So, it’s almost here. England’s 2018 World Cup campaign is just days away from kicking off against Tunisia. Heading into the group stages, England have some certain starters, debatable options and a few outside shots or quite possibly ones to watch.
We should all now how unpredictable of a sport football is by now and that any one of the 23 men selected could shock the World. This is something we saw in 1998 against Argentina with an 18-year-old Michael Owen, 2004 when an 18-year-old Wayne Rooney took the Euros by storm, and many more times.
This time around though, I believe the young prospect everyone should look out for is Ruben Loftus-Cheek. Being from Lewisham, (south east London), like myself Loftus-Cheek has been on my radar for a while now and with the help of Chelsea fans back in school I quickly learned how much of a talent he is.
Thankfully, his development at Chelsea has somewhat differed from young promising players like himself. Instead of being shipped abroad every year, his first loan spell was very beneficial. Returning to south east London with Crystal Palace, over the course of the 2017/18 season, Loftus-Cheek was a massive help to keeping the Eagles in the Premier League. Along the way, he also proved to Gareth Southgate and many in England that he was worthy of a spot on the plane to Russia and here are some reasons why:
Dribbling & Technique
With the players ahead of him, its most likely that Loftus-Cheek’s appearances will come off the bench. This is something that could help his cause even further during the tournament as a late addition of his energy and dynamism could be too much for opposition teams.
However, it’s not just because teams will be tiring at this point that Loftus-Cheek can make a difference, but also how he dribbles on the ball.
This example is something we may see when he gets minutes in Russia as when games reach this point, they will naturally open up allowing him to flourish. Crystal Palace also scored off the back of this, so his inclusion could make a massive difference.
Strength & Composure
One thing that Loftus-Cheek can offer opposed to England’s other attacking midfielders is strength on the ball. With Dele Alli, Raheem Sterling and Jesse Lingard less likely to engage in physical duels, but standing at 6’3” Loftus-Cheek has the build to go toe-to-toe with many opponents.
