For Chelsea supporters with a vested interest in the England national team, this international break was a great deal more appealing to them.

That’s because Thomas Tuchel, a man who once occupied the Stamford Bridge dugout, is now in the Wembley hot seat.

He’s the head honcho of the England side, the man tasked with bringing football home. In America no less, in 2026, the German will hope to end 60 years of hurt.

If he’s to win the tournament, then a number of Chelsea players could well be key.

Cole Palmer missed the latest camp through injury but will no doubt play a big role next year having scored England’s only goal in last summer’s European Championship final. Doesn’t that feel like a long time ago now?

Much has changed for the Three Lions since then. Gareth Southgate departed his role, Lee Carsley took over on an interim basis and now Tuchel is at the helm.

He’s already sprung a few surprises, too, notably calling up Reece James.

Reece James' stunning England return in numbers

When Tuchel announced his first England squad nearly two weeks ago now, there were a few shocks.

This was perhaps a moment to mark a changing of the guard, a moment to get rid of the old and bring through the new.

Well, the head coach decided to merge the two ideologies together, combining youth with experience.

Myles Lewis-Skelly, Arsenal’s exuberant 18-year-old made his debut and scored during the 2-0 win over Albania but even his inclusion wasn’t the most surprising.

That honour went to Jordan Henderson and Kyle Walker who both now ply their trade on the continent with Ajax and AC Milan respectively.

Rivalling Walker for a place on the right-hand side of the defence was none other than James.

The Blues skipper has only played 14 times this season as he has his load managed following a string of injuries but Tuchel knows him well, having managed the 25-year-old on 74 occasions. For context, no other manager has used James more.

Speaking before the game with Albania, the boss was confident the full-back would stand up to the task.

Well, he certainly stepped up alright. Handed a rare England start in their 3-0 win over Latvia on Monday evening, it was James who opened the scoring.

The hosts won a free-kick on the edge of the area and it was the Chelsea captain who stepped up to take. Step up he did, curling a delicious set-piece past the goalkeeper.

While that goal will no doubt give Tuchel the confidence to select James again, it wasn’t just the attacking phases of the game that he impressed in.

The defender only misplaced one pass all night, had a whopping 118 touches, completed two tackles and made two interceptions. Forget about the level of opposition, it really was a complete performance.

Minutes played

90

Touches

118

Accurate passes

96/97 (99%)

Key passes

1

Accurate crosses

2/3

Duels won

2/5

Interceptions

2

Tackles

2

Shots on target

1

However, while James caught the eye, the rest of Chelsea’s England contingent shouldn’t be too confident of a call-up next time around.

Chelsea's England hopefuls

There are a number of England prospects in the current Chelsea side, ranking from that man James to the likes of Jadon Sancho, Levi Colwill and Noni Madueke, somebody who actually assisted a goal during the Lee Carsley era.

While it wouldn’t be out of the realms of fantasy to suggest all three could be at the World Cup next year if they find form, one Chelsea player who is seriously unlikely to be there is Ben Chilwell.

The £200k-per-week left-back could have been the answer to their lack of options on the left side of the backline but the fact of the matter is there’s far more promising options coming through.

Take the aforementioned Lewis-Skelly for instance, take two former Chelsea boys in Tino Livramento and Lewis Hall too.

Both Lewis-Skelly and Livramento were in Tuchel’s first squad but Hall was unfortunate to miss out having sustained a season-ending injury a few weeks ago.

So, there’s two left-backs Chilwell would have to usurp and despite his Chelsea connections, someone like Luke Shaw who was at the Euros is probably still in their mind.

So, we’re up to three left-backs and if you count Colwill and Dan Burns’ ability to feature in that position, you’re looking at five players standing in the way of Chilwell. Add players like Tyrick Mitchell and Leif Davis to the mix and it looks quite bleak for the former Leicester defender’s hopes of an inclusion.

Performance in Numbers

Want data and stats? Football FanCast’s Performance in Numbers series provides you with the latest match analysis from across Europe.

So, with Chilwell quite rightly not being called up for the matches with Albania and Latvia, it looks as though he’s already played his last game in an England shirt.

He’s played just 45 minutes of football for Chelsea this term and hasn’t exactly done a lot since a winter loan move to Crystal Palace was formalised, featuring in only five games and yet to start in the Premier League.

Barring a severe improvement in his injury history and game time, it’s unlikely we’ll see him in a Three Lions jersey again.

Aged 28 and once valued at £50m, that feels like a sad sentence to be writing.

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One of Manchester City’s premium January signings was midfielder Nico Gonzalez. The former Barcelona star, who is a product of the esteemed La Masia academy, made the move to the Etihad Stadium for £50m from Portuguese side FC Porto.

So far, the 23-year-old is only a short way into his Citizens career. He has only played eight times so far for Pep Guardiola’s side, starting six times in the Premier League and Champions League.

It was the latter competition in which he scored his first, and to date, only goal for City, although it was a consolation strike against Real Madrid.

Playing as a number six so far for City, Gonzalez was partly signed to help ease the blow of Rodri’s absence, who is still sidelined with injury.

Based on the statistics above, he’s done a pretty good job of covering.

The latest on Rodri's injury recovery at Man City

It has been a tough season for City on the pitch, which has not been helped by the fact that Ballon d’Or winner Rodri, a key player in the middle of the park, has been out injured. The Spaniard picked up a serious knee ligament injury against Arsenal in September and is yet to return.

However, at the start of March, there was some positive news to come out of the City camp surrounding the midfielder’s return to action. Guardiola said he was unsure if Rodri would make it back before the end of the season, but did not rule it out, saying “maybe it’s going to happen”.

Incredibly, the Spain international, who won Euro 2024 last summer, has already returned to training on grass. City’s official account posted a video on social media at the end of February of their star man sprinting and training with a ball at his feet.

So, there are encouraging signs that the Spain international will be back before too long. Even if he doesn’t play in the Premier League this season, then perhaps he will feature in the Club World Cup over the summer.

Either way, there is no doubt he has been a big miss for City. Perhaps Guardiola wishes they had kept one player at the club over the summer, who could have helped City in Rodri’s absence.

Manchester City's in-house Rodri alternative

City have plenty of exciting youngsters on their books, so finding a way to fit them all in the squad is not necessarily easy.

One of the players they loaned out in the summer was midfielder Maximo Perrone, who could have been a perfect Rodri alternative.

The 22-year-old midfielder has spent the 2024/25 campaign on loan at Como, managed by legendary midfielder Cesc Fabregas. Playing as a number six, Perrone has featured in 18 games this season, grabbing two assists.

He does have an eye for goal, too, as he showed in pre-season. The Argentine youngster scored for City in one of their games, slotting home from close range and showcasing his ability going forward.

Perrone has featured twice for City so far in competitive action, with both appearances coming in their treble-winning season, 2022/23. He played in the FA Cup and Premier League, before going on loan to Las Palmas the following season.

In Spain, the youngster was impressive. He completed the most progressive passes per game by a U21 player across the big five leagues in Europe, with 8.41. That is according to Wyscout via football talent scout Jacek Kulig.

This term, his numbers from FBref are also impressive. He is impressive on the ball, completing 55.69 passes per 90 minutes on average, ranking him in the top 11% of Serie A midfielders. He also averages 2.86 tackles and interceptions each game. It’s easy to see, therefore, why he’s allegedly modelled his game on one of Pep’s favourite ever players; Sergio Busquets.

Passes

55.69

89th

Pass accuracy

89.6%

93rd

Key passes

1.26

69th

Tackles and interceptions

2.86

65th

Ball recoveries

4.82

60th

Football analyst Ben Mattinson said that City should have “used Perrone to manage Rodri’s minutes”, labelling him the “ideal Rodri back-up”, which is backed up well by the stats. He is quality on the ball, which is demanded of him in Guardiola’s side and is defensively astute, too.

Looking ahead to next season, the Citizens might well look to integrate the youngster into the side, to help take the burden off Rodri and provide an excellent alternative.

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Nottingham Forest have now held talks over a summer deal for an “outstanding” striker who is expected to move to the Premier League this summer, according to a report.

Forest pushing for the Champions League

Forest have had some tricky fixtures in recent weeks, meaning their form has wobbled slightly heading into the business end of the season, but they got their Champions League push back on track with a statement victory yesterday afternoon.

The Tricky Trees dispatched of Manchester City 1-0 at the City Ground, with Callum Hudson-Odoi netting a late winner to move four points clear of Pep Guardiola’s side, solidifying themselves in third place with just 10 games left to play.

As such, Nuno Espirito Santo’s side should be well placed to attract some top players in the summer transfer window, and a recent report has now revealed they have now made their first move to sign a highly sought-after striker.

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According to CaughtOffside, Nottingham Forest have now opened talks with the representatives of AS Roma’s Tammy Abraham, who is expected to end his stint in Serie A and return to the Premier League at the end of the season.

Neither Roma nor loan club Milan are keen on keeping Abraham beyond the summer, meaning he is likely to move back to England, where a number of clubs have now made contact over a potential deal.

Newcastle United, Wolverhampton Wanderers, Everton and West Ham United have also opened talks over a summer move, so there could be fierce competition for the Englishman’s signature this summer.

The 27-year-old is said to be open to a move to England, but he would like to join a top club, which could give Forest the edge in the transfer battle should they go all the way and secure qualification for the Champions League.

"Outstanding" Abraham has proven himself in the Premier League

Football writer Henry Winter lauded the forward as “outstanding” during his time with Roma, and he has also impressed in the Premier League in the past, most notably in the 2019/20 season.

The former Chelsea man netted 15 league goals for the Blues in that campaign before completing a £34m move to Roma in 2021, where he has also impressed at times, particularly in his debut season.

The London-born striker was arguably at his best in the 2021/22 campaign, during which he scored 17 times in Serie A, while also bagging nine goals in the Conference League en route to Roma’s triumph.

The only cause for concern will be the fact Milan and Roma have no plans to keep the forward beyond the summer given that he hasn’t exactly been prolific in recent times, netting just two league goals this season.

However, should Abraham be available for a cut-price fee, it is definitely worth pursuing a move this summer considering his previous exploits at the top level in England and Italy.

Manchester City officials have now held a transfer meeting with the father of a “special” player, according to a new report.

Man City planning midfield overhaul

The Blues were very busy in January with many new players arriving at the Etihad, but despite that, it is expected that City will be rather active again in the summer transfer window. Pep Guardiola’s focus could be on his midfield, as the likes of Kevin De Bruyne and Mateo Kovacic are being linked with moves away.

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City’s midfield is indeed ageing, so it makes sense for the Blues to freshen it up and bring more energy into the middle of the park. There have been several midfielders linked with a move to the Etihad, with Florian Plettenberg reporting that City have Real Madrid’s Eduardo Camavinga on their transfer list ahead of the summer. The Blues are keeping a close eye on him, but the Frenchman has yet to decide his long-term future.

Meanwhile, TEAMtalk are reporting that City are looking to make an offer to sign Tijjani Reijnders from AC Milan. It was originally stated that the Premier League champions would want to pay £42 million to secure his transfer, but it is now believed they are willing to go further and pay £50 million.

The midfield links don’t stop there, as Florian Wirtz remains a player City want, but may have to pay over £100 million to get the deal completed.

Man City hold meeting with the father of Real Madrid star Rodrygo

Camavinga is not the only Real Madrid player to be on City’s radar heading into the summer, as according to a report from Spain, Man City have held talks with Rodrygo’s father over a possible move to the Etihad.

The report claims that the meeting between representatives was held in the last two or three weeks. During the discussions, City made two offers to the Brazilian’s father, one being his son would receive a huge wage increase should he move to Manchester.

The second offer was that they would grant Rodrygo the freedom to play on the left-hand side of their attack, which is impossible for him to do now at Madrid, given the presence of Vinícius Júnior and Kylian Mbappé.

It is not stated whether City are now willing to make an offer to Madrid for the attacker or if Rodrygo has decided to leave the European champions, but the Blues and Pep are obviously keen on a potential deal if they think it can happen.

Rodrygo’s Real Madrid stats

Apps

258

Goals

68

Assists

45

The 24-year-old is contracted to Real Madrid until the summer of 2028, and it is believed it could take as much as £100 million to sign the player, as that is how much Liverpool are also willing to pay as they eye a replacement for Mo Salah. Rodrygo may be in the shadow of Vinicius and Mbappé, but Carlo Ancelotti is still a fan of the Brazilian, as he dubbed him a “special striker”.

“He is a special striker; he can play in all positions. He is fast, smart and effective one on one. The learning is over. He is a Real Madrid player for all purposes.”

The cut-off time for a full match to take place is 9.35 PM IST, while officials can wait till 12.06 AM for a five-over game

Shashank Kishore29-May-2023

Ahmedabad dawned bright and sunny on Monday, the reserve day of the IPL 2023 final between defending champions Gujarat Titans and Chennai Super Kings. However, the met department and local papers predict intermittent rain between 4pm and 10pm.The outfield that bore the brunt of a thunderstorm that lashed the city for four hours on Sunday evening was described as “bone dry” by a member of the broadcasting crew that began setting up for a re-run. There has been no rain since 10.45pm on Sunday night.A GCA official explained a five-over contest on Sunday wouldn’t have been impossible to achieve, but a fresh final is the “best-case scenario” for both teams after the match officials felt it may have been “touch and go” to get the ground ready for a truncated shootout. Another official said there was a long debate on the possible risk of injuries given the amount of water that had seeped underneath.Related

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The playing conditions remain the same as they were on Sunday night. The cut-off time for a full match to start is 9.35pm. For a five-overs-a-side match, officials can wait till 12.06am before starting play. The final option to determine a winner is a Super Over shootout. The cut-off time to start that is 1am. The playing conditions say that if even a Super Over is not possible, Gujarat Titans will be declared champions since they finished higher in the points table in the league stage – they finished No. 1, with CSK at No. 2.As such, the drainage at the Narendra Modi Stadium has been set up in accordance with “modern standards” and machinery. A similar downpour on Friday evening, albeit for just 45 minutes, allowed for Qualifier 2 between Titans and Mumbai Indians begin within 40 minutes of the rain abating. Two super soppers had swung into action even before the rain had completely stopped to ensure the mop-up operations didn’t take long.