Liverpool and the England national team have never been more disconnected ahead of 2026 World Cup - opinion
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As a result, many Liverpool fans will have an indifferent attitude towards the England national team, while others will actively wish them ill.Though this may be the prevailing feeling on the terraces at Anfield, for the players themselves, things have not usually followed the same pattern. Steven Gerrard, for example, was immensely proud to play for his country.As England head towards another World Cup, however, Liverpool do not have a single player who is guaranteed to be part of Thomas Tuchel’s squad.
At least one Red has been in England’s World Cup squad since 1986. This time though, the disconnect has been allowed to grow through a lack of representation.Photo by Alex Caparros – The FA/The FA via Getty ImagesLiverpool likely to have no England players at the World CupThe disconnect between Liverpool and England often causes puzzlement for those not well versed in the history of the club and its city.There is a reason Liverpool fans tend to boo the national anthem when they play at Wembley, and it boils down to a feeling of resentment towards the way the city was treated by the establishment during the 1980s.READ MORE: Hugo Ekitike is the new ‘darling’ of French football as national media go wild for Liverpool starDespite this, Liverpool do have a long tradition of players in the national team, including two World Cup winners during the victorious 1966 tournament: Roger Hunt and Ian Callaghan.Sadly, the pool has dried in recent years, with Jordan Henderson and Trent Alexander-Arnold the only two representatives at both the 2018 and 2022 tournaments.
Who has been Liverpool’s best summer signing? Both Henderson and Alexander-Arnold have now left, leaving only Curtis Jones and Joe Gomez as players within the Liverpool squad who have England caps.Having been involved under Tuchel in recent months, Jones will harbour hope that he can do enough to board the plane for the USA, Canada and Mexico next summer.However, with Jones nothing like a guaranteed starter for Liverpool, it seems more than likely that the Reds will draw a blank at a World Cup with England for the first time in 40 years.Liverpool should have some top English playersSome supporters may disagree, but it has felt slightly strange that as one of the country’s top teams, Liverpool have had such sparse involvement in the national team over the past seven or eight years.Currently top of the Premier League table, Arsenal are well represented with the Three Lions, for example, with both of Thursday night’s goal scorers playing for the Gunners.Had Liverpool signed Marc Guehi as planned last summer, they could at least have counted on the centre-back to represent them next summer.By the time the tournament rolls around, it could be that Guehi is a Liverpool player or is on the verge of becoming one.That would be a step in the right direction, with the Reds badly needing to improve their allotment of homegrown players.