World Cup omissions and commissions

World Cup 2018 is upon us. You can almost smell the June 14 Russia versus Saudi Arabia opening match. As the deadline for submitting 23-man squads to Fifa nears, national team managers are causing considerable heartbreak to several established stars.
Top sides including favourites Germany, Spain, France, Argentina, Brazil, England and Belgium are leaving behind players good enough to beat half the 32 World Cup teams.
Only the very brave can question Spain boss Julien Lopetegui’s wisdom as he has built a long unbeaten run with La Roja dating back to Euro 2016. However, the choices to support right full back Odriozola (ahead of Arsenal’s Hector Bellerin and Valencia’s Carlos Soler) plus Nacho Monreal in preference to the Premier League top full back in the last two campaigns Marcos Alonso, is curious.
Although, Lopetegui has generally gone with players who have served him well as the 2010 World Cup winners rebuilt from the shambles of Euro 2016, dodgy club form has put paid to the fortunes of Alvaro Morata. Pedro and Cesc Fabregas were never really in the reckoning.

Spanner in the works
Belgium boss Roberto Martinez, whose only defeat in two years was to Spain, has thrown a major spanner in the works by omitting AS Roma midfield dynamo Radja Nainggolan for tactical reasons.
Given his dismal return of just four English Premier League goals, Christian Benteke is the surprise inclusion in Belgium’s provisional 28-man squad.
My principal criticism of England manager Gareth Southgate’s selection, is it’s defender heavy. You would have expected the 1966 winners to go to Russia with an aim to upset the applecart. Instead, the Three Lions named three left backs - Ashley Young, Danny Rose and Fabian Delph; and just five conventional mid-fielders.
Otherwise, Southgate got it right with the omissions of Joe Hart and Jack Wilshere. Choosing Burnley’s Alexander Pope in Hart’s place and Ruben Loftus Cheek ahead of injury prone Wilshere sent a message that Southgate is meritocratic.
By far the strongest mind has been shown by Germany boss Joachim Loew.
The 2014 World Cup winner has shown great leadership by including inspirational custodian Manuel Neuer, who hasn’t played a game in nine months, while simultaneously omitting Mario Goetze despite his elevated status as the scorer of Germany’s winning goal in Brazil 2014.

Bold decisions
By choosing Neuer, the world’s most influential sweepers keeper- skipper, Loew considered what he brings to the group. Scant surprise his bosses at the DFB have extended his 12-year tenure to 2022.
You have to say it was easy for Brazil coach Tite to include Talisman Neymar who has been out since February with a broken metatarsal. Sambas skipper Neymar is on his way to etching his name in history, having already starred in guiding his team to their first ever Olympic title.
On general, so many top stars are staying home courtesy of failure to qualify, injuries or errors of omission and commission.

WORLD CUP STAR ABSENTEES SQUAD
1. Gigi Buffon (Italy)
2. Daniel Alves (Brazil)
3. Marcos Alonso (Spain)
4. Javi Martinez (Spain)
5. Virgil van Dirk (Netherlands)
6. Radja Nainggolan (Belgium)
7. Arjen Robben (Netherlands)
8. Lorenzo Insigne (Italy)
9. Karim Benzema (France)
10. Zlatan Ibra (Sweden)
11. Frank Ribery (France)