Gareth Southgate pleased for Chelsea star Ben Chilwell who scored his first goal for England
Chelsea star Ben Chilwell has endured a difficult season so far. The English international is behind Marcos Alonso in the Blues pecking order and has had to play second fiddle to the Spaniard so far.
His form has however picked up of late. Chilwell scored in Chelsea’s 3-1 win over Southampton last time around and has now followed it up with his first international strike at the senior level.
Starting ahead of Luke Shaw for the Three Lions, the 24-year-old opened the scoring for the visitors in their World Cup qualifier away to Andorra. It set the stage for an emphatic 5-0 win and takes England one step closer to Qatar 2022.
According to ITC (h/t The Standard), Chilwell’s performance has struck the right chord with Gareth Southgate. The England boss is pleased to see the player do his talking on the field, following a poor run of form and fortune.
“Here were some nice moments, for Chilly (Chilwell) to get a goal after having such a tough time in the summer with us, I’m really pleased for him.”
The performance is all the more satisfying given that the Blues star was initially not even been named in the squad by Southgate. Given his lack of appearances for Chelsea, it is perhaps understandable.
Chilwell did not play a minute of football at the summer’s Euro 2020 championship. He was only brought into this England squad after Blues teammate Reece James’ withdrawal due to injury.
The 24-year-old has taken his chance well and was largely impressive on the night. This holds him in good stead going ahead. Whether this turn of form is enough to see him seize back his starting spot at Chelsea remains to be seen.
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Chilwell’s return to form will please Thomas Tuchel who had earlier claimed that the player would need to perform to feature regularly for the Blues. The message appears to have been received loud and clear.
