Withdrawal Symptoms

So, we've reached another international break, I can hear the multiple sighs already. Fans don't want to sacrifice watching their team, in order for their country to take centre stage. They've become detached from the national team, they don't care anymore and if the players don't, then why should the fans?

We've also got to the stage of the international break where players are picking up 'strains' and 'knocks' left, right and centre. These random injuries mean that we are seeing players withdraw from their national team at an alarming rate.

The latest spell of withdrawals have seen Harry Winks, Harry Kane, Jordan Henderson, Raheem Sterling and Fabian Delph. In fairness to Henderson, he missed his teams game at the weekend and has struggled with injuries this season, so he may be genuinely injured. Kane has also struggled over the last couple of weeks and missed Spurs' crunch game away at Man United with the complaint.
However, it seems very handy that Winks, Sterling and Delph have all picked up these minor problems to rule them out of international duty.

Getting selected for England should be a privilege, not a chore. If players, such as Fabian Delph, are happy to waive their chance to play for their country, for the first time since November 2015, then frankly, they shouldn't be selected in the future.

Why should these players that quite clearly don't hold representing their nation in any sort of regard, be considered to go to the World Cup and play at a major tournament?
Gareth Southgate has selected some new faces this time around and will probably be forced into calling up some more, to strengthen his decimated squad. The new players should seize their opportunity over the next fortnight to stake their claim for a place on the plane to Russia, instead of the players that are all to happy to choose club over country throughout the year.

These upcoming friendlies against none other than the world champions Germany and a truly world class Brazil team, ought to be our sternest test yet, as well as a chance for our fans to watch us against the best. Instead, they'll be left with watching our third choice midfielders getting the runaround and be left with no clue about how we might fare against tough opposition next summer.

Now i'm not suggesting we leave behind every player that withdraws, however a bit more needs to be done to ensure that players can't repeatedly withdraw and still be selected. The players need to show more pride and maybe when that happens then the fans will too.