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| 2 of the main forward options, Sturridge and Rooney, look to kick off for England |
In the season before the World cup everyone will be looking
at England’s chances of bringing the trophy home for the 1st time
since ’66. These chances will rest heavily on someone stepping into the number
9 shirt and scoring consistently for the 3 lions. I will be attempting to
identify this man, and other options available to Roy Hodgson.
Wayne Rooney
When mentioning currently great English strikers Wayne Rooney
is the man top of that list. He is widely considered England’s only world class
player. By his own high standards his last season was mediocre in front of
goal, netting 12 times in 27 appearances. This can be attributed to due to the fact he didn’t
receive as much game time as the main striker at United, RVP. Rooney was subbed
off in 1/3 of his appearance and made a further 5 off the bench. His chance
conversion of 18.2% wasn’t amazing but his chance creation should be noted.
Rooney was 1 of 4 me to score ad assist 10 plus goals (Cazorla, Mata and
Walcott the 3 others). This coupled with
his high passing accuracy could see hi drop into the number 10 role behind the
main striker.
Rickie Lambert
Not the most flashy or attractive name but he did finish as
the top English scorer in his debut premier league season. He will be hoping to
replicate his performances last season and force his way into the England side.
4 of his 15 goals came from his head and his aerial prowess would be of use to
England if Hodgson decides he wants the team to play that way. His chance
conversion of 19% is slightly better than Rooney’s. His lack of top level
experience will count against him.
Adam le Fondre
Le Fondre is the stereotypical ‘fox in the box’, with all of
his 12 goals coming from within the 18 yard box. He made most off his Reading appearances off
the bench and could do the same in an England shirt. His conversion rate of
24.5 is very high, he’s also 50% from inside the 6 yard box from 14 chances. He’s
not a bad passer of the ball either, maintaining an accuracy of 72%. Again his
lack of experience against the highest standard of opposition will count
against him,
Daniel Sturridge
Sturridge scored a total of 11 premier league goals last
year. 10 of these came in his 14 appearances after his move to Liverpool. If
his continues this form into next season it will be hard for Hodgson to not
start him. His pace would be useful against high lines that will be undoubtedly
be deployed in the world cup. This coupled with his chance conversion of 18.9%
means he has to be at the forefront of Hodgson’s thoughts. His pass accuracy of
85% will also be a positive factor.
Jermain Defoe
Jermain Defoe has been a regular in Roy Hodgson’s England,
making appearances in 8 out of the 17 games since Hodgson has been manager. He
scored 11 premier league goals last season at a low conversion rate of 13.9%. He
is renowned for his desire to shoot from anywhere and not contributing to all
round play. This style of forward play isn’t what England want or need during
the world cup, against teams that will monopolise possession.
Andy Carroll
Although his style of play isn’t to everyone’s liking he has
a role and executes it well. He is a throwback to the more physical eras of the
game and uses every inch of his 6 ft 3 inch frame efficiently. His dominance in
the air was evident last season, winning almost 10 headers per game at a success
rate of 65%. He missed a sizeable chunk of last season through injury and will
need to prove his fitness to be part of the England squad. He will also need to
reproduce the goal scoring form he showed during the 2010-11 season to cement
his position, scoring 13 premier league goals.
Conclusion
Including those mentioned above there are several other
options that Hodgson has available to him. Danny Welbeck has scored 1 every 3
games for his country but had an awful season in front of goal last season for
United, scoring once in 27 appearances. Some would argue that Welbeck has only
scored 1 goal of importance for England, scoring 2 in friendlies and 2 against
San Marino. Other names Hodgson should be monitoring are those of Gary Hooper
and Charlie Austin. Hooper has now arrived in the premier league and will
partner Van Wolfswinkel upfront for Norwich. Austin was on his way to the prem
until he failed a medical at Hull and has now moved on to QPR. Both have an eye
for goal; Hooper scoring 19 and Austin, 25 in their respective leagues last
season.
England could go into the world cup as a genuine threat if 2
or 3 of those mentioned above perform to their capabilities in the league ad
reproduce it on the world stage in the summer months.
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