England flatters to deceive on world stage

Article by Robert Wake

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As England return home from a frankly underwhelming campaign in Brazil, the time for reflection is upon us as Roy Hodgson plans for the immediate future, and qualification for the European Championships in France in 2016. That the qualifying draw has been kind to England, only Switzerland may cause England any significant problems, may give Hodgson the opportunity to continue to build on the relatively few positives from their Brazilian experience.

The squad that flew out to Brazil appeared to lack both experience and quality, and ultimately this proved to be an accurate assessment. The decision to omit Ashley Cole was a huge mistake. Leighton Baines was seemingly preferred on his ability at set pieces, while Luke Shaw was included based on promise. What England needed, and ultimately lacked, was the defensive nous that Cole has contributed for his country over the past decade. Baines struggled defensively, particularly against the twin Italian threat of Darmian and Antonio Candreva in the opening game, and indeed it was Shaw who impressed most, albeit in a dead rubber against Costa Rica.

England’s defence in general is a major cause for concern. Though few could argue that Joe Hart is a worthy number 1, there are precious few alternatives should he suffer injury or a loss of form that plagued him in the early part of last season. Glen Johnson is decent, but certainly not world class going forward, and remains defensively suspect. Johnson turns 30 in August, and Kyle Walker, 24 may be a better, if similar long-term option. Other alternatives who may be considered include the Southampton pair of Nathaniel Clyne, 23 and Calum Chambers, 19. Baines is likely to continue in the squad along with Shaw, though Arsenal’s Kieran Gibbs, 24 is worthy of consideration following a consistent season for The Gunners last term. Central defence is also an issue. Though Gary Cahill was probably England’s best defender, Phil Jagielka appeared uncertain, and will be 32 in August. Unfortunately, there are precious few alternatives. Chris Smalling is a reserve for Manchester United, and frankly should not be considered, and Phil Jones needs to find his best position to develop his undoubted ability. At the moment, he is a jack of all trades and master of none. That he and Smalling were both included is testament to the lack of talent currently at Hodgson’s disposal at centre-half. There have been plenty of calls for Everton’s John Stones, but while promising, it must also be remembered that he only has 21 appearances in the Premier League. Steven Caulker, 22 seemed to be developing well at Tottenham, but is not likely to be a viable option should he remain in the Championship with relegated Cardiff City.

England’s cupboard looks equally bare in central midfield. Should Frank Lampard, 36 and Steven Gerrard, 34 both call it a day, England will urgently be looking for replacements for two players with well over 200 caps between them. In the current squad, Jordan Henderson didn’t really transfer his club form at Liverpool to the international stage, and it is now time that Jack Wilshere stepped up and turned his promise into something that England can rely on for years to come. I would like to see Tom Huddlestone given another chance for England. Huddlestone is still only 27, and should be given the opportunity to add to his 4 caps. Other possible candidates include Villa’s impressive Fabian Delph, 24, and Swansea City’s Jonjo Shelvey, 22. That said, none of those mentioned are likely to have the likes of Paul Pogba, Arturo Vidal or Toni Kroos quaking in their boots any time soon.

Where England did show some promise was in the attacking third. It was unfortunate that Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, 20, was unavailable for the whole of England’s truncated stay, but Adam Lallana,26, Ross Barkley, 20 and Raheem Sterling, 19, all showed genuine promise. Danny Welbeck does not convince as a wide player, and is a bit part player for Manchester United, and the same can be said of James Milner at Manchester City. I would replace these two with Theo Walcott, 25, when fit again, and Andros Townsend, 22, who not so long ago was the great new hope for England.

I’m still not convinced by Wayne Rooney as a number 10, as I still feel he is a natural striker. He looked lost on the left hand side against Italy, but equally he would struggle to displace Daniel Sturridge as the focal point of England’s attack at the moment. In truth, i’m not sure England are totally suited to a system that relies on a number 10 playmaker. It may be the favoured formation of our leading Premiership teams, but England does not possess an Oscar, Eden Hazard, David Silva, Juan Mata or Mesut Ozil, so why not play Rooney just off, or alongside Sturridge. There are not an abundance of strikers queuing up to challenge Sturridge and Rooney. Though I felt Jermain Defoe should have made the World Cup squad, his time has now surely passed. Jay Rodriguez, 24, was desperately unlucky with his injury prior to the tournament, but seems some way off a comeback at the moment, which may offer an opportunity to Sunderland’s Conor Wickham if he can take the form he showed at the tail end of last season into the new campaign.

So there you have it. There are some positives, but there are also some tough decisions for Roy Hodgson, and maybe one or two senior players to make over the coming weeks. There will also be opportunities for some players to stake their claim during the opening weeks of the new season before Hodgson names his squad for the friendly against Norway at Wembley in September.

For what it’s worth, assuming everyone is available; here is the squad I would like to see selected for the Norway game in September.

Goalkeepers; Joe Hart, Ben Foster, Fraser Forster

Defenders: Kyle Walker, Nathaniel Clyne, Leighton Baines, Luke Shaw, Gary Cahill, Phil Jagielka, John Stones, Phil Jones.

Midfielders: Jack Wilshere, Jordan Henderson, Tom Huddlestone, Fabian Delph, Ross Barkley, Adam Lallana, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, Raheem Sterling, Andros Townsend, Theo Walcott.

Forwards: Wayne Rooney, Daniel Sturridge, Conor Wickham

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