IN INTERNATIONAL football it is sometimes dangerous to size up people on the basis of their club record or appearances. History is full of players who do surprisingly well for their countries and the success of one particular type will give Roy Hodgson hope: the giant striker.
Until Wayne Rooney is available for the final group match, against Ukraine, the lead role in Roy’s attack looks likely to be taken by Andy Carroll and tournament football might just suit England’s latest No 9.
France, their first opponents, will remember target men from the past such as Nat Lofthouse, Tommy Taylor, Bob Latchford. They’ll think of Mark Hateley, who excelled in the French league with Monaco. They might think England have gone back in time by picking Carroll and not be overly concerned if he lines up against them.
Sweden’s central defenders Olof Mellberg and Jonas Olsson have played in the English game and will think themselves used to the kind of the challenge Carroll will present, so they might be relaxed if he is on Roy’s team sheet.
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But in international games players can open your eyes. Carroll scored four Premier League goals last season and might seem a throwback but some big strikers who don’t fit the look of an international player have ended up being key men for their countries. The one I always think of is Jan Koller.
You had a Czech Republic team full of silky footballers such as Pavel Nedved and Patrik Berger and then what seemed like a big diddy hanging about up front. Yet Koller, who was nearly 6ft 8in, turned out to be a serious player and his record for the Czechs was incredible. By the time he retired in 2009 he had become one of that rare group of players to score more than 50 international goals. His club career was good — he played for Borussia Dortmund, Anderlecht and Monaco — but never matched his ratio of 55 strikes in 91 appearances for the Czechs.
Peter Crouch, of course, has scored at the rate of a goal every other game in internationals. Nicola Zigic has done well for Serbia. In the European championship you think of Angelos Charisteas, the great big Greek who scored the only goal in the Euro 2004 final. In that tournament he also headed a winner to knock out France.
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I’m not quite sure why so many big strikers have been surprise hits at the elite level but maybe it is because a lot of goals are scored from set-pieces and in international football teams tend to want to build up from the back; they’re not expecting many high balls and when those arrive it’s a shock. To get the best from Carroll, England must knock it from back to front quite directly. They need to be hitting Carroll with the ball so people can run off him. A slower build-up won’t suit and England have to ask themselves: “Do we mind playing this style?”
Would England accept winning a little “ugly”? Maybe Chelsea’s triumphs in the Champions League against Barcelona and Bayern Munich have prepared the ground: you don’t have to play exuberant, stylish football to succeed. It got people asking: “Is it enough just to win?”
Roy is such an experienced and practical coach and he has looked at England’s resources, with Wayne out, Darren Bent injured and Danny Welbeck a doubt, and concluded Carroll is his best hope.
In his first training session as England manager he was overheard telling players “Don’t be afraid to use your big man”, and he has no fears of pursuing that policy.
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I reckon he’s right. I’ve always thought Carroll has got it in him. He will be a worry to any team at set-plays and, if England get the ball up and around the opposition box, in positions from where they can deliver crosses.
Given you might play other teams with a Mesut Ozil or a Robin van Persie in their attacks, I don’t think the French or Swedes will feel unduly nervous when they see Carroll coming short to flick the ball on and of course with flick-ons there’s always an element of hopefulness: “I hope this goes to the right person.”
But the examples of Koller and Charisteas show you can underestimate the big man at your peril. Opponents who don’t know Carroll will be more worried about him in the air and might not realise that if you give him room on his left he has a fantastic shot — it’s a sledgehammer, that left foot.
When Wayne is back England will play a different game with him at the centre, passing the ball into his feet and getting him to turn and dictate the attacking. As Roy says, he’s one of the best “second strikers” in the world. A combination of Carroll and Wayne would allow England to mix it up, playing long and short. Welbeck offers another option, a striker who plays more down the sides, looking to drift wide and come infield. He likes to be played through and use his pace.
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Ashley Young has emerged as an important part of England’s attack. It’s important for midfield players to have a forward they can trust to receive a pass and be their link. Young did this very well in last weekend’s game against Norway.
He’s quite elusive and what he offers is a bit of flexibility. If Roy wants to change tactics mid-game, he can slide Young out to the right and bring James Milner inside to be a third midfielder.
While Young will never be a prolific centre-forward, he is a lovely finisher with a nice way of stroking home his shots. A record of six goals in nine games for England (before last night’s match against Belgium at Wembley) demonstrates his growing influence.
In midfield, now Frank Lampard and Gareth Barry are out, a lot rests on Steven Gerrard — but a lot has always rested on Steven Gerrard in any team he’s played for. He needs an anchor player alongside him, somebody who will be defensive-minded when England don’t have the ball and give Gerrard scope to do what he does best, which is to get forward, create and score.
I see Scott Parker as an excellent foil for Gerrard and England need the Spurs midfielder to return to full fitness after his Achilles problems.
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Jordan Henderson replaced Lampard but maybe he’s too similar to Gerrard for them to be the right partnership in a two-man midfield — Henderson also wants to get forward. He does offer an influx of energy, though.
I feel if Jack Rodwell had been fit, he would have been a perfect player to come in. Milner might now have to play in central midfield at times. Phil Jones is the other option — he looked very good there against Sweden in November.
I’m delighted Phil Jagielka is now a part of the 23-man squad. As I’ve been saying for a while, Jags offers something different from England’s other defenders: he has a great change of direction and is a very fast centre-half over short distances. That makes him ideal to combat the kind of quick, clever forwards you face at international level.
Jags will also be a good tourist. He’s matured in his personality and improved his training during his time at Everton. Phil Neville has been a great guide for him and we’re looking, in the long term, for our next captain after Phil goes. Jags can take over the mantle and I wouldn’t be surprised if he is a starter for England by the end of the tournament.