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Naturally, Roy Hodgson could barely hide his delight at the praise he received for gambling on Andros Townsend in England’s last round of World Cup qualifiers. He might have enjoyed it so much so that he is tempted into taking more risks in future, rather uncharacteristic of a manager usually known for an overly cautious approach to the game. Few would begrudge him trying out other players in attempts to improve the squad, but fewer still will want a re-run this summer of Sven-Göran Eriksson’s decision to take a 17-year-old Theo Walcott to the 2006 World Cup, only to leave him unused throughout the tournament.
Over the coming months, Hodgson will shape his squad for next year’s competition in Brazil, and the upcoming friendlies against Chile and Germany provide a great opportunity to try out anything new that he is considering. The likes of Tom Cleverley continue to make the cut despite rather uninspiring performances at club level, and while there seems to be a rather settled group of players in Hodgson’s defence, there is certainly time for a couple of midfielders or more attack-minded players to convince the national boss that they are worthy of a late entry into his squad.
There won’t be many England fans out there crying out for a recall for Gareth Barry, but at Everton this season the on-loan Manchester City midfielder is starting to look like the player that won a big money move to City back in 2009 and went on to play a vital role in the club’s title-winning season, as well as become a regular for the national team. Ever-present since moving to Goodison Park, Barry won over the Toffees’ faithful in his first appearance, getting back to make a goal-saving block from a Samuel Eto’o effort after Tim Howard had presented the Chelsea striker with a golden chance to break the deadlock.
That his performances since the start of last season have generated no significant statistically calculated WhoScored weaknesses is indicative of an unspectacular, all-round game that Barry possesses, but with that comes little in the way of outstanding strengths. His 2.7 interceptions and 1.8 tackles per game are both useful in breaking up opposition attacks, while he is making more passes per game (68.8) than any other Everton teammate and 7th most of all players in the Premier League, doing so with a success rate of 86%. He is heavily involved in possession and also does plenty to regain control of the ball, while he is getting forward a little more than usual.
His 1.7 key passes per game is rather more than many would expect of him and he already has as many assists for Everton as he managed in his previous 21 Premier League appearances for City. He’s not going light up an England game like Townsend did, but he is a reliable option in midfield who could again prove a useful option if the Lampard-Gerrard conundrum is still problematic come June. As the fourth highest rated (7.63) Englishman this season, Barry’s performances could give Hodgson food for thought.
England captain and shoo-in for the squad Steven Gerrard is the next highest rated English midfielder, but not far behind is Aston Villa’s Fabian Delph. The performances of the Bradford-born graduate of Leeds’ academy have seen something of a campaign build up for him to be given a chance at international level, but once again a call up has evaded him. His actions have been good enough to reach an average rating of 7.48 andaccumulate strengths of ‘dribbling’, ‘interceptions’ and ‘concentration’. While the former two are a result of his ability in winning the ball back (2.3 interceptions per game) and driving forward with it (2.9 dribbles per game), the latter comes from little in the way of errors being made, which hints towards a tendency to play it safe in defensive areas.
He is a tricky customer who wins, retains and recycles possession well, but there is arguably one limitation to his game. After he has beaten a man and has options in attack, the Villa midfielder’s distribution often leaves something to be desired, while the confidence to shoot from distance that he showed at earlier stages in his career seems to have rather deserted him. Still only 23 years of age his development is far from over, and he will certainly be in with an outside chance of making it to Brazil if he maintains this level of performance for the remainder of the season.
West Ham’s Mark Noble provides another midfield option for Roy Hodgson, and he has been a key member of a West Ham team that has one of the best defensive records in the Premier League this season. Making a total of 4.5 tackles and interceptions per game, he rarely gets into attacking positions, happy to patrol the area in front of defence and moving the ball about, until, that is, a set-piece comes about. Noble is something of a dead-ball specialist, with 7 of his 11 assists in the past 5 seasons coming at set-piece situations, while he might well be a useful addition to the squad in a penalty shootout – in the same timeframe Noble has scored all 9 of his penalties. With vast competition for places in central midfield, an unglamorous option such as Noble is unlikely to get a call up, but he could be an efficient back up if needed.
The three English midfielders next up in WhoScored’s rating system have all made it into the squad, with Adam Lallana (7.29) and Jordan Henderson (7.12) doing enough to join Michael Carrick (7.2) in the squad. Lallana is the perfect player for England fans that love a player willing to get stuck in. Technically gifted, willing to go in for tackles and also an incredibly hard-worker off the ball, winning possession in the attacking third 13 times this season – 5 more than any other player. Henderson’s inclusion has surprised many, but the fact that he is one of only 8 ever-present Premier League midfielders this season shows in iteself just how much his pedigree has risen in recent years.
Meanwhile, there have been calls in some quarters for young Saido Berahino to be given a chance, though after only two Premier League starts it is almost certainly too soon for him. He does however, have a fantastic impact from the bench, attaining a better average rating as a substitute (6.81) this season than any of the other 39 players with at least 4 sub appearances. Goals against Manchester United and Crystal Palace made the Premier League take note, and maybe, just maybe, he’ll get the chance to grab the world’s attention next summer.
