England announced the 26-man army of the 2022 World Cup, a name that was once an inevitable starter disappeared - 22-year-old Jadon Sancho (Jadon Sancho) failed to be selected, a generation of Dortmund golden boys, returned to England to find opportunities and sank all the way, is it the Euro 2020 final that hurts him too deeply, or the hatred of the wrong vote for Manchester United?
Another focus of Three Lions coach Southgate's selection is the selection of Callum Wilson. No Ivan Tony, no Lewin, no Tammy Abraham, no tall center, etc.
Manchester City's academy-trained Jadon Sancho, who left his hometown for a starting opportunity, moved to Borussia Dortmund in the summer of 2017 to find new ground, and he was radiant after establishing himself in the Bundesliga in the 2018/19 season, scoring 13 goals and 20 assists in 41 appearances, successfully grabbing the attention of the global giants. In the following season, he went even further, scoring 20 goals and 20 assists in 44 appearances, proving that it was not only one season of "shooting stars", Manchester United were interested in a high-priced acquisition, but the negotiations were not in agreement with Dortmund in the final stage.
Jadon Sancho was affected by the transfer incident, and his performance in 2020/21 declined slightly, with only eight goals in the Bundesliga, and 16 goals and 20 assists in other competitions, and finally joined Manchester United in the summer of 2021, but it turned out to be the beginning of a nightmare.
With a value of €85 million, perhaps a source of pressure, high-profile heavyweight transfers, poor overall form and a failure to match the style of play, Jadon Sancho has been slow to perform as expected at Manchester United. Last season with Ronaldo in the same transfer window, even if the team did not perform well, Ronaldo still scored 18 goals to become the team's leading scorer, what about Jadon Sancho? 29 Premier League appearances, only 3 goals, 3 assists; Even after all competitions, 38 appearances, only 5 goals and 3 assists, a far cry from the Dortmund era.
Of course, the two teams are very different in terms of playing style and lineup, and the Premier League and Bundesliga styles are also different, which cannot be measured purely by superficial figures. However, apart from the last name on his shirt, Jaydon Sancho seems to have become a different person at Manchester United - lacking self-confidence and losing his ability to break through alone.
If you look closely, his form has actually declined since the 2020/21 season before leaving Borussia Dortmund, and he was selected for the England Championship and played only six minutes in the final group game, starting only in England's Round of 8 win over Ukraine. They were on the bench against Denmark in the semi-final and almost 120 minutes in the final against Italy, before being replaced as executioner by Gareth Southgate before the penalty shootout, resulting in one of three players who missed a shot.
Being one of England's losing sinners doesn't help Jayden Sancho's form. In any case, more than a year has passed since the European Cup, Manchester United manager has also been replaced by Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, Rangnick, and then Eric Tenhach, Jadon Sancho's form has never returned to the Dortmund period, not even half of the peak, it is really impossible to say, Eric Tenhach recently warned Jayden Sancho: "He has the ability to score a lot of goals, he has done it in another league, but this is the Premier League, so the intensity is higher, both mentally and physically he must adapt." ”
In such a state, losing the England 2022 World Cup army is actually expected, but the generation of Dortmund golden boys, who were once regarded as the best wingers in Europe, ended up like this, which is inevitably embarrassing. Many fans hope that this defeat will bring him a head start, and he is determined to get out of the bottom.
Another focus of the England army is the lack of tall central strikers. None of the three-post centre-forwards Ivan Tony, Lewin and Tammy Abraham were selected, and in addition to captain Harry Kane, the selected forwards Bukayo Saka, Sterling, Phil Foden, Marcus Rashford, Jack Grealish and Callum Wilson are either wingers or fast or dexterous strikers, which is worrying that when the team fails to break the density, there is no change of formation to play traditional English football.
After all, there are two set-piece experts in the squad, Kieran Trippier and James Madison, and it seems a bit risky not to choose a center who is good at top kung fu other than Harry Kane. How far England can go without Plan B, it will soon be known that many people in the UK are currently bearish on the prospects of the three lions. Former England goalscorer Alan Shearer expected England to stop in the last eight.
England 2022 World Cup squad:
Goalkeeper:
Jordan Pickford (Everton), Nick Pope (Newcastle United), Ramsdale (Arsenal)
Defenders: Kieran Trippier (Newcastle United), Kyle Walker (Manchester City), Stones (Manchester City), Eric Dyer (Tottenham), Harry Maguire (Manchester United), Luke Shaw (Manchester United), Ben White (Arsenal), Alexander-Arnold (Liverpool), Connor Cody (Everton)
Midfielder:
Declan Rice (West Ham United), Zodd Bellingham (Borussia Dortmund), Calvin Phillips (Manchester City), Mason Mount (Chelsea), Jordan Henderson (Liverpool), James Madison (Leicester City), Connor Gallagher (Chelsea)
Striker:
Harry Kane (Tottenham), Bukayo Saka (Arsenal), Raheem Sterling (Chelsea), Phil Foden (Manchester City), Marcus Rashford (Manchester United), Jack Grealish (Manchester City), Callum Wilson (Newcastle United)