VARDY’S HAVING A WEDDING PARTY!
JAMIE VARDY was the best man as England beat Turkey 2-1 yesterday — but will miss the next Euro 2016 warm-up match to be a groom. The Leicester striker hit an 83rdminute winner for Roy Hodgson’s men after Harry Kane’s opener at the Etihad Stadium, but won’t face Australia on Friday as he marries fiancee Becky Nicholson this week. Hodgson said: ‘The public might be surprised, but it is because he had to cancel the wedding last year.’
JACK Wilshere lay on the floor clutching his ankle in the 37th minute and the etihad stadium held its breath. surely not again? Please not again. luckily for Wilshere, and england, it was a false alarm.
it wasn’t a particularly pleasant tackle from Caner erkin, but what does he care? indeed, what sympathy will russia, england’s first euro 2016 opponents show to Wilshere’s ankles, next month? The answer’s pretty obvious. it’s a problem Wilshere must deal with. For as long as he’s england manager, roy hodgson must cope with it too.
Once the european Championship starts, Wilshere’s card will be marked. Or more pertinently, his ankles will be.
Thankfully, but for that brief scare, Wilshere emerged from his latest run-out unscathed.
he lasted 66 minutes against Turkey, taking his season tally to 207 minutes of game time.
‘i feel good and 100 per cent,’ said the 24-year-old after the 2-1 victory. ‘i’ve been back training for seven or eight weeks. i’ve not played 90 minutes yet but i’ve played a few games for the first team and i’m looking to improve.’
Peculiarly, the Arsenal midfielder started in an advanced central midfield role, with eric Dier slotting into the deep-lying berth hodgson has earmarked Wilshere for this summer. he was comfortable if unconvincing at the etihad. in contrast, Dier impressed in the role.
Yet, a dazzling run past three Turkey players in the 23rd minute illustrated exactly why hodgson’s pinned his hopes on Wilshere being fit this summer. it was powerful, yet effortless, treating the opposition as mannequins before firing a low shot narrowly wide.
in such moments you realise why hodgson has so much faith in Wilshere despite his lack of football. Yesterday, however, those moments were few and far between. Maybe he was trying too hard, looking for the ball at every opportunity when he should have let the ball find him. Wilshere can rest easy, though. Barring another injury nightmare, he’ll be in hodgson’s final 23-man squad. right now, performances aren’t necessarily the priority for Wilshere and hodgson.
it’s games. Minutes. Wilshere’s legs need football ahead of the tournament, and that’s what he will get in the forthcoming games against Australia and Portugal.
But the big question for hodgson is whether Wilshere starts against the russians on June 11. For so long hodgson believed the Gunners midfielder was his only option in the deep lying central-midfield role he views as pivotal to his tournament blueprint.
The emergence of Dier, though, has given hodgson — and of course — Wilshere a problem. Dier, yet again, exuded confidence in an england shirt. he touched the ball 86 times, more than any other england player.
he was economical, too, with an impressive pass completion percentage of 87 percent.
in contrast, Wilshere had just 31 touches of the ball.
hodgson adores the technical qualities Wilshere adds to the area just in front of his back four, his ability to dictate play from deep.
There was a time when hodgson believed no one at his disposal could do the job better than Wilshere.
Dier, however, has shown he too can fill the role as england’s string puller. The question for hodgson is, does he feel Dier is a more accomplished puppet master?