WORLD CUP SNUBS XI
Posted: Fri May 25, 2018 6:31 pm
There will be a bunch of gifted, high-profile soccer players who won’t be in Russia this summer. No, not the United States squad, which didn’t qualify, but performers from elite nations who got squeezed out of the picture.
Here is a team that would cost hundreds of millions to assemble but for these purposes is the World Cup snubbed XI.
More: World Cup: Ranking all 32 teams, from hopeless to hopefuls
More: World Cup: Cristiano Ronaldo tops list of top 50 players to look out for in Russia
Goalkeeper
Neto, Brazil: He had a superb season with Valencia in Spain’s La Liga, but it still wasn’t enough. He was competing for the third goalkeeping spot on the roster, which instead went to sentimental favorite Cassio.
Defenders
Aymeric Laporte, France: Good enough for English champion Manchester City to spend $75 million on. Not good enough for the stacked French squad.
Marcus Alonso, Spain: Made it into the Premier League's Team of the Season, but Spain has an embarrassment of options at left-back.
David Luiz, Brazil: Past his prime but it will still be weird to see a Brazil squad without him in it. A transformative player whose attacking abilities were outstanding, his defense was the main reason for his omission.
Midfielders
Mario Gotze, Germany: Scored the winner in the 2014 World Cup final and was outstanding at the start of last season. A change of coach at Borussia Dortmund and an untimely injury sealed his fate.
Radja Nainggolan, Belgium: Even with Belgium’s squad being packed with talent, it is amazing to think Roma midfielder Nainggolan was not worth a spot. Coach Roberto Martinez said the reason was “tactical.”
Erik Lamela, Argentina: Opened the season recovering from an injury and was thus pushed down the national team pecking order, but he responded strongly towards the end of the campaign and was unlucky to miss out.
Kingsley Coman, France: A place on France’s “reserves list” will be of little consolation for the Bayern Munich winger, but at just 21, he may get more opportunities in the future.
Forwards
Mauro Icardi, Argentina: An extraordinary decision. Icardi crushed 29 goals for Inter Milan in Italy’s Serie A. But there was simply no room in the Lionel Messi-led attack.
Karim Benzema, France: Not a huge shock given his long and much-discussed problems with the national team set-up. Still one of the best players who won’t be at the tournament.
Alvaro Morata, Spain: Was tied for Spain’s top scorer in qualifying but that wasn't enough to get him a ticket to Russia. Coach Julen Lopetegui admitted he “deserved” to be at the World Cup but was forced to make the tough decision for the sake of team balance.
https://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/s ... topstories
Here is a team that would cost hundreds of millions to assemble but for these purposes is the World Cup snubbed XI.
More: World Cup: Ranking all 32 teams, from hopeless to hopefuls
More: World Cup: Cristiano Ronaldo tops list of top 50 players to look out for in Russia
Goalkeeper
Neto, Brazil: He had a superb season with Valencia in Spain’s La Liga, but it still wasn’t enough. He was competing for the third goalkeeping spot on the roster, which instead went to sentimental favorite Cassio.
Defenders
Aymeric Laporte, France: Good enough for English champion Manchester City to spend $75 million on. Not good enough for the stacked French squad.
Marcus Alonso, Spain: Made it into the Premier League's Team of the Season, but Spain has an embarrassment of options at left-back.
David Luiz, Brazil: Past his prime but it will still be weird to see a Brazil squad without him in it. A transformative player whose attacking abilities were outstanding, his defense was the main reason for his omission.
Midfielders
Mario Gotze, Germany: Scored the winner in the 2014 World Cup final and was outstanding at the start of last season. A change of coach at Borussia Dortmund and an untimely injury sealed his fate.
Radja Nainggolan, Belgium: Even with Belgium’s squad being packed with talent, it is amazing to think Roma midfielder Nainggolan was not worth a spot. Coach Roberto Martinez said the reason was “tactical.”
Erik Lamela, Argentina: Opened the season recovering from an injury and was thus pushed down the national team pecking order, but he responded strongly towards the end of the campaign and was unlucky to miss out.
Kingsley Coman, France: A place on France’s “reserves list” will be of little consolation for the Bayern Munich winger, but at just 21, he may get more opportunities in the future.
Forwards
Mauro Icardi, Argentina: An extraordinary decision. Icardi crushed 29 goals for Inter Milan in Italy’s Serie A. But there was simply no room in the Lionel Messi-led attack.
Karim Benzema, France: Not a huge shock given his long and much-discussed problems with the national team set-up. Still one of the best players who won’t be at the tournament.
Alvaro Morata, Spain: Was tied for Spain’s top scorer in qualifying but that wasn't enough to get him a ticket to Russia. Coach Julen Lopetegui admitted he “deserved” to be at the World Cup but was forced to make the tough decision for the sake of team balance.
https://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/s ... topstories
