STERLING’S VALUE ON RISE FOR ROY
Raheem’s form tests Hodgson’s cautious approach
ROY HODGSON was never going to kick back, relax and buy a new Ferrari like a man in the throes of a mid-life crisis.
Not for nothing does Hodgson have the demeanour of a sensible suburban bank manager. He is careful when assessing risk and meticulous in analysing the pros and cons.
The trouble is, last month he enthused England with the squad of young payers he picked for this World Cup and in doing so possibly created unrealistic expectations.
Suddenly a man who has spent his life committed to the idea that organisation and good shape were the basis of any good football team was expected to play with the attacking abandon of Johan Cruyff’s Holland.
Witness the clamour for Ross Barkley after his exhilarating run and dummy to set up Rickie Lambert’s goal against Ecuador last week. For pointing out the failings of his firsthalf performance, Hodgson was in danger of being seen as a killjoy, stifling his expressive youths.
The narrative around England has turned into a false dichotomy. You are either a cavalier or roundhead. To suggest that Barkley needs to be careful in possession, to learn more about the job he has to do to prevent a team counter-attacking on him, is to be repressed.
Barkley’s first-half performance against Ecuador means he has almost no chance of starting against Italy; his second-half performance and that run means he has every chance of being used as a substitute. There are shades of grey, which Steven Gerrard identified when discussing the excitement surrounding the young players in the squad.
‘If I look back and compare each tournament I’ve played in, I don’t think there’s been as much pace around as there is now,’ he said. ‘And we haven’t even got Theo Walcott with us — with him we’d probably be the quickest team I’ve ever played in. A lot of the young lads and even the lads who’ve been around it for a while can run very fast.
‘But as Roy says, there’s no use having that if you don’t defend properly, so it’s important the defenders are quick and the midfielders are quick, certainly when we’re closing the ball down. So it is a good tool to have. We have got players who are a little bit unknown. But it’s about how the team perform over the three games as to whether we get out of the group, not just about having pace.’
The real debate surrounding Saturday’s fixture, now Alex OxladeChamberlain is ruled out, will be over Raheem Sterling. Interestingly, the 19-year-old has demonstrated that he has the energy and tactical intelligence to follow instructions for Liverpool. And at present, no one can touch him in training in Miami.
On Friday he skipped past defenders, looked sharp and finished well. Sadly, he had to miss last night’s game against Honduras after his dismissal for his rash challenge against Ecuador. But there is little doubt Sterling will be unleashed on the world this month and if he maintains his current momentum it will even be difficult to leave him out against Italy. Remember, Hodgson is the man who gambled on the likes of Barkley in the first place. He is not averse to a dash of youthful exuberance.
‘I agree with Steve — there has been an emergence of these very exciting players who have got incredible pace, they have got good physical power and also they have got good technique,’ said Hodgson.
‘The only thing they actually lack is Steve’s 100 caps. But they are only going to get 100 caps if they play.
‘So I think that’s given us an advantage but I will continue to bang on that, yes, they are exciting; yes, you watch Raheem Sterling in training and think: “Blimey, that’s fantastic. Look what he can do”.
‘But it’s still another matter to go out there in Manaus against Italy and play 90 minutes and make a few mistakes early on or have a clever Italian player play in a way he finds a little bit difficult. He will learn from that. He will become better for it. But I am a bit concerned at the moment there is a mood of: “Let’s get rid of anybody who is not 18, 19 years of age” and go flying at the opposition from the start.
‘It’s about a balance. It’s getting the balance right between defending and attacking, and when you are attacking make sure you cover yourself for the counter-attacks. We didn’t always do that brilliantly against Ecuador.’
There is no doubt that Hodgson wants to let his kids run free over the next two-and-a-half weeks. Clearly it is a better squad than England had in 2010 precisely because of the presence of so much youth.
It is arguably a better squad than 2006 as well, which contained many more established names than this one but, given that Michael Owen had slowed and Wayne Rooney was unfit, none that looked like beating a man one on one.
However, the youngsters who start will be those who can demonstrate the discipline to adhere to the team’s shape. Creativity flourishes within a structure in Hodgson’s mind.
At present the side who started against Peru at Wembley nine days ago would be Hodgson’s first choice. There was a degree of caution about England that night, unnecessary when facing Peru. But it was a dry run for the Italy game, the positioning and tactics being those that will be required to take on Andrea Pirlo, Mario Balotelli and Co.
Hodgson singled out Danny Welbeck for praise that night, even though many felt he had played poorly. That was because Welbeck can deliver what Hodgson wants in terms of combining attacking threat with defensive discipline. He has a sense of the dangers around him as well as a desire to get forward.
Paul Scholes, who suggested Welbeck could do a job on Pirlo, the scourge of England in Euro 2012, when Italy almost passed England to death, was half right.
Welbeck probably will be needed — the last place is probably between him and Sterling — but Hodgson has a corporate plan for Pirlo and the Italian midfield.
The Italians present a rare tactical problem in that their width comes almost entirely from their fullbacks. They could start with five midfielders, none of whom would operate on the wing. Like a slightly less well-oiled version of Barcelona’s passing carousel, they can slowly strangle a team with their domination of possession.
Though Hodgson hates possession statistics, Italy had 64 per cent against England in 2012. Repeat that
in Manaus and England will be run into the ground.
But with the energy of Welbeck or Sterling, Adam Lallana and a fitter Rooney to harry the likes of Pirlo, Marco Verratti and Daniele de Rossi, England will be confident Italy will not have it so easy this time.
The debate over Rooney as No 10 or left-side attacker is likely to become a moot point. Those three players are likely to rotate their positions and all of them will have to work together to ensure Italy do not have a comfort zone in which to pass the ball.
Gerrard is hopeful. ‘I do feel this squad are better (than 2012). The standard from maybe Nos 11-23 has improved. I do believe we have better impact players this time round. So that gives me a bit more confidence going into this game.’
Exuberance is out, though. Asked if he had given winning the World Cup any thought, Gerrard said: ‘You’re dreaming, aren’t you? I’m not sure if Roy has but I’ve certainly dreamed of winning the World Cup. But they’re just dreams. There’s no point in letting your mind wander too far ahead. There are games before that. We’ve got to try to get out of the group — and that’s where my mind is wandering to at the moment.’