England captain Wayne Rooney has been dropped for tonight’s World Cup Group F qualifier in Slovenia for tactical reasons, manager Gareth Southgate told a news conference yesterday.
Liverpool’s Jordan Henderson will wear the skipper’s armband with Rooney watching from the bench in Ljubljana.
“It’s very straightforward really, we have looked at Slovenia and the way they play and from midway through last week I had in mind the profile of the midfield that I wanted to play and what was needed for this game,” Southgate said.
“In no way is it a reflection on Wayne’s performance on Saturday (against Malta), in fact we were very pleased with what he did.”
Defender Sidibe reveals Arsenal snub
France defender Djibril Sidibe turned down Arsenal this summer fearing he would not play regularly. The 24-year-old joined Monaco from Lille in July, but only after the Gunners failed with a late bid.
“I was on the brink (of signing for Monaco) and (Arsenal) gave me a headache by making a bid at the last moment,” he said.
“After reflecting on it, I was not certain my playing time would be guaranteed. I chose to stay in Ligue 1 and then leave for the Premier League next year.”
Sidibe has started five of Monaco’s eight Ligue 1 games this season.
Pickford joins England squad
Sunderland goalkeeper Jordan Pickford has joined England’s squad for today’s World Cup qualifier in Slovenia after Burnley’s Tom Heaton withdrew because of a minor injury.
Pickford had been due to link up with England’s Under 21s but will now serve as cover for Joe Hart and Fraser Forster.
The England website also said Arsenal left-back Kieran Gibbs had joined the squad as cover after Ryan Bertrand was injured in Saturday’s win over Malta.
Ramos injury
Real Madrid captain Sergio Ramos is at risk of missing next month’s derby with Atletico Madrid after scans revealed the knee injury he sustained playing for Spain on Sunday was worse than first feared.
Ramos has been diagnosed with a grade two sprain of the media collateral ligament in his left knee after falling awkwardly late in the second half in Spain’s 2-0 win in Albania, Real Madrid said in a club statement yesterday.
The club did not specify how long Ramos will be out for, although Spanish media reported that the international defender could be unavailable for six weeks, rather than the four weeks initially expected.
Pique to quit Spain after 2018 WCup
Spain defender Gerard Pique has said he will retire from international soccer after the 2018 World Cup, because he is “tired” of the criticism levelled at him from supporters.
The Barcelona centre-back was the focus of attention in Sunday’s World Cup qualifier with Albania after having cut off the sleeves from his shirt which bore Spain’s colours of yellow and red.
Pique, who has an awkward relationship with Spain fans for his support for a referendum on Catalan independence, stunned reporters declaring he was ready to quit the national team.
“Yes, I’m tired of it and the World Cup in Russia is going to be my last commitment with the Spain team and then I hope I can be left in peace,” Pique said.
Clemente fired
Libya have fired coach Javier Clemente after a heavy defeat at the weekend, making the Spaniard the first casualty in the group phase of African qualifiers for the 2018 World Cup finals.
The federation made the announcement in a statement, without going into detail, a day after Libya had been hammered 4-0 by DR Congo in their Group A encounter in Kinshasa.
Clemente, 66, had been due to leave the job at the end of year but was asked to stay for Libya’s first two qualifying matches – away to Congo and home to Tunisia next month.
Hart says no regrets over Torino move
Goalkeeper Joe Hart does not regret his move to Torino on loan and believes it was the best available option after falling out of favour with Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola.
The 29-year-old moved to Torino in August after Guardiola, apparently concerned by Hart’s ball distribution.
“Football is a game of opinions and some people have a great opinion of me and some people probably think I’m absolutely useless,” Hart said.
“Unfortunately for me, one of the guys’ opinions in charge of my club wasn’t as strong as it needed to be so I had to look elsewhere.
“Torino was a really good option for me and it definitely excited me to go to play in Serie A... I have no regrets.”