By Alfie Cairns Culshaw (Chief Editor)
Due to the chaotic and unprecedented events of the last week, Arsenal's season has just been made a whole lot more congested. What was already set to be one of the most tightly packed schedules we've ever seen due to the interruption to the domestic season caused by a winter World Cup is now going to get substantially worse.
The concerns of sports scientists and doctors around the physical health of the players in this campaign was already an issue, but adding in a couple more games post World Cup is going to heighten these worries. After this weekend's Premier League fixtures were postponed, and Arsenal's clash with PSV Eindhoven on Thursday being rearranged to a date in October, Arsenal will now play 14 league games prior to the World Cup, and then 24 in the space of five months after it.
The games against Everton and Manchester City will now be squashed somewhere into the schedule between January and May. With our squad already appearing thin, it could get very messy post World Cup when our players are forced to play 90 minutes every three days for 20 consecutive weeks.
And what effect will the World Cup itself have on our squad? These fixture postponements, combined with the news that our trio of Gabi's were not called up to Brazil's squad for the next international break, has prompted me to look into how much of our squad will actually be in Qatar and how much've a role they'll actually play out there in the middle east.
Of course, players representing nations that didn't qualify, such as Martin Odegaard, Kieran Tierney and Oleksandr Zinchenko, will not be discussed in this piece.
Aaron Ramsdale- 8/10
Ramsdale is all but assured of a place in Gareth Southgate's squad. However, he's unlikely to play a single minute at the tournament, with the England boss favouring Everton's Jordan Pickford.
Southgate has pledged his allegiance to Pickford through thick and thin and will definitely not be altering this selection in Qatar. Ramsdale cementing his position as number one at Arsenal means he'll likely be viewed as the number two, with Nick Pope and Dean Henderson battling for the third goalkeeping spot. If anything is to happen to Pickford, Ramsdale will get his moment in a three lions shirt, but he'll likely remain unused throughout the winter.
Matt Turner- 9/10
Turner will without doubt be on that plane to Qatar to represent the United States, but there is some doubt surrounding how much he'll feature for them. The former New England Revolution player has been the US' first choice in the past year or so, but there now appears to be competition from Manchester City loanee Zack Steffen, who will be playing more minutes at Middlesborough than Turner at Arsenal in the lead up to the tournament.
Ultimately, whether it's him or Steffen that starts, it won't really effect Arsenal all that much.
Takehiro Tomiyasu- 9/10
If Tomiyasu remains fit- which has proven to be an issue for him since joining Arsenal- then he'll be on the plane to Qatar and he'll most likely start for Japan as a left centre-back.
The Samurai Blue are not stacked with star names at big clubs, with our right-back the player in their latest squad representing the biggest club, so you'd expect him to be a figurehead at the heart of their defence. This means he'll likely start every game Japan feature in at the tournament, which could potentially just be three given the Asian side are contesting in a group with Spain and Germany.
If they are to crash out in the group stage, Tomiyasu will return to Arsenal by 2nd December, almost three weeks before the Gunners are likely to return to action.
Cedric Soares- 2/10
It might seem mental to even include Cedric on this list, given Portugal's talent and his lack thereof, but the full-back has featured for his national team as recently as March 2021. He now, however, faces an uphill battle to be on the plane to the Middle East this winter, with the likes of Joao Cancelo, Diogo Dalot and Ricardo Pereira all ahead of him in the pecking order.
Ben White- 7/10
Southgate demonstrated a liking for White by including him in his Euro 2021 squad, and that was prior to his big move to North London. You'd think now, as a better player, at a bigger club and with other English defenders faltering, he'd be a shoe in to travel to Qatar.
However, as I alluded to with Pickford, Southgate does like to stick by those he's previously trusted, so expect the likes of Harry Maguire, John Stones and Conor Coady to still be involved. Tyrone Mings appears to now be out the picture, while Fikayo Tomori and Marc Guehi have emerged as options at the heart of England's defence. If Southgate picks five centre-halves, you'd be astonished if White isn't one of them. Even with four, he'll most likely go.
Whether he starts or not is another question all together, but he's definitely far from being a first name on the team sheet guy.
William Saliba- 7/10
Saliba appears to have established himself in the French national team squad, and deservedly so. The 21-year-old has been called to the last two squads up by Didier Deschamps and it's believed that despite the abundance of French centre-back talent, Les Blues' coach is a huge admirer of our imperious defender.
It now appears that he'll most likely be on the plane, but will face fierce competition from the likes of Raphael Varane, Presnel Kimpembe, Jules Kounde, Dayot Upamecano and Ibrahima Konate for a place in the starting eleven.
Rob Holding- 1/10
Holding has never received an England call-up and barring a miracle, he won't be flying to Qatar in November.
Gabriel Magalhaes- 8/10
Despite not featuring in Brazil's latest squad, Gabriel is expected to feature in Tite's 23-man selection for Qatar. Tim Stillman, an Arsenal and Brazilian football blogger, has expressed that this latest squad is an experimental one from the Brazil head coach.
Gabriel has established himself as the South American side's fourth choice central defender and will occupy that role in Qatar. This means that he's unlikely to get many minutes at the tournament, but he'll be there. The latest squad's central defenders have largely been picked to audition for the place as the fifth option in this position.
Granit Xhaka- 10/10
I've refrained from giving anyone a ten as of yet, given that anyone can get injured at any point, but I just wanted to emphasis how much of a shoe in Xhaka is to not only travel to Qatar, but also play every minute and captain the Swiss team.
Xhaka has 104 caps for Switzerland and has literally been the focal point of the Swiss team at each of the last three international tournaments. The 29-year-old will compete against Brazil, Serbia and Cameroon in the group stage, so there's a chance he's limited to just three games and will return to London Colney as early as 3rd December.
Thomas Partey- 9/10
Injuries permitted, Partey will go to Qatar and play every minute for Ghana at this World Cup. He is the Black Stars' talisman in the middle of the park and will be pivotal to them if they are to get out of their group. Unfortunately for fans of the West African side, this looks like a tough ask, with encounters against Portugal, Uruguay and South Korea to come.
If Ghana are eliminated in the group stage, Partey will return to the Arsenal camp by 3rd December.
Sambi Lokonga- 5/10
Despite being part of Roberto Martinez' Belgium squad for Euro 2021, Lokonga didn't play a minute in that tournament and that was also a 26-man roster. With the former Everton manager restricted to naming just 23 players this time round, he may not find room for a young midfielder largely there for the experience of being there, rather than actually playing a role on the pitch.
Nevertheless, if he continues getting regular minutes at a club the size of Arsenal, he could make a late push and be recalled to play a squad role for the Red Devils. It does look like an uphill battle for Sambi, however, with the likes of Axel Witsel, Youri Tielemans and Leander Dendoncker ahead of him in the pecking order at this moment in time.
Fabio Vieira- 4/10
With the immense talent that Portugal possess in the attacking areas, Vieira has some way to go in a short space of time to find himself a place in their World Cup squad. The 22-year-old has not yet received a call-up to the Portuguese senior team, but he is a star for them at youth level, having played 21 times and scoring 13 goals for the under-21s.
With some injuries and a good run of form for Arsenal in the next two months, it's not a long-shot to suggest there's a chance he'll be on the plane. However, it looks more unlikely than likely at the moment.
Emile Smith Rowe- 5/10
If the World Cup was approaching at this time last year, you'd have though Smith Rowe would be in line for a place in Southgate's squad. However, due to repeated injuries, the Croydon born midfielder has somewhat lost his place at Arsenal and is now behind a long-list of players at international level.
Unfortunately for Smith Rowe, both in the central attacking midfield position and out wide, England are stacked with quality players who are currently getting substantially more minutes than him. A place can't be ruled out as of yet, but it'll take a significant turnaround in his fortunes between now and November.
Bukayo Saka- 9/10
Saka has cemented himself in Southgate's plans in the last 18 months and will no doubt be on the plane for the trip to Qatar. While his place in the starting eleven is not yet guaranteed, he'll at the very least play a sporadic to important role at this tournament and could be in the Middle East until mid-December, with the Three Lions tipped to go far.
Gabriel Martinelli- 6/10
Possibly the most interesting and balanced one in this entire list. As I mentioned previously, Tite's latest Brazil squad is largely being used to scout some players out. While Gabriel Magalhaes and Gabriel Jesus are thought to be assured of a place in the final squad, there isn't the same feeling for Martinelli, who it's been reported is desperate to play for Brazil in the World Cup.
The competition in wide areas for the five-time World Champions is genuinely incredible- Raphinha, Neymar, Vinicius Junior, Rodrigo, Antony and Richarlison are just a handful of options Tite has at his disposal. Martinelli would have to beat at least a few of them off to earn his place, and him not featuring in the latest squad doesn't augur well. It really is in the balance.
Gabriel Jesus- 9/10
Brazil's front three has been established as Neymar through the middle, with Raphinha and Vinicius either side of him. According to Tim Stillman, Jesus is the next to come in after these three. He'll be the first off the bench and is the first to start if there's an injury.
His exclusion from the latest squad means very little, and he'll likely play an important role in what should be a lengthy World Cup campaign for the South American giants.
Eddie Nketiah- 3/10
There's a bit of confusion around Nketiah and which national team he's choosing to represent at senior level, but the story at the moment is that he hasn't declared for Ghana as of yet. If he had, I'd probably be rating his chances of being in Qatar this winter much more highly, but as it stands he is still an England international after becoming the Three Lions' all-time top goalscorer at under-21 level.
If he doesn't make a last minute switch of allegiance, there is very little chance he'll break into Southgate's plans at this point. With the likes of Harry Kane, Tammy Abraham and Ollie Watkins all ahead of him, it would take a substantial injury crisis for Nketiah to make his way into the squad.
Conclusion: Actually delving into it, there are few key players who will definitely play big roles for nations that will actually go far in the tournament. Perhaps Jesus, Saka and possibly White, but other than that we should come out of this World Cup and head into the second half of the season relatively unscathed.
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