Defence is best form of attack
ALL the talk about England is centred around who plays up front, but two of Roy Hodgson’s best attacking players are already on the team sheet for tomorrow’s crucial final game against Slovakia.
In the first two Group B matches, Kyle Walker and Danny Rose have looked like experienced internationals, often having more touches in the opposition half than their more offensive team-mates.
In the full-back areas, Hodgson has an abundance of talent, but the two Tottenham stars have impressed everyone with their confidence and athleticism.
In the football of today, full-backs are pushed further forward, often creating an overload on the flanks, with the wide midfield player frequently coming inside to play off the striker or behind the opponent’s midfield.
By attacking high up the pitch, however, modern full-backs cannot cover their centre-backs when having to defend, so someone like Eric Dier, who can slot into a defensive position, should a centre-back be pulled out wide, is invaluable.
Yet, while both Walker and Rose get forward so often, they also have a strong defensive mentality and high energy to get back into position quickly.
Before the tournament, both Walker and Rose would not have been in my first choice starting XI, but they have grabbed their chances spectacularly, and the partnership between Walker and Adam Lallana, down England’s right, has been extremely exciting and dynamic; most of Lallana’s goal-scoring chances have been created by Walker’s surging runs.
On the other side, however, Rose (below) should have a different partner tomorrow, as Raheem Sterling will surely be omitted from the XI that starts against Slovakia.
If anything, Rose has been the less adventurous of the two, simply because Sterling has not provided Rose with any consistency of possession.
Hodgson has a nice selection problem: to start Jamie Vardy and Daniel Sturridge, or even find a place for Marcus Rashford?
But Walker and Rose have ensured that attack is the best form of any defence – even England’s!