Ben White is back in the England squad for the first time since March, one of five Arsenal players named by Thomas Tuchel for November’s Nations League games against Croatia and Spain, while Noni Madueke misses out despite his best spell in an Arsenal shirt.
Tuchel announced his 26-man group on Friday morning. Ben White is joined by Ezri Konsa, Myles Lewis-Skelly, Declan Rice and Eberechi Eze, which makes Arsenal the best-represented club in the squad.
England go into the break on nine points from their first three games in League A Group 3, six clear of third-placed Croatia. One draw from the last two games is enough to reach the quarter-finals. Croatia come to Wembley on Thursday 12 November, and three days later England close the group away to Spain at the Metropolitano Stadium.
Why is Ben White back in the England squad?
Simply put, he is fit. White has not been in an England squad since March, and injury cost him both the World Cup and the September and October selection. This time he comes in for the injured Trevoh Chalobah, so it is a straight swap at the back rather than a statement about anyone else.
Inter Milan’s Djed Spence is also recalled after missing the start of the Nations League campaign, so White will not walk into the side. The defenders’ list reads Trent Alexander-Arnold, Jarrad Branthwaite, Marc Guehi, Lewis Hall, Ezri Konsa, Jarell Quansah, Djed Spence and Ben White.
For a player whose international story has been one of bad timing, the call-up matters. Tuchel clearly likes him, and when White has been fit he has been picked. The last few breaks simply fell when he was on the treatment table.
Is Konsa’s injury from Prague serious?
The squad itself gives the best clue. Konsa picked up a knock in the Champions League win over Slavia Prague in midweek, and his inclusion suggests the problem is not a serious one.
That is good news for Arsenal as much as England. Konsa has been one of the stories of the season at N5, and he and Rice were both up for the Premier League’s October awards after a perfect month.
Five Gunners, and a long break to manage
Rice and Lewis-Skelly are in a midfield group that also includes Elliot Anderson, Jobe Bellingham, Jude Bellingham, James Garner and Fulham’s Josh King. Eze is among the forwards with Dominic Calvert-Lewin, Morgan Gibbs-White, Anthony Gordon, Harry Kane, Rio Ngumoha and Morgan Rogers.
From an Arsenal point of view, five call-ups is a sign of how far this squad has come. It is also five sets of legs going into two competitive games in four days, with Arteta’s side top of the league. Rice is the heartbeat of Arteta’s midfield, and every Gooner will be quietly hoping he comes back in one piece.
Lewis-Skelly probably has the most to gain. A run-out against Croatia or Spain would be another big step for a player Arsenal fans already see as part of the long-term core.
Where is Madueke?
Noni Madueke misses out, as does Marcus Rashford, who is recovering from a hip injury. Madueke’s omission is the one that stings. He has been excellent over his last handful of games while standing in for Bukayo Saka, and he finally delivered the end product Arteta asked for when he scored in Prague.
Tuchel has gone for youth elsewhere instead. Jobe Bellingham, 21, steps up from the Under-21s after three assists in 14 games for Borussia Dortmund this season, and joins his brother Jude. King, 19, has two goals and an assist in his first nine Premier League games for Fulham. Both are preferred to Phil Foden, and there is no place for Kobbie Mainoo or Jordan Henderson either.
The biggest name left out is Cole Palmer. The Chelsea forward is fully fit, but after he withdrew from the last squad through injury and was criticised by Tuchel for it, he has been snubbed altogether.
Kane on the brink of history
There is a record on the line too. Ballon d’Or winner Harry Kane will pass Peter Shilton’s all-time England caps record of 125 if he plays even one second of this break, with Calvert-Lewin again named as his back-up.
Verdict: White’s return is the real win for Arsenal
Madueke has every right to feel hard done by, and on current form he would walk into plenty of international squads. But the bigger story for Arsenal is Ben White. A fit White, trusted again by his country, is a player who can push for minutes at club level too, and that only strengthens Arteta’s hand at the back.
First, though, there is a Premier League game to win before anyone joins up with England. Arsenal host Hull City at the Emirates on Saturday afternoon, and you can see how we expect Arteta to line up in our Arsenal predicted lineup vs Hull City.
