Woltemade started at Alkmaar and has become more central to the mechanics of Spalletti’s Juventus than he was in September. This time, however, Klopp has chosen to leave him out of the Germany squad. There is no Germany for Woltemade, then: he will stay at the Continassa and miss the matches against Serbia and the Netherlands.
Not the Only One Left Out
Woltemade is not alone in being cut from the national picture. As things stand, the Continassa risks not emptying during the break. That is good for Spalletti, who will have players to work with, but in absolute terms it is not a positive trend for the overall value of the individuals.
Conceição will not go to a national team either. Besides the shoulder injury, what weighs most is his suspension. There is little satisfaction on the Brazilian front too. Both Douglas Luiz and Bremer have been left at home, in a round of call-ups in which even the neighbours at Torino can boast a pick, goalkeeper Perri, called up by Carlo Ancelotti.
Those Almost Certain to Be Called
The players practically certain to get the call from their national coaches are Vicario, Lucumí, Sarr, Koopmeiners, Alajbegović and Zhegrova. Alajbegović’s inclusion follows his goal against Napoli and the record that came with it, and Koopmeiners’s follows his display against his old club in Alkmaar.
Italy, Argentina and Uncertainty
Ekhator secured his pass yesterday and joins Baldini’s Italy Under-21 squad, a notable sign of rehabilitation for a player who has hardly played this season. In recent days, Pochettino also reassured McKennie with the words “Wes regularly called up.”
Few players are living in uncertainty. One is Kalulu, whom France’s coach Zidane appreciated between September and October.
Recoveries and a Quiet Break
Çelik may go if he recovers from his injury, and so might Cabal, who hopes to regain a place for Colombia after missing the World Cup. Everyone else goes home, or rather to Turin, to return polished after a break with very few Juventus calls.
For the club, the practical benefit is training time with a large part of the squad, something Spalletti has lacked all season. He identified this after Genoa, saying the team “hasn’t really been training” because of the thin numbers. The break, with Yıldız, Locatelli, Thuram and others still in recovery, offers a rare chance to work together.
