World Cup 2018: 5 biggest snubs in national squads
In the run-up to the World Cup, all eyes are on national team managers to see who will make it to the side and who will not. Players perform at the highest level year round so that they can be representing their nation come the summer of the World Cup, and then also, in some cases, it is not enough.
However, in every team, there are players you expect to have a guaranteed place in the side. These are the players who can seize the game on their day and have proven themselves time and time again on the biggest stage.
So when such names are dropped from the squad, eyebrows are raised across the world. With the final 23 man squad announced for all 32 teams, here is a look at the 5 biggest snubs from the 2018 World Cup squads:
#5 Alexandre Lacazette (France)
Lacazette might not have had the most prolific of seasons for Arsenal, but there is no doubting the pedigree he possesses. 19 goals and 4 assists in all competitions this season is not a bad return by any means, however, in a France squad where the competition for the forward places was so high, it did not prove enough.
France manager Didier Deschamps preferred a Kylian Mbappe, Ousmane Dembele and Antoine Griezmann link because he felt it brings more creativity to the side but there is a case to be made for the inclusion of Lacazette.
One has to look no further than November 2017, when France took on Germany in an international friendly and it was Lacazette who grabbed a brace on that night as the two teams played out a 2-2 draw.
Lacazette has proven he can fit into the side seamlessly and can be a real threat in the box with the right supply, something which he does not often get at Arsenal which could possibly have hampered him. And it’s not as if Dembele or even Olivier Giroud, who was also picked ahead of Lacazette, have had brilliant seasons for their respective clubs.
What he could have also brought to the side was an experienced and cool head. At 27 years of age, it is safe to say he has a lot more big game experience than Mbappe and Dembele who are aged 19 and 21 respectively.
Playing in a pressure situation in a World Cup is something entirely different from anything players experience at the club level, and often it is experience and not talent that sees a side through. France will head to Russia as one of the contenders for the trophy but will hope that their young guns do not buckle under the pressure.