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Gareth Southgate alongside many other managers has announced the 23-man squad that they would be bringing to Russia this summer. As the world stares at the players who will be playing in Russia, the rest who have no summer action would have little to do besides watching the game at home and awaiting the pre-season tour to start.
Arsenal players have represented their nation on multiple occasions but on this special occasion, not everyone has been selected by their managers. Vice-captain Laurent Koscielny was expected to play his final World Cup for France this summer but things did not go his way. As such, Didier Deschamp would have Koscielny's name removed from the list.
In Arsenal's lackluster season, a number of players have had subpar performances the whole season. Given that, they have lost their spots in the 23-man squad and were replaced by more capable players. Here is a look at five Gunners who will miss the World Cup despite their nation's participation in the game.
#5 Jack Wilshere (England)
Rumors spread like wildfire that Wilshere had been left out of Southgate's squad before the official announcement. On Twitter, the midfielder seemed to have confirmed his absence from World Cup after he unexpectedly responded to a fan who asked him out to Zante.
Many Arsenal fans were disgruntled with the decision to leave Wilshere out of the squad. The English international worked his way into Arsenal's first team after recovering from a fracture in his leg. He started playing in Arsenal's second team and had a crucial role in the Europa League competition. Soon, Wenger saw the potential in him to play regularly for the first team.
On the overall, Wilshere remained pretty fit and confident in his playing style. He may not be the most creative player in the midfield, but he is certainly one who works extremely hard for his side. He is one of the key absentees from the England squad.
#4 Laurent Koscielny (France)
Koscielny has played far fewer Premier League matches in the 2017/18 Premier League season as compared to that in the 2016/17 season. The main reason for his absence in games is because of his Achilles injury.
In 2014, the French defender was diagnosed with chronic tendinitis in both feet. Last year, he announced that he requires daily treatment on his Achilles injury for the rest of his career. After working so hard and trying to suppress his long-term issue, his Achilles finally could not withstand the pressure anymore.
During the opening minutes of the second-leg Europa League semi-final clash against Atletico Madrid, Koscielny went to the ground clutching his ankle without any contact made with other players. He was later confirmed to have been ruled out of the World Cup after surgery on his torn Achilles.
#3 Alexandre Lacazette (France)
The French forward has been unfortunate to be left out of the 23-man squad announced by Didier Deschamps. In his debut season, Lacazette scored 14 goals in 32 Premier League appearances. The number of goals scored is certainly far lower than that of Mohamed Salah from Liverpool and Harry Kane from Tottenham, but considering he missed out many games due to an injury, it is a remarkable feat.
There is definitely much more room for improvement but the striker has increased the intensity of his play right after his return from injury. While playing for Lyon, he scored 28 goals from 2,408 minutes in his last season playing in Ligue 1. Lacazette had not been in the best of form this season and Deschamps felt that he was surplus to France's attacking force which includes Olivier Giroud, Antoine Greizmann, and many more younger stars.
Unlike other forwards who have shown a unique trait in helping the team score goals, Lacazette's ability has been overshadowed by the rest of the selected players. He has been unable to prove to Deschamps his uniqueness and therefore, he has been named as a standby.
#2 Shkodran Mustafi (Germany)
His whole season was filled with mistakes and he caused his team to pay heavily. Mustafi was on the verge of leaving Arsenal during the previous summer transfer window, with Inter Milan being the interested party. However, the deal failed to go through. Mustafi had now dismissed rumors that he will be leaving Arsenal in the near future, but with a new manager coming, his future at the club may be uncertain.
The German defender was part of the team that won the World Cup 2014 held in Brazil and the 2017 FIFA Confederations Cup. Unfortunately, he has not been called up by Joachim Low this calendar year. Perhaps, the German national coach had also spotted his drop in form and tendency to lose concentration during the match.
After Low announced the names, it confirmed that Mustafi had missed out on the 23-man squad.
#1 Hector Bellerin (Spain)
It is every footballer's dream to represent their nation in the World Cup. When the Spanish defender broke into the first team back in 2015, he was one of the hottest prospects and attracted attention from many rivals. However, his performances have since suffered a dip.
The Spain national team has a long-lasting tradition to including reputable players from La Liga with Real Madrid and Barcelona players dominating the team. Considering his young age, Bellerin was expected to lose out the position as a right-back to senior players. The competition is simply too stiff for the Arsenal man.
Perhaps when some of the senior players retire and Bellerin steps up his game, he could make a breakthrough in the Spain senior squad.
