Left back or going?
Hodgson’s choices for Rio
For those of us who cut our football teeth in the pre-Premier League era, the English game was an altogether simpler affair. Centre backs were huge beasts who fed on the blood of skinny forwards with mullets, midfielders roamed muddy wastelands in search of ankles to gnaw and attackers were divided into two clearly defined camps – big ‘uns and little ‘uns. Tactics? They were left to the mathematicians and the likes of Charles Hughes and other long ball proponents.
Nowhere was the game more brutally simple than at full-back, where the incumbent was usually either too slow to be a winger, too awkward to be a midfielder or too house-trained to be a centre-back. And if full-back was the runt of the litter, left-back was even more unloved, with the only qualification necessary often being the ability to use one’s left foot for anything other than standing on. Even being left-handed could have got you the nod in certain teams.
But these days, it’s not just the financial landscape that has changed beyond recognition. While our midfielders might not be playing the possession game we’d like and our strikers might not be up there with Messi and Ronaldo, it’s somewhat startling that English football finds itself in the luxurious position of having four highly competent left-backs who wouldn’t look out of place in any sophisticated football line-up.Without wishing to denigrate his leadership skills, it is time to forget the crude physicality of the likes of Stuart Pearce, because England’s current crop of left backs are the last word in continental sophistication. But who should get the nod for Brazil? Is it time for a changing of the guard? Here are the contenders:
Ashley Cole
(Age 33, Caps 106) Naturally, the daddy of them all is Ashley Cole. Forget all the off-the-field stuff that has plagued him since he first left Arsenal, Cole is the one English player of the last decade who had the skill, composure, tactical nous and athleticism to make him truly world class in his position. He also has the caps and gongs to prove it.Very rarely outwitted, Cole brings an assuredness to his team that will be invaluable once his colleagues are sweating under the glare of the spotlights in the World Cup fishbowl. Despite not being a regular for Chelsea and despite being warned by Roy Hodgson that his place is under threat, the bottom line is that the World- Cup is no place for novice defenders and England might be very grateful for his experience in June.
leighton baines
(Age 29, Caps 23) The Everton flyer is clearly the coming man and appears to have overtaken Cole with his stunning form in recent seasons. Obviously, his former Goodison boss David Moyes is a huge fan and he must have been cursing his luck when the Blues persuaded Baines to commit his future to Goodison Park for four more years in January.
But is Brazil too soon? It is one thing to do the business in the Premier League in the comfort of your hometown club, but quite another to cope with the harsh Press that scrutinise every aspect of the Team England experience and it is questionable whether Baines would do better than Cole in this regard. Also worth mentioning is the fact that at 29, Baines is not the long-term solution, but arguably he can look forward to a starting berth in the European Championship qualification campaign in the autumn. But, as far as Brazil goes, it will take something pretty special in the build-up to convince Hodgson to jettison Cole.
luke shaw
(Age 18, Caps 1)
The Southampton starlet has enjoyed a meteoric rise since bursting onto the Premier League scene last season. An exciting prospect going forward, he is gaining the necessary craftsmanship that marks him out as the long-term successor to Cole as England’s firstchoice on the left of defence. Brazil is too soon for Shaw to make an impact and is certainly no place to blood a defender, but a place in the squad might give him a good taster for future tournaments. Key to Shaw’s development is what happens with his Saints boss, Mauricio Pochettino, once the season ends. If Pochettino walks, it might mark the break-up of the young Southampton side and it is imperative that Shaw ends up somewhere where he is guaranteed a game on a regular basis or else he faces the fate of the next guy on this list.
ryan bertrand
(Age 24. Caps 2)
Chelsea’s Ryan Bertrand signed for Aston Villa on loan during the January transfer window as a means to getting himself back on track. Clearly, it is too late for Bertrand to make an impact with Brazil in mind, short of a sudden burst of spectacular virtuoso displays between now and the end of the season but the hope is that with regular playing time, he will become a contender once more. Of course, Bertrand rose to prominence with his astonishingly calm display when thrown in at the deep end in Chelsea’s Champions League victory over Bayern Munich in 2012, but since then he has slipped down the pecking order at Stamford Bridge and might find that a permanent move is needed to reignite his youthful promise.
Kieran Gibbs
(Age 24. Caps: 3)
Gibbs was schooled in a fine tradition of gifted Arsenal left-backs that began with Cole and continued with French international Gael Clichy. A stylish and consistent performer, at the time of writing, Gibbs has made 70 firstteam appearances in the last two seasons, which suggests he has cemented a regular role at the Emirates. At the moment he has a low profile in terms of the international scene but his England call-up earlier this season shows that he is still in Roy Hodgson’s thoughts. But it would be a major shock if he got the nod for the World Cup squad and it’s more likely he will have to look to the Euros for his chance to
compete to take the shirt on a regular basis.
Danny Rose
(Age 23, Caps: 4 for GB Olympic team)
After starting out at Leeds, Rose has taken the loan route to the top, serving his time with Watford, Peterborough, Bristol City and Sunderland. He made the GB Olympic team and then enjoyed a fruitful season at the Stadium of Light before being called back to White Hart Lane after the sale of Gareth Bale. But although he has featured regularly for the firstteam, this season seems to be one of consolidation, perhaps not helped by the influx of new players and the change of manager. While Rose is not on the England radar for the immediate future, it would be foolish to write him off just yet.
With a fairly inexperienced central defensive partnership on the cards, it is likely Roy Hodgson would prefer to opt for the experience of Cole and that’s certainly no bad thing. It’s definitely a damn sight better than the days when Mark Dennis was being talked up for an England cap, but it might give one cause for regret –never mind the left backs, where are the strikers?