Gareth Southgate praises Conor Gallagher

To many, Conor Gallagher included in the England World Cup squad was a surprise, but the underlying numbers and what he can bring to England's team suggest it should be no surprise at all.

The 22-year-old has featured 17 times for Chelsea this season which included securing Graham Potter his first victory as Chelsea boss with a stunning stoppage-time strike against Crystal Palace, the club where Gallagher spent the 2021/22 season on loan.

England boss Gareth Southgate has spoken on his inclusion in the squad highlighting that "he's fantastic at pressing the ball" before naming three traits that make him a complete midfielder.

Mount and Gallagher react to World Cup call up

Mason Mount's World Cup message

Gareth Southgate announced his 26-man England squad for the 2022 World Cup on Thursday which included Chelsea midfielders Mason Mount and Conor Gallagher. The latter was a surprising inclusion to many after making only four senior appearances for the England national team, with his last coming in the Nations League drubbing against Hungary.

With Mount and Gallagher selected, there was hope that Reece James would be joining them but on Wednesday he confirmed that he had been informed he would not be heading to the World Cup after his injury suffered for Chelsea in the Champions League against AC Milan is likely to keep him out until the latter stages of the competition.

Mount has since reacted to his inclusion posting a heartfelt message on social media.

Gallagher gets in

Potter finds defensive fix

Chelsea could keep clean sheets in all of their remaining Premier League games and still have conceded more than Jose Mourinho's 2004/05 title-winning team.

If any one team in the league wants to break the record of just 15 goals then Arsenal and Newcastle can only concede three more each, and Manchester City just two. Teams score more goals these days but it's unlikely that anyone will be challenging Mourinho's record soon. Here's a spoiler, they never do.

Read the full story, here.

Moments missed Vs City

Chelsea would have liked to show a bit more class on the pitch, especially in front of goal. The Blues recorded 15 shots against Man City, but only five of them were on target. City's second goalkeeper Stefan Ortega Moreno did have a wonderful game – winning the club's man of the match – but Potter knows his side should have done better in the final third.

"A lot to like, created some big chances, and attacked well," the Chelsea head coach explained to Sky Sports after the game. "We weren’t perfect but did a lot right. Took a step forward in how we want to play. Disappointed with the result, but happy with the performance."

Potter added: "It was [frustrating]. We had some big chances, you won't get too many bigger ones here. We had big courage and big personality to play out and around. It's not easy because they defend so well. But the boys had quality and courage, so I liked a lot of what we did today.

Read the full story, here.

Mount reveals Rice promise

Mason Mount has already made plans for if England win the World Cup. The Englishman is expected to be in Gareth Southgate's 26-man squad for the 2022 tournament in Qatar and may well end up with Raheem Sterling as the only Three Lions players from Chelsea.

Reece James and Ben Chilwell are both out due to injuries sustained in the past month whilst Ruben Loftus-Cheek is expected to miss out despite his surge of form this season under Graham Potter and Thomas Tuchel. Mount, who has struggled for form this season and only has two league goals, is still regarded as vitally important by Southgate.

He will also be in an inspiring position of being at the tournament alongside childhood friend Declan Rice. The pair were both youth players at Cobham before Rice was let go aged 14. The West Ham captain has since gone on to be one of the best defensive midfielders in the league and is a certainty for Southgate's Qatar plans.

Read the full story, here.

Ziyech in Morocco squad

Hakim Ziyech has been included in Morocco's World Cup squad for the 2022 tournament taking place later this month.

The attacker has had an on-and-off history with his country after falling out with previous head coach Vahid Halihodzic and missed the African Cup of Nations earlier this year. The manager has since been sacked though and Ziyech is once more included in the plans, this time Walid Regragui has made the call.

Read the full story, here.

Belgium squad announced

Chelsea loanee Romelu Lukaku has been included in Belgium's squad for the 2022 World Cup in Qatar. The striker has been fighting with fitness issues throughout this season and has only played five matches so far, scoring twice.

The 29-year-old is the all-time top scorer for his country but couldn't make things work out in a fairytale return to Stamford Bridge last season and has since been sent back to his favoured Inter Milan following a falling out with Thomas Tuchel.

Todd Boehly is still keen to resolve the solution and could turn to a permanent sale of the forward, but that may well rely on him having a good tournament in Qatar.

Read the full story, here.

Germany squad announced

Hansi Flick has announced the Die Mannschaft squad to represent Germany at the World Cup later this month. Chelsea forward Kai Havertz and West Ham defender Thilo Kehrer have both been selected as the 2014 champions look to reclaim the World title.

Manchester City midfielder Ilkay Gundogan is the only other players in the Premier League to represent Germany at the World Cup. Former Blues defender Antonio Rudiger and Cobham graduate Jamal Musiala have both been selected and will likely play a key role in Qatar.

Read the full story, here.

Ziyech also included

Havertz picked

Guehi also set to miss out...

Tammy Abraham misses out

Defensive answer

Chelsea could keep clean sheets in all of their remaining Premier League games and still have conceded more than Jose Mourinho's 2004/05 title-winning team.

If any one team in the league wants to break the record of just 15 goals then Arsenal and Newcastle can only concede three more each, and Manchester City just two. Teams score more goals these days but it's unlikely that anyone will be challenging Mourinho's record soon. Here's a spoiler, they never do.

The issue for Chelsea is that this isn't just a 'this season thing.' Their record at the back has dropped off majorly since Thomas Tuchel's initial five months at the club. In 2022 they have conceded 35 in 31 matches, in 2021 that ended up as 32 in 42.

Read the full story, here.

Chelsea next four fixtures compared

Chelsea only have one remaining game before the World Cup break and it's a vital one for Graham Potter. The mood at the club has turned and worsened in recent weeks with no leeway given to the new manager.

The 47-year-old is navigating not only a tough run of fixtures but also injuries, a mid-season appointment and unprecedented congestion and intensity to the schedule, but that hasn't earnt him any special treatment after defeats to Brighton, Arsenal and now Manchester City.

Read the full story, here.

National media reaction

Graham Potter's Chelsea side continued a poor run of form after a 2-0 loss to Manchester City in the Carabao Cup third round.

The defeat means it is just two wins in seven matches for the new manager and a run of three consecutive defeats after exiting the cup they were finalists in last season. The Blues' match against Newcaslte in the Premier League is the more important fixture of the week though, with a win crucial to keeping top four hopes in the minds of fans.

Read the full story, here.

Nkunku announcement

Chelsea won't be affected by the move of RB Leipzig director of football Oliver Mintzlaff as the Blues continue to press for a deal to secure star attacker Christopher Nkunku.

Todd Boehly has acted quickly and decisively to ensure the groundwork for one of the most exciting transfers is completed, with the Frenchman expected to join Chelsea in 2023 for around £52.8m. Nkunku's release clause, listed previously, could yet just be the foundation of his cost though as reports suggest Boehly may well look to move in January.

Read the full story, here.