Chelsea midfielder Conor Gallagher earned himself a rare England start in yesterday’s international fixture against Malta.
It was a pretty mundane game of football at Wembley Stadium on Friday night, with England eventually running out 2-0 winners in the Euro 2024 qualifying match.
For Conor Gallagher, he was named in England’s starting line-up. We definitely think it was deserved when you factor in how well he’s played so far this season for Chelsea.
However, the 23-year-old Blues star was substituted off at half-time by England. In fairness, manager Gareth Southgate could have changed anyone after a very quiet first 45 minutes.
National media did criticise Gallagher after his Three Lions performance versus Malta.
Joe Cole reaction
Despite some criticism for his international display, Gallagher has received the support of one former Chelsea star.
Joe Cole delivered an upbeat verdict on the midfielder’s contribution despite his early substitution.
“I thought Conor Gallagher looked okay in the first-half. He was busy. He was trying to drive the team,” Cole told Channel 4’s televised coverage of England vs Malta (9:55pm, 17 November).
We noticed the same endeavour from Gallagher that you always get when he steps on the pitch, but like most of his teammates, he was a bit sloppy on the ball.
Conor Gallagher should be on the plane to Germany
We concede that Gallagher may still have quite a bit of work to do before he forces his way into England’s XI on a permanent basis, but our prediction is that he’ll at least be on the plane for next summer’s Euro 2024 tournament in Germany.
He’s played in seven of England’s previous nine international fixtures, albeit most of them have been from the bench.
TEAMtalk has reported that Chelsea staff have been shocked by how well Gallagher’s performed so far this season.
If his club form continues moving forward, he should keep carving out more international opportunities for himself.
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