Trevoh Chalobah Gantikan Tino Livramento di Skuad Piala Dunia Inggris

Bek kanan Newcastle United, Tino Livramento, terpaksa mundur dari skuad tim nasional Inggris untuk Piala Dunia setelah mengalami cedera robek otot betis pada sesi latihan hari Minggu.

Pelatih Inggris Thomas Tuchel bergerak cepat dengan memanggil pemain bertahan Chelsea, Trevoh Chalobah, sebagai pengganti darurat di saat ketersediaan Trent Alexander-Arnold kembali diabaikan.

Mantan pemain bertahan Newcastle, Steve Howey, menyatakan bahwa masalah fisik yang menimpa pemain berusia 23 tahun tersebut merupakan dampak dari minimnya menit bermain yang konsisten sepanjang musim ini.

"It's devastating for the lad because I think it's a grade-two tear, so he's got no chance," ujar Steve Howey, mantan bek Newcastle kepada BBC Radio Newcastle.

Howey menilai situasi ini terasa sangat berat bagi sang pemain dan keluarganya yang telah berjuang keras untuk menembus skuad utama.

"It's heartbreaking for him, so it must be really tough for him and his family because he's done ever so well to get there but you know these things unfortunately do happen," kata Steve Howey, mantan bek Newcastle.

Menurut Howey, pesepak bola yang tidak mendapatkan rangkaian pertandingan secara beruntun akan kehilangan stabilitas serta kekuatan otot inti mereka.

"This is what happens if you're out and you can't get a significant run of games to get that stability, to get that strength, that core strength. You're very, very susceptible to picking up little, niggly injuries - hamstrings, groins, carves, thighs, your back, just anything," cetus Steve Howey, mantan bek Newcastle.

Kurangnya menit bermain secara konsisten dinilai membuat tubuh pemain sangat rentan terhadap cedera kambuhan yang mengganggu.

"You just feel as though you're always on the edge of picking something up. Especially, as I said, it could be little, niggly ones or it could be a long-term one," tambah Steve Howey, mantan bek Newcastle.

Howey kemudian mengingat pesan dari Derek Wright, mantan kepala fisioterapi Newcastle, mengenai pengalamannya saat mengalami cedera panjang yang membutuhkan belasan pertandingan beruntun untuk memulihkan kekuatan tubuh.

"I remember Derek Wright [Newcastle's former head physiotherapist] saying to me, I had three long injuries that kept me out and I need at least 15 to 20 games on the bounce. Then you kind of got that core strength in your body. But what tends to happen is five, six games - break down.

Two, three - break down. 10 games - break down. And that seems to be what's happened with him," tutur Steve Howey, mantan bek Newcastle.

Sementara itu, keputusan pemanggilan Chalobah memicu kritik dari pengamat sepak bola Micah Richards yang mempertanyakan keputusan Thomas Tuchel karena mengabaikan Trent Alexander-Arnold.

Melalui program The Rest is Football di Netflix, Richards mengungkapkan keheranannya terhadap penolakan berulang yang dihadapi bintang Real Madrid tersebut meskipun memiliki kemampuan menyerang yang unggul.

"Konsa, in terms of defence, brilliant. You know, really good one-on-one defender. But when you need someone who can go forward and deliver into the box, Trent is the best at that, and I don't understand why he keeps getting overlooked. It just seems to me like it’s personal for no reason," tegas Micah Richards, pengamat sepak bola.

Sejak Tuchel menjabat sebagai manajer timnas Inggris, Alexander-Arnold tercatat baru bermain selama 26 menit dalam laga kualifikasi Piala Dunia melawan Andorra.