are required to make tough decisions; sometimes they are deemed pragmatic, while others are downright illogical. With the squads for the World Cup qualifiers out, we bring to you a list of five stars who have been omitted from their respective squads for the games to come.
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#1 Mario Balotelli
The career of the former Golden Boy of Italian football was believed to be over after his struggles at Liverpool, but Mario Balotelli has finally come good this season with the French club, Nice. The former Inter Milan striker has scored 11 goals in 21 appearances for the Ligue 1 side and has established himself as a pivotal member of their title challenge.
A look at the other strikers who have been called up to the Italy team suggests that the Gian Piero Ventura led side could have benefitted from the services of “Super Mario”. Only Andre Belotti and Ciro Immobile have scored more goals in the current season than Balotelli and the 26-year-old, who was crucial to Italy reaching the UEFA Championships final in 2012, still has a lot to offer to the current squad.
While the manager’s persistence to bring in young strikers such as Belotti and Andrea Petagna is appreciable, the right mix of experience and youth is often the requisite balance to success. If Balotelli keeps scoring goals at a regular frequency, a return to the Azzurri squad is inevitable.
#2 Mauro Icardi
The exile of Mauro Icardi from the Argentina squad continues despite the striker scoring bagful of goals for Inter Milan in the current season. The 24-year-old player has scored 20 league goals and currently sits in third place on the goalscoring charts in the Serie A and that in itself should justify his selection into the Argentina squad.
However, his off the field issues – especially his feud with former Argentina international Maxi Lopez, who is believed to be a close friend of Lionel Messi – has kept Icardi out of contention for the national side.
Having said that, the issue is already behind us and it is time Edgardo Bauza recall the exiled striker and ensure that the nation’s qualification campaign does not end on a sour note.
With Lionel Messi amongst its ranks, the Argentina squad is not short on creative spark. However, what they seem to lack is the killer instinct that separates the champions from the others. Icardi can create a goal scoring opportunity out of almost nothing and, is most importantly, hungry to succeed at the international level.
#3 Juan Mata
Manchester United’s appointment of Jose Mourinho as the manager of the club evoked a range of emotions from the club’s fans. One particular emotion that ran through several fans was if it was the end of Juan Mata’s Manchester United career. With us getting into the business end of the season, it can be said that several of the aforementioned fans will be happy that the story has not gone as per the predicted plot.
Mata has established himself as a regular under Mourinho and continues to remain a critical player for the Red Devils. The Spaniard has scored 10 goals and assisted another four in 38 appearances for the club and is amongst the most creative players at the Old Trafford.
However, his performances do not seem to have impressed the current Spain boss Julen Lopetegui. The 28-year-old has failed to make the cut for Spain’s upcoming World Cup qualifiers against Israel and France.
At 28 years of age, he still has a few more years left in him. However, he could become a victim of the manager’s decision to bring in fresh blood.
#4 David Luiz
One of the pillars of Chelsea’s great season thus far is the strength of their defence. Antonio Conte rang the changes at the start of the season in terms of formation and personnel, and his efforts seem to be paying rich dividends.
One man, in particular, who has been impressive on his return to the Stamford Bridge is Brazilian, David Luiz. Playing alongside Cesar Azpilicueta and Gary Cahill in a three-man defence, Luiz has been pivotal to Chelsea shipping a mere 21 goals in the League thus far.
The Brazilian has shown his quality and has constantly broken up the opposition’s attack while also ensuring that he continues to function as a ball-playing defender for the Blues.
The 29-year-old has not played for Brazil for over a year (he was also dropped from the Copa America Centenario) and despite curtailing his meandering runs and dishing up impressive performances, it looks like the current Brazil manager Tite does not seem too keen to bring him back into the fold anytime soon.
#5 Alexandre Lacazette
It baffles us that despite scoring goals with regular frequency, the Lyon striker remains out of contention for the French squad. The 25-year-old French hitman has scored 29 goals across all competitions this season, a number higher than any forward selected for international duty for the upcoming qualifying games and if his numbers do not justify his selection, we do not know what would.
Many believe that France are underutilising the abilities of one of the best strikers in Europe and we could not agree more. The attacker has no significant weaknesses in his game, can link up excellently with his teammates and is a fiery presence up front for the units he plies in.
Lacazette has actually gone more than 12 months without being capped for France with his last French cap coming in October of 2015. However, he remains a critical member of the Lyon squad and continues to find the back of the net at a regular frequency. His abilities in front of the goal have made him as one of the most feared attackers in Europe and it goes without saying that his stock continues to grow with every passing match day.
