Leeds United
Ian Wright during England vs Uruguay. Credit: Imago
This week had a lot in store for Leeds United players during the international break; some had the chance of qualifying for the World Cup. Others had to fight for their place in their national teams.
The break started on a poor note for the Whites as Wales’ quartet of Karl Darlow, Joe Rodon, Ethan Ampadu and Dan James were knocked out of World Cup qualification. They suffered a defeat on penalties to Bosnia and Herzegovina. Now, their World Cup dreams are over.
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Last week saw two key Leeds players called up to their countries; Anton Stach and Dominic Calvert-Lewin. The duo were among the standout performers this season and were duly rewarded for their performances. They were not given an easy task, as they had to make sure they played well enough to keep themselves in the plans for the World Cup.
Ian Wright’s reaction to Dominic Calvert-Lewin’s miss against Uruguay
Dominic Calvert-Lewin started England’s game against Uruguay on the bench, as Thomas Tuchel preferred Dominic Solanke. The England boss was vocal about observing his options at the center forward position. Tuchel wanted to see how the team would fare without Harry Kane and if the strikers called up this month could make their case.
Calvert-Lewin came on in the second half, with the game goalless. And just minutes after he was subbed on, he got a chance to put England ahead, but he put it wide. Emma Hayes and Ian Wright, on commentary, could not believe how the striker missed that chance with Hayes saying Wright was ‘screaming’ for Calvert-Lewin to get it on target.
“He’s (Cole Palmer) put it on a plate, that has to go into the back of the net, you can’t do much more than that, and I know Wrighty’s here next to me screaming because that’s the sort of you header he’d want to be attacking.” Hayes said.
Wright then added. “He’ll be devastated looking at that, especially with the opportunity that he found himself in.”
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Leeds United star will have a hard time coming back from this
The international break is a really tough test for players, as you have just 180 minutes over two games to make an impression. Dominic Calvert-Lewin was on the pitch for just over 30 minutes for England, and even though he had more of a presence than Dominic Solanke, that miss will be playing on the mind of Thomas Tuchel. Maybe the striker will be given another chance when the Three Lions face Japan on Tuesday. If he does, he needs to make it count, as a place at this summer’s World Cup could depend on it.