The final international break of the season is behind us, but where is the Premier League football? FA Cup takes centre stage this weekend, while Italy once again lose their invite to the biggest stage that international football has to offer. Plenty on offer here. Issue 86. Go.

Italy’s invitation to this summer’s World Cup finals has been lost in the Bosnian post. The Azzurri losing by virtue of a penalty shootout on Tuesday night, the fallout already beginning 72 hours later.

Gennaro Gattuso was drafted in to revive Italy’s floundering qualification bid in the group stage - a process that saw them finish second best to Norway, the former AC Milan manager can now add the Italian national team to his list of former employers.

Mutual termination the strap line being delivered to the world’s football media, Gattuso serving as the fall guy for another failure when it mattered most. The biggest World Cup to ever take place in just a few months, Italy once again on the outside looking in.

All 48 nations now confirmed, the debate about how many spots European nations should be given at a World Cup finals now rumbles on. The UEFA-based bloc currently awarded 16, surprisingly that does not feel enough within Italian quarters.

At the same time, if you cannot qualify out of a process where Italy is not one of the best 16 nations in European football, then the 2021 European Champions will have to do some soulsearching before the 2030 qualification cycle begins.

Was it the weight of pressure that was their undoing on Tuesday night? Probably.

Ahead early on through Moise Kean’s strike, the tables were well and truly turned by the time Alessandro Bastoni was given his marching orders four minutes before the interval - a brainless tackle, one that may not have been made in an affair of lesser stakes.

10 men for the duration of the second half, there was always the underlying question as to whether Gattuso’s side could hold out. The answer to that was no and by the time, Haris Tabakovic equalised with 11 minutes remaining, Bosnia’s belief grew further.

30 additional extra-time minutes where both sides played largely not to lose rather than win, then a genuine test of mettle from 12 yards. Italy lost their heads, Bosnia kept theirs and subsequently punched their ticket to North America.

Another nadir when it comes to Italian football and World Cup qualification. How they beat England five years ago in the final of the European Champions seems like some strange anomaly - almost typical from an English perspective.

However, there is no anomaly when it comes to Italy’s continual failures in the World Cup. Winners 20 years ago, they have won just one single game in the finals since. Who was that against? You guessed it, England.

A non-top 16 nation, a top-five league in Europe. Maybe that is the problem in that Italian talent is not getting the opportunities to shine in Serie A. A team that used to be littered with world-class names, now it’s more “I’ve heard of him, who does he play for?”

Go back 20 years and you are looking at players such as Francesco Totti. Fabio Cannavaro, Alessandro Nesta, Gianluigi Buffon. Now, you can make a case for Sandro Tonali being a top talent but would be get in a squad consisting of Daniele De Rossi and Gennaro Gattuso?

One of those questions that is always tricky to answer when pitting generation against generation but this current generation is in a real bind. Not because of decision regarding academies being made today, but the lack of decisions a decade ago.

Managed decline when it comes to the running of academies, the obsession with tactics and systems that has drip fed into today’s coaching. It is too late to find the answer for 2026, they need to start answering questions for 2030 and beyond.

The thing about football is that it never works in a logical form and that is one of the reasons why we keep coming back to it. There are not many industries where failure is rewarded quite like this. Graham Potter will be glad he works in football.

Dumped by West Ham last September, now leading the Swedish to World Cup qualification six months later. If anyone would have forseen this, I would like you to tell me next week’s lottery numbers.

Abba, Volvo, Graham Potter. Ok, not an extensive list of famous things to be linked to Sweden but the latter will have certainly earned adopted nationality after overseeing a dramatic 3-2 win over Poland in midweek.

Qualification that looked highly unlikely when Sweden finished bottom of a four-team group in November but there was no need to panic just yet. The Scandinavian nation knew they had a Plan B.

A plan that came courtesy of earning a play-off berth due to previous Nations League results - truth be told, I still cannot quite work out how they bagged this spot. The qualification clock reset to zero, Sweden and Graham Potter just two games from glory.

Is the process fair? Italian supporters would say no. Sweden did not win any of their six group stage games in the autumn. But everyone knew the process and the potential for backdoor entry, Graham Potter and his players just managed to take full advantage.

An unthinkable redemption arc for the former West Ham boss, it never really worked in East London but now he will go to work in North America in just a couple of months. Where Tunisia, Netherlands and Japan await in the group stage.

A stage that looked impossible just a few months ago.

And that is the point.

Football never follows a straight line.

The latest international break was not a productive one for England. A defeat to Marcelo Bielsa’s Uruguay followed by a draw with Japan meant Thomas Tuchel’s side ended the window without a win. The key factor across both matches was the absence of Harry Kane.

Rested for the Uruguay game and then injured ahead of the Japan fixture, England lacked a focal point in attack. While two matches are not enough to draw major conclusions, they did highlight a concern ahead of the World Cup. Who plays through the middle if Kane is unavailable?

Dominic Solanke was given the opportunity to impress but failed to leave a lasting impression, while the experiment of using Phil Foden as a false nine at Wembley did not work either.

Foden’s versatility is often viewed as a positive, but for England it sometimes leaves him without a clear role.

Marcus Rashford can also operate centrally, though he is generally more effective from wide areas. Ollie Watkins was not included in the latest squad, and Dominic Calvert-Lewin saw limited action without influencing proceedings.

The issue may run deeper than current form. English academies are producing technically gifted, fast and flexible attackers, but fewer traditional number nines capable of leading the line alone.

Which brings an unexpected name into the conversation — Danny Welbeck.

With 12 Premier League goals this season and significant experience, the Brighton forward could yet become England’s World Cup depty head if no one else makes the position their own.

Undoubtedly the tie of the round as Manchester City play host to Liverpool on Saturday lunchtime. Pep Guardiola’s last task as manager was securing the Carabao Cup for the fifth time in his career. The next will be moving a step closer to securing a domestic cup double.

Much focus will be placed on whether City can use that win over Arsenal as a springboard for better and bigger things, opponents Liverpool looking at this competition as realistically the only thing they can win at the end of the season. Arne Slot’s job status far from secure going into the summer, things could look even more shaky by the end of Saturday afternoon.

It is never quiet at Stamford Bridge. If it is not a fine being handed out, it is another report on how much money they have lost. Just to add to the off-field woe, Enzo Fernandez has been stood down for the next two games for ‘crossing a line’ - more Roseniorish language from the Chelsea boss.

The Argentine midfielder punished after he told told ESPN that he did not know whether he would remain at Stamford Bridge next season. Something that clouds the preparations for the visit of League One Port Vale on Saturday but the cup minnows may serve to be the ideal opposition at the perfect time. Surely Chelsea cannot slip up here…

Southampton’s Championship playoff bid takes a brief pause as the Saints aim to march into the FA Cup semi’s finals. To do so, they will need to overturn the outcome of the 2003 final in Cardiff when Gordon Strachan’s side lost to Arsenal at the Cardiff Millennium Stadium. The Saints in form under manager Tonda Eckert, they will up for the cup this weekend.

As for Arsenal, their first game back after losing in March’s Carabao Cup final, much will be made of who starts in goal. Kepa Arrizabalaga the ‘cup keeper’ but did his chances a lot of harm after recent Wembley woe. Much will also be made of how many international ‘injuries’ will have miraculously disappeared before the trip to St Mary’s.

Two relegation-threatened teams squaring off in East London as West Ham play host to Leeds, a weird balancing act between wanting to go as far as possible in the FA Cup but not wanting it to be at the detriment of survival hopes. Is this going to offer momentum or the inconvenience of an extra game at Wembley?

West Ham still find themselves in the bottom three before the Premier League restarts, a win for Nuno Espirito Santo’s men may offer a timely confidence boost before they face Wolves next Friday (a must win game). Leeds have not won any of their last six league matches, they made this one just a little more. Lose in the capital and it may be hard to get themselves out of their current rut.

Italian fans you may not be able to watch your team at this summer’s World Cup finals but fear not, there is no reason for you to be left behind. If you have a cool $11k, you can simply exchange for a ticket to the final itself.

Madness, utter madness and this is a box office cost, not resale. Who is this World Cup for? It blows my mind. Still, people will pay it and the cycle will continue. You just have to sit back and shake your head if nothing else.

Millwall’s bid to earn a first ever promotion to the Premier League was given a huge boost on Friday afternoon as they came from behind to beat Middlesbrough at the Riverside Stadium.

The 2-1 win for Alex Neil’s men sees them move into second place - one better off than ‘Boro. Jubilation for the South London outfit but they still need to be wary of what Ipswich do with their games in hand. This promotion race is far from run.

The Scotland national team also having an international break to forget but a welcome distraction when the Scottish Premiership title race is back on the menu this weekend. Rangers play first and have the opportunity to go top with their two rivals playing a day later.

Should that be the case, Hearts have to go to basement outfit Livingston. All signs point to an away win but nothing is a given at this stage of the season. We will see another twist in this incredible tale over the next few days?

Jermain Defoe installed as Woking manager, it will be really interesting to see what he does at the Vanarama National League side (English fifth tier), I thought he would have been an excellent forward coach at Tottenham considering their current mess.

Defoe was an excellent Premier League striker over the years, the transition to management will be far from easy but best of luck to him. Will be keeping an eye on their progress.

As a member of the Football Writers Association (FWA), I was given the opportunity to vote for the player of the year this week. I opted for Declan Rice but if I am honest, nobody has really stood out as an obvious candidate.

I’ll see if that was the winning selection not long from now but if you were given the opportunity, who would be your standout candidate? Let me know in the comments below.

Right, that’s the end of issue 86 as word continues to spread around the football world.

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Issue 87 drops next Tuesday. I’ll be back with another round of insight, analysis and trends that matter. Any feedback or comments on this issue, contact me below:

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