Chelsea had 13 first-team players called up by their countries during the international break, with some performing well and others returning early to Stamford Bridge. Interestingly, Rio Ferdinand has now suggested that one Blues star should be dropped from his nation’s starting line-up.
It’s been a mostly underwhelming 2023/24 campaign so far at Chelsea, but they still possess a group stacked with high-profile individuals.
There could be as many as three Chelsea stars involved on Tuesday night when England host Belgium in an international friendly at Wembley Stadium. Conor Gallagher, Ben Chilwell and Cole Palmer are all working with the Three Lions squad.
However, Gallagher’s place in the starting team has now been questioned.
Gallagher started in midfield at the weekend for England during a 1-0 home defeat to Brazil.
However, Rio Ferdinand suggests that England’s strongest midfield doesn’t include the Chelsea man, so he should be dropping down to the bench.
He’d like to see manager Gareth Southgate pick a trio of Phil Foden, Jude Bellingham and Declan Rice in the centre of the park.
“Foden, in the central areas, for the best team in Europe, this season, has been playing centrally and been the guy they’ve looked to for inspirational moments to get them results and unlock things,” Ferdinand told FIVE’s YouTube channel.
“And I’m sitting there thinking… I like Conor Gallagher, I think he’s got a place in that squad right now, but I think that Phil Foden – just on performance only, forget about what you think of him as a talent – why’s he not playing in there?”
Conor Gallagher not ready to start for England at Euro 2024
We want to see as many Chelsea players as possible starting this summer at Euro 2024, especially the English talents.
However, we’d begrudgingly agree that Gallagher shouldn’t be in England’s starting midfield yet, albeit he’s a fantastic option off the bench in tournament football.
Speaking via The Mirror last week, Gallagher explained why he thinks he’s become a much better footballer over the course of the season at Chelsea. While we agree the 24-year-old’s a much stronger player than last year, his technical game still needs work and he looked uncomfortable at times on the ball as a No 8 versus Brazil.
There’s no doubt Gallagher remains so influential at club football, but people take for granted it’s another step up on the international stage.