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Has Roy Hodgson got the strongest England squad of recent times?

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Phil Jagielka has been Hodgson’s favoured option in the three World Cup qualifiers since John Terry became unavailable – through injury and then international retirement.  The Everton defender looks progressively more comfortable on the highest stage and, barring any setback with his recuperation from a gashed ankle, will be on hand when England reconvene for post-season friendlies against the Republic of Ireland and Brazil.

The pairing of Smalling and Jones was the standout feature of an otherwise lacklustre England Under-21 side’s showing at the European Championship finals in Denmark two years ago.  When this year’s class head for the same tournament in Israel, Craig Dawson, currently on loan at Bolton from West Bromwich Albion, is capable of making a similar impression.

The statistic of the week for those seeking to paint a picture of gloom regarding England’s defensive fragility, is that Hodgson had only 16 centre-halves to choose from whose top-flight appearances this term have reached double figures.

That contrasts with a figure of 32 ten years ago, and 48 a further decade before that.  Surely, however, this is a reflection of a club game which features far greater movement of players between countries than previously.  The Premier League is richer for its array of imports, and provides a more exacting challenge for the Englishmen who have the requisite quality to breakthrough.

Gary Neville, Hodgson’s assistant and one of the most respected voices in the current game, spoke this week of how readily the English football fraternity will overlook the particular strengths we boast at any one time.  Speaking about the raft of attacking options available to the present manager Neville said;

“People always talk about a lack of everything with England – a lack of this, a lack of that, not enough this, not enough that – the reality is that there are good forwards.

“The likes of (Daniel) Sturridge and (Danny) Welbeck, (Wayne) Rooney, (Jermain) Defoe, (Andy) Carroll, there’s lots of them, and you could argue you look around the teams in the world (and) there’d be quite a lot of teams that would like to pinch one or two of those”.

Not mentioned in Neville’s eulogy was the further bona fide variety of attacking talent at Hodgson’s disposal offered by Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, Ashley Young, Theo Walcott, Aaron Lennon, and Peter Crouch.

Pushing hard for first caps are the Swansea City pair, Nathan Dyer and Wayne Routledge, as well as Southampton’s Rickie Lambert.  Wilfried Zaha and Raheem Sterling, both of whom have been handed full England debuts by Hodgson, sparkled for the Under 21 team in this week’s friendly victory over Romania.

The renewed availability of West Brom’s goalkeeper Ben Foster, and the precocious ability of soon to be Stoke City Number 1 Jack Butland will provide the desired competition to Joe Hart’s hitherto unquestioned first choice status between the posts.

In the full back positions Leighton Baines is a real threat to the exceptional Ashley Cole’s future England prospects.  On the right, Glenn Johnson’s and Kyle Walker’s two way fight for a shirt is likely to be disturbed by the fast maturing Carl Jenkinson, and Southampton’s dazzling prospect Nathaniel Clyne.

A glut of midfield class has Jack Wilshere, potentially the finest English player of this generation, as its head.  Indeed, it is the Arsenal man whose absence may be most lamented in the cauldron of the Podgorica City Stadium next Tuesday.

That is not to suggest this is an area where England are light, simply that any team in world football is harmed by the enforced omission of its most prominent performers.  Spain would not function as effectively without Xaxi or Andres Iniesta, or Germany if deprived of Bastian Schweinsteiger, or Italy shorn of Andrea Pirlo or Daniele De Rossi.

While a fit Wilshere will give rise for huge optimism surrounding our national team, his engine room counterparts; Tom Cleverley, Steven Gerrard, Frank Lampard, James Milner, Scott Parker, Michael Carrick and Leon Osman form a blend of goals, creativity, endeavour, energy, guile and intelligence.  Don’t discount the imminent international claims of the Saints’ Adam Lallana, or those of Chelsea’s Nathaniel Chalobah whose colossal displays on loan at Watford during the Hornets tilt at promotion out of the Championship have belied his tender 18 years.

Perhaps we should be grateful for the introspection indulged in by our football media consequent to the mini-saga around Ferdinand.  It has provided the perfect opportunity to ponder a heartening concept.  Roy Hodgson might be selecting from the strongest group of England players for some considerable time.

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  • wise says:

    England team not better or stronger than past team,
    just more confident , experienced and ready to win.

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