When Roy Hodgson came to selecting his strikers for the Euro 2012 England squad, it was probably the easiest position to choose for, when looking at the whole squad.
There were question marks; chiefly, whether or not Wayne Rooney should have been included, given that he will miss the first few qualifiers, due to suspension, but, since he had his ban reduced to just the two games, it is a no brainer to take him.
When you look at the other strikers in England, no one carries that ‘fear factor’ that Rooney has. Hopefully, by the time he gets to kick a ball, England will still be in with a chance of progressing to the knock out stages, and his return to action will be refreshing for the whole squad.
When you look around the Premiership, no other strikers are on that same level of class that Rooney is on, but his comrade at United, Danny Welbeck, has shown that he could well be one of the best strikers in Europe in a few years’ time.
He is still young, but he has bags of potential and has good experience with the U21s. Whether his inclusion will influence the Betfair Euro 2012 tips, remains to be seen.
If he can hold down a regular starting spot for Manchester United, and be instrumental in their play with his assists, goals, and general play, then he can certainly do that for England, and he should lead the line in Rooney’s absence.
Andy Carroll’s selection might have come as a shock to a few fans. He has had a terrible 18 months, since signing for Liverpool, but it seems that his performance over the last month, or so, has given him the edge over some other strikers.
He is a different option for England, with his height and power and, if he features, he will hopefully be able to leave off where he left Liverpool, at the end of the season.
It is great to see Jermain Defoe in the squad too. He is the only natural goal scorer in the team. It is a nicely balanced attack that Hodgson has to choose from, and I do not think that he could have done it any other way.
Optimism aside, England are outsiders to win Euro 2012, according to the Betfair Euro 2012 Group D betting odds.
1 comment:
England will have to make it through the group stage at all cost, if not Roy contract will be terminated before he get settled.
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