CHRIS SUTTON: STURRIDGE NEEDS TO BE MORE SELFISH
IF Daniel Sturridge is going to continue leading the line for England, he needs to be more selfish.
He played far too deep against Malta and kept getting involved in the linkup play in the wide areas.
That’s not what you want from your No 9. You need him to get in between the centre halves and make those movements in behind. It is far too easy for defenders if the centre forward is always in front of them.
If the ball is shifted quickly from one side to the other and a cross comes in behind the back line, you need your centre forward in between the posts ready to pounce.
Sturridge is an intelligent footballer. He likes to link up and has tremendous awareness. He took his goal exceptionally well, meeting a perfectly weighted cross from Liverpool team-mate Jordan Henderson with a great header.
But this is international football and surely Sturridge has to understand the role he is playing.
He is not being picked as a No 10 or a forward who comes in off the wide areas — he needs to take responsibility as a No 9 and offer the threat that a centre forward should offer.
It would be interesting to know what Gareth Southgate told him. The manager cannot just let his centre forward go out and play how he wants in the final third — players need clear instruction.
Can you argue that Sturridge did enough to justify starting against Slovenia? Possibly not as a No 9, although he did get his goal.
Tomorrow will be a different game. At no stage on Saturday did Malta look like taking a risk to get back in the game. With so many men behind the ball, Sturridge did not have the spaces to exploit.
Southgate still has a decision to make, though. If it was me, I’d go for Jamie Vardy or Marcus Rashford through the middle because of the threat they offer in behind.