Chelsea and England right back Reece James suffered a serious knee injury against AC Milan last month, and he faced a race against time to be fit for Qatar World Cup. Yesterday, he officially lost that race, as England manager Gareth Southgate told James on Wednesday that he won’t be a part of the Three Lions squad.
“The minute I injured my knee, I knew the turnaround to make the World Cup would be tight, but I always felt it was possible,” James revealed in a social media post. “I’ve worked harder than I ever thought I could to give myself the best chance of going and truly believed I could help the team. I appreciate there was risk on both sides but it was one I was willing to take.”
Chelsea vs Newcastle FYIs
Kick: Saturday, 12 November 2022 5:30PM, Stamford Bridge, London.
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Premier League Position: Chelsea 7th, Newcastle 3rd
Form Guide: Chelsea LLDDW Newcastle WWWWL
Google Result Probability: Chelsea 31% Newcastle 41% Draw 28%
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More on James and his situation over at this link. Joining him as long term injury absentees are N’Golo Kante, Ben Chilwell and Wesley Fofana. Elsewhere, Kepa Arrizabalaga is a doubt (foot injury). Ditto for Jorginho, who missed out in midweek, having to sit out the 2-0 loss to Manchester City in the League Cup. Well, maybe he really didn’t “miss out” after all. But he didn’t play.
Paul M. Banks is the Owner/Manager of The Sports Bank and author of “Transatlantic Passage: How the English Premier League Redefined Soccer in America,” as well as “No, I Can’t Get You Free Tickets: Lessons Learned From a Life in the Sports Media Industry.”
He has regularly contributed to WGN News, Sports Illustrated and the Chicago Tribune, and he co-hosts the After Extra Time podcast. Follow him and the website on Twitter and Instagram.