The international break is over. Back come the big, brash domestic leagues, honking their noise all over the place and farting for attention. Everyone’s very pleased to have them back. But for some players, it means a return to the sidelines and the periphery. Those players who’ve starred for their countries on the international stage but face a return to the bench now they’re back on domestic duty. Here are quite literally five such players…
Raheem Sterling
Answered the nagging questions that were starting to bubble up about his England starting place with a fine display against Poland. The fact he started all three of England’s qualifiers already told you plenty about how Gareth Southgate sees things, and even his second-half rest against San Marino emphasises rather than diminishes his significance. It’s not quite so clear-cut at Manchester City, though, where Sterling has started only two of all-conquering City’s last five Premier League games.
Joe Rodon
We’re big, big fans of defenders celebrating stuff that, as any co-commentator worth his salt will tell you, is as good as a goal. Hard to find a better, purer version of that particular phenomenon than Joe Rodon’s heroic last-ditch block to deny the Czech Republic what appeared a certain injury-time equaliser against Wales and the full-throated fist-clenched celebration that followed. Lovely stuff. And that itself was simply the final and most significant moment of another hugely impressive performance from a hugely impressive young defender who can’t get a game in Tottenham’s Keystone Cops back four ahead of Davinson Sanchez. Rodon was not even added to Spurs’ squad for the Europa League knockout stages. Plain nutty.
Goran Pandev
A 20-year international career had its crowning moment with his goal in North Macedonia’s stunning 2-1 win over Germany, inflicting a first World Cup qualifying defeat on the Germans since someone – can’t remember who – beat them 5-1 just three months after Pandev made his international debut. Now it’s back to the day job of adding to his 465 Serie A appearances, which these days he does mainly via substitute appearances for Genoa, the third Italian club after Lazio and Napoli for whom he’s racked up over 100 appearances, to go with another 69 appearances and Champions League title at Inter.
Aleksandar Mitrovic
Hasn’t scored a Premier League goal since netting twice in the 4-3 defeat to Leeds back in September. Hasn’t started any of Fulham’s last nine Premier League games, a run in which the Cottagers have managed a grand total of six goals so it’s not like they’re flourishing on that front without him. Off he popped for international duty with Serbia where he promptly scored twice in a 3-2 win over Ireland, again in a 2-2 draw with Portugal before helping himself to a couple more in a win over Azerbaijan. That’s now seven international goals this season to go with his two in the Premier League and one in the Carabao. Back to the bench he will presumably go at Aston Villa on Easter Sunday.
Eric Garcia
More games for Spain this week than Premier League appearances since October, which is all of the crazy. Has played a grand total of 35 league minutes for City in the last five months – 20 against Burnley and 15 against Fulham – yet played 266 out of 270 minutes for Spain during this run of World Cup qualifiers. There’s no mystery as to why he finds himself on the outside looking in at City given the form of John Stones and Ruben Dias, but we still can’t quite get our heads round the idea of Actual Spain having a starting centre-back who is playing so very, very little football at club level.
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