With games against Israel and Andorra, England know that they are going to be faced with teams getting 10 men behind the ball, so how could McLaren combat this?
This formation is attack, attack, attack! We all know that teams like Israel and Andorra are going to get 10 men behind the ball and try to frustrate England. What is required to break them down is movement, pace and accurate passing. There is only so long that a team can keep chasing the ball before they start to tire and that leads to mistakes and fouls and England must exploit this.
Starting at the back, I’ve put Celtic’s Naylor in ahead of Barry as it is where he plays every week and he did well in the Champions League against there. Why Naylor and Barry were overlooked (Barry wasn’t in the original squad) when Cole and Bridge are out I’ll never know. I know Carrager played there in the Liverpool treble season, but I’d rather have a natural left footer and Carrager isn’t great at getting forward and certainly isn’t going to be getting to the by-line and putting in crosses. Unfortunately I think Carrager is going to be England’s nearly man, with Terry and Ferdinand ahead of him in central defence.
With Gary Neville out injured then instead of Philip Neville, Mica Richards seems like the natural replacement. I think Mclaren forgot that Gary Neville was injured and just wrote ‘Neville’ on the team sheet! Carrager could play at right back as Mica Richards doesn’t have much experience and does give away too many free kicks, but in games against Israel and Andorra where England should have lots of possession, then why not stick him in so he can get the experience? Philip Neville does a solid job for Everton at right back and is a better crosser of the ball then many people think but he lacks pace. A good squad man, but he just doesn’t bring anything extra to the side to justify a place.
In midfield I’ve gone for Carrick, Gerrard, Wright-Phillips and Lennon. The obvious ommision from the line up is Frank Lampard. Many things have been said in the Gerrard / Lampard debate and for me it has to be Gerrard. Lampard is at his best playing at the tip of a diamond and bursting into the box. Yes, the formation I’ve gone for would suit Lampard so why have I gone for Gerrard? Put simply, Gerrard is the more versatile player. If you need to change the formation during the game then Gerrard can play on the right, as the holding midfielder, behind the strikers or centrally. He is a great crosser or the ball, which is why when Lampard plays, then he gets put out wide and he does a good job on the right, however, playing him in the middle is clearly where you get the best out of him.
I’ve picked Carrick ahead of Hargreaves for his passing ability. Carrick can pick it up and spray the passes into the channels, which Rooney and Johnson will chase. Hargreaves is the man for games against the top teams for his defensive qualities and energy, but when faced with trying break down a team set up to defend, then I’d go for Carrick.
On the left and right of midfield, then Lennon and Wright-Philips have the ability to commit players and pace to burn. They are going to win free kicks and teams will want to double up on them leaving space for other players. Their starting positions are really academic, as they’d be swapping wings every 20 minutes or so to keep the opposing full backs on their toes. Both have the ability to go inside or put crosses in and Wright-Philips in particular, can score goals. He tends to shot early which doesn’t give keepers time to set themselves so they tend to parry. This can only benefit strikers with poacher’s instincts or a midfielder breaking into the box.
Up front I’ve gone for Rooney and Johnson. Johnson gets the nod over Defoe for his willingness to work the channels and he’s better in the air. Rooney has his off days for England but for me he has to start as he has the ability to link midfield with attack and can turn a game in an instant. If things get really tough then Rooney can always drop back to form a five man midfield leaving Johnson to play up front on his own which he does for Everton.
Where a manager really earns their money is when things need to be changed around during a game. As I mentioned earlier, having Gerrard in the team means that there are options without having to look at the bench. Gerrard can play on the right with Lennon moving to play behind the strikers. However, having options on the bench is essential.
Against the teams who compress the play and force England to break them down then Peter Crouch is a real asset when played alongside a striker who can play on the shoulder of the last defender. When up front on his own then England suffer as defenders just push up knowing that they can win the second ball. However, Crouch is not available to Mclaren, so what substitutes can he use?
With Darren Bent, Ashton and Owen all out then Defoe is an obvious choice up front. Lampard may not be produced it for England, but doubting his quality is foolish. Gareth Barry has been Mr Consistent for Aston Villa and can provide real width on the left of Midfield or play at left back. Although I wouldn’t play him against the weaker teams then Hargreaves deserves his place in the squad and needs to be included in England’s get-togethers particularly as he plays in the Bundersleague. Carrager is unlucky not be in the starting eleven, he is more consistent than Ferdinand and currently fitter than Terry. He misses out because I feel that you shouldn’t keep changing your central defensive partnership and Terry and Ferdinand are World class on their day. Robinson has not been great for England and looks short of confidence, but dropping him would make it worse and he does have the experience with Foster getting the nod as cover.
That just leaves one place on the bench and it goes to Dyer. Dyer is playing well at the moment and we all know what he is capable of. At international level I’d leave him on the bench instead of Wright-Philips as he can disappear in games. Wright-Philips has stood out in a Chelsea shirt recently in a side brimming with talent but what a great option Dyer makes as an impact player.
Comments welcome!
