The Four Strikers Roy Hodgson Should Take To Euro 2012
May 10, 2012 4 Comments
With Roy Hodgson announcing his England squad for Euro 2012 on Wednesday, it will be very interesting to see who’s in the squad and if there will be any surprise inclusions or omissions. However, as Hodgson wasn’t the media’s favourite for getting the job and there was such scrutiny surrounding his appointment, I’m of the belief that the squad he picks won’t contain too many surprises.
In this post, I’m going to take a look at what has been a problem position for England in major championships for many years now; strikers, and who I think Hodgson should take with him on the plane to Poland and Ukraine.
In England’s last two major tournaments, World Cup’s 2006 and 2010, the strikers only contributed with a goal each in both competitions, Crouch in 2006 and Defoe in 2010, with Rooney’s last goal in a major championship coming at Euro 2004. When comparing this to countries such as Germany and Spain, who are both favourites for this summer’s competition, with strikers such as David Villa, Fernando Torres, Miroslav Klose and Lukas Podolski who have consistently performed at recent tournaments, it’s easy to see why we don’t do as well as our European counterparts.
In a squad of 23, usually only four strikers are picked and our recent performances in major tournaments has shown that it must be very much a case of out with the old and in with the new. This is why, out of the four strikers I’d pick, three of them have never been to a major tournament at senior level before.
So here goes, my four strikers:
1. Wayne Rooney – If it was any other England striker with a two-game ban hanging over them, they simply wouldn’t be going. But an exception has to be made for Rooney. Although his temperament is often questioned, if a World XI team was to be picked right at this moment in time, he’d be the only England player anywhere near the team. The bottom line is, love him or loathe him, he’s England’s best player and with 26 Premier League goals to his name this season for Manchester United, it really is a no-brainer.
2. Danny Welbeck – A team mate of Rooney’s at Man Utd, Welbeck has come on leaps and bounds this season. He’s managed to keep the likes of Javier Hernandez and Dimitar Berbatov on the bench which is no mean feat, especially considering that Hernandez impressed hugely last season in what was his first season in English football. Welbeck’s work rate and pace would be a constant thorn in the side of the opposition but whether he plays or is even selected in the squad will undoubtedly be decided on what formation Hodgson has in mind, as the lone front man in a 4-3-3 formation with wingers which was prevalent under Fabio Capello, doesn’t really suit his style of play.
3. Daniel Sturridge – After an incredibly successful loan spell with Bolton during the second half of last season where he scored eight in 12, Sturridge has become a regular in Chelsea’s starting line-up. He was an effective threat coming in off the right flank and in one particular game at Newcastle at the start of the season, he ran the show. Direct running and pace are his main strengths but sometimes is far too greedy with ball, losing it when an easy pass would have been a better option. Sturridge prefers to play down the centre but has had his chances limited in that position due to the presence of Didier Drogba and Fernando Torres, but with Rooney sitting out for the first two games, it could be his opportunity to go out and make the place his.
4. Andy Carroll – Now this is the selection that is bound to cause the most debate. After Carroll’s widely documented, wretched season in front of goal, his form has gradually improved and has begun to show (albeit a tiny little bit) why Liverpool splashed out £35million on him. His performance against Chelsea in the FA Cup final was probably one of, if not his best performance in a Liverpool shirt and if he does go to the Euro’s, he’s got his late season performances to thank. England have always liked taking a ‘big man’ to major tournaments and Carroll, with his strong aerial presence and ability to hold the ball up, is now the man for that role.
So there’s my four. Notable omissions include Jermain Defoe, who hasn’t played regularly enough this season to warrant a place in the squad, Peter Crouch, who is now 31 and although he still grabs goal now and then for Stoke, the time has now come for him to make way. Also, Darren Bent. Had Bent been fit and playing all season, he would of probably got in for me over Sturridge or Welbeck as he is a complete goalscorer. However, the ligament injury which curtailed his season has no doubt hampered his chances of a call-up with not much chance of playing time before the tournament kicks off.
Do you agree with the strikers I’ve picked? Let me know by leaving a comment and saying who you think should be going instead!
Keeping The Ball Rolling 