'Coxon's Comments' #12 'Choose Your Lions Part 2'

The second part of my 23 man squad for the England national team going to the 2018 World Cup in Russia is going to be based on the attacking part of the team, the midfield and strikers. Personally I feel the current selection to choose from has more attacking qualities than it does defensive, but even still on paper there’s not a lot of choice and many of the squad will have question marks over them. Granted, the first team will be a strong formidable team to come up against but in terms of a squad, do we have the required strength and depth? I feel we do but only if brave decisions are made, one being having an active plan B ready to bring on or start a game with when a team will not expect that, but before I reveal what I feel is England’s secret weapon, lets get into the core, the midfield of England, once spoiled for choice we now seem to be placing our hopes on semi fit players praying they can last a full 90 minutes.

My Midfielders:

Jordan Henderson ©
Dele Alli
Raheem Sterling
Jesse Lingard
Ruben Loftus-Cheek
James Milner
Jonjo Shelvey
James Ward-Prowse

I think the man to lead England into this new chapter for the national team should be Jordan Henderson. Never the most naturally gifted of players but he has a drive and passion I’ve not seen emanate from a player in quite some time, and that rubs off on players around him. They see he may not have been born with the ability to do anything he wanted in football but through hard work and desire he’s managed to become captain of Liverpool and on numerous occasions, captain of England. For me he's now the first name on the team sheet due to the solidity he brings into games and not many more can deliver a ball into the box like he can.

The flip side to Henderson, a mirror opposite of you like, you have Deli Alli; a player with all the ability but also a questionable attitude, be it popping up in the media for some unwanted videos or on the pitch antics, such as diving or to letting his temper take control from time to time, but this is a young man who’s career is only beginning and currently has outscored and assisted any of the ‘golden generation’ at the same age or same amount of games played in their Premier League careers. For Ali it's all about finding that balance and making that attacking midfield role his own for England. 

Raheem Sterling is a no-brainer for me a player who year on year adds to his game, he’s won a title and is into double figures for goals and assists this season, has to start along Alli but a question will be asked is he going to be given a free role or start on the left, that’s something for a starting XI debate!

Then comes the Manchester United’s Jesse Lingard, who I just cant make my mind up on. He’s not 20-23 and an up and coming prodigy, but a 25 year old player in and out of the 2nd best team in the country, and for me he’s an impact player. He is one that will come on and cause havoc but isn’t a starter because he just seems to be missing the presence you feel Alli brings to the side. I think Lingard is a better individual than he is a team player, he deserves to be in the squad because of his contribution this season. Not too many have had a good solid season as Lingard although infrequently picked, when playing, he delivers. A small dynamic player like him can be useful. 

Onto the next selection, a giant of an attacker, Ruben Loftus-Cheek, a player who’s left the stalemate of the Chelsea youth ranks behind him to find regular first team football, even if it is only a loan. He has become an integral part of Crystal Palace’s survival this year, and a debut display for his country against the world champions was enough to wet people's appetites for what’s to come. I only hope he stays fit and can find a team built round him in the future to really cement his position on the pitch, because for me I’m still uncertain on whether he plays best in the pocket, as a box to box player or even when he played as a striker for Chelsea all have been good performances and were all eye-catching displays but again, he adds a dimension to England in the final minutes of games. At 6’3 and possessing plenty of strength, in the box he can only be an advantage for us this summer.

A lot of the previous players have been unknowns or players who blow hot and cold, but there’s no doubt about what you’ll get from James Milner. As Mr Reliable, it’s a shame he felt the need to retire but I feel he should make the decision to return to international football and take a place on the plane to Russia. In Europe’s top competition this season, the Champions League, he has broken the assists record and still has one game left, which is of course, the final. It’s a shame James Milner is 32, he’s been playing since the age of 16 but has always been in the 'golden generation's' shadow and in effect has never been given the recognition I've felt he deserved. It's hard to think of a game where James Milner was one of the worst players on the pitch, even when playing Left Back he has been superb. He’s the ultimate utility player capable of any job asked, a rarity in the modern game and a gem at international level. Because of this he needs to go for the sake of getting the best out of every other player around him. He’s a player that will sacrifice so much to ensure victory and would cover every blade of grass on that pitch if asked too. He's a man that leads by example and one that could help mould this young squad's mentality into that of hard work and team play. But it’s a hard feat to coax a player out of retirement; hopefully it is something that Gareth Southgate is willing to attempt.

I suppose for every work horse there is a luxury player, and I think this time around we can afford at least one, a player that can unlock a defence with one dink of a ball or side foot pass with the perfect amount of power to land at an attacker's feet with just the goalkeeper to beat; it may raise an eyebrow, but I feel that player can be Newcastle's Jonjo Shelvey. Somewhat of a divisive figure, a player whose ability is very rarely questioned but attitude more so, but this is a player who has visibly changed his ways. He hasn’t been booked in the league since December 2017, and having played 30+ games that’s some good control of his temperament so its almost as if that question mark about his emotional side of the game has been quashed, but at the same time it also raises a point of how come Shelvey is almost black listed for a red card at the beginning of the season and always dismissed by England supporters due to some past antics when in the last campaign a player's track record has never been brought up; be it from testing positive for drugs, having a fight with an opposition fan or even stealing a vehicle while intoxicated? This all by one player who seems to have been given a free pass, Jake Livermore. I think if Jonjo Shelvey is going to be left out of a squad on his behavioral past then so should a lot of the current squad and a lot of the players mentioned and a few of the ones to come would not be available for selection. I feel it's time the media, the public and the national team reevaluate their view on Shelvey and don’t let the best passer currently available for selection miss out on a seat to Russia. We all regret what happened with Paul Scholes' England career, often being shunted over to the left of midfield at times; let's not make the same mistake again.

My final midfield maestro is James Ward-Prowse, a dead ball specialist and a technically sound player able to perform the more harder tasks of a midfield role. He is still only 23 years old and has made the same amount of appearances, scored more goals and made more assists than Jack Wilshere, the latter being three years his senior. Why has he never been picked at senior international level? It is a burning question for many. He's a player who has made 31 appearances for his country at U-21 level and should surely be able to make the next step. I think Gareth Southgate was a little naive in giving Lewis Cook an England cap and not Ward-Prowse there’s few players at under 23 level playing 30+ games for their club season after season and I feel his service to a team that year in year out gets decimated by their best players leaving but also retaining his own place should be rewarded and given a chance. The ‘lesser clubs’ if you must call them that seem to produce the big clubs stars of the future, and I feel James Ward-Prowse’s time in an England shirt will come, but I hope it will be for this World Cup as a player who can come on and pinpoint an accurate cross into the box and put the opposition under some pressure.

Strikers:

Harry Kane
Jamie Vardy
Marcus Rashford
Andy Carroll

Well it took a little miracle from Egypt to stop Harry Kane sealing a third consecutive Golden Boot Award for being The Premier League's top scorer, so close yet so far for a player once dubbed a ‘one season wonder’. Now though, he’s the first name on the England team sheet when fit; he boasts a tally of 54 games yielding a total of 43 Goals. He’s a striker who will grab the game by the scruff of the neck and drag his team forward, let's hope he hasn’t came back from a bad ankle injury too soon and has worn himself out before the tournament has even begun.

Even if Kane is feeling it after a long season, for the first time in a long time we have a few players going past the 20 goals mark. One of those being Jamie Vardy a more than capable replacement for Kane or even better yet; a strike partner. Combine their goals scored in just the league and you come out with a total of 50, its almost tempting to play the now almost archaic two up top system, but I don’t think it’s an idea that would cost England and only benefit them.

Then onto the youngster of the England team a player who has burst on the scene in recent years but seems to be suffering second season syndrome under Jose Mourinho; Marcus Rashford. A common trait of certain players to play under the 'Special One' but he seems to have the ability and attitude to pull through this dip in form. He’s also a player that seems to be reinvigorated every time he pulls on a England shirt and can again be a good Plan B. A fast driven youngster willing to attack can be a daunting sight in the closing minutes to any player who’s just to stay stern for the majority of a game, so again, taking what some would consider a gamble by taking Rashford, could come good and drive England on when struggling.

Onto my final choice for the England squad, Andy Carroll. Carroll is the epitome of Plan B, the old school striker. It's an almost impossible task to argue that when fit and firing Andy Carroll is unplayable, no defender or even at times Goalkeeper will beat Andy Carroll in the air, and this is what makes him the ultimate Plan B. At no point will I say he should start, he doesn’t need to, it wouldn’t suit him as at West Ham apparently he doesn’t train for the first half of the week because his body can't take it. I don’t expect him to go out there and play three times in a week and do three high octane 90 minutes. I expect him to bring a different dimension to the team when needed, be it 1-0 down and
needing a last minute winner, Andy Carroll running on to a ball in the box will have everyone in the country still holding onto the thought of drawing level or even at 2-1 up during the closing ten minutes of the game; if needs must we can go long towards him; very few will knock him off the ball legally. My selection of Carroll comes back to the manager's needs, desires and playing style, Andy Carroll would be a great edition to the squad but not necessarily a starting berth.

It's with this in mind my whole team selection needs to be looked at, all the dubious selections are not like for like for the obvious first team that Southgate will choose himself. My 23 picks is that of a squad; a team that will compliment each other and be able to accommodate one and other, but also a team that has multiple options, be it planning for the worst case scenario or even the best; it doesn’t hurt to have a back up, and I know a lot of these players will be seen as back up to a starting XI. You don’t win by playing beautiful football all the time, just remember Portugal winning the Euros after drawing five games in a row.

England as a nation needs to let go of the notion that we are the elite, times have changed, and we need to now start thinking of ourselves as a more modest component of the international world and build the best squad with the right players. So why not take a gamble? It only takes seven games to win a World Cup.