Take maximum points from their brace of upcoming Euro 2016 qualifying games and England fans might as well start packing their bags for France already. The convincing 2-0 away victory over Switzerland last month was considered to be the toughest game in an easy group, and the expansion of the European Championships to 24 teams means that it will be a truly exceptional feat if England were to not qualify. Their opponents during this international break come in the form of San Marino and Estonia – ranked 208th and 81st in the world respectively – who England could conceivably overcome by fielding their under-18 side. As such, the Three Lions are almost certain to be sitting pretty at the top of their group by the time the players return to their clubs next week, with a healthy three wins from three games.
Despite this potential for a rare sense of uncomplicated optimism surrounding the national side, Roy Hodgson has still given England fans something to gripe about with his squad selection. While the majority of the England boss’ 21-man squad consists of players who deserve to be included on merit, a handful of his picks seem baffling, especially when we consider those players Hodgson has overlooked.
Back-to-back games against anodyne opposition such as San Marino and Estonia represents the perfect opportunity for Hodgson to experiment with players who have hitherto been omitted from the national set-up, and as it stands there are currently a healthy amount of uncapped English players in the Premier League enjoying great runs of form. However, the England manager’s decision to opt for Rickie Lambert, Andros Townsend and perhaps even Leighton Baines suggests that rather than basing his selection on unbiased merit – with only the best league performers at the time being rewarded with a place in the squad – Hodgson has his favourites, whom he persists with at the expense of others who are arguably more deserving of a call-up.
Hodgson is only human, and it is only natural for him to have a preferred core of players. He is certainly not the only manager who has such dispositions. Nevertheless, it is hard to comprehend the rationale behind his inclusion of certain players, not least Townsend. The Tottenham winger has made just two Premier League appearances this season, without scoring a goal or creating an assist, yet he finds himself ahead of Nathan Dyer and Wayne Routledge in the pecking order. Although the Swansea pair have been in inspired form this season, scoring five goals between them, Hodgson does not seem to be too fussed, electing instead for a player who had a solitary league goal to his name for the whole of last season. Meanwhile, West Ham boss Sam Allardyce has been singing the praises of Stewart Downing, and the winger who has already been capped 34 times is another player who arguably merits a call-up more than Townsend based on his domestic performances.
Elsewhere, Leighton Baines has not been enjoying the best of starts to the season in an Everton back four which has conceded the most goals in the Premier League. The left-back will be 31 by the time Euro 2016 kicks off and with Luke Shaw recently returning to full fitness at Manchester United, it is surprising that Hodgson has resisted the temptation to promote the already-capped teenager from the under-21 side given that he is regarded as a key figure in England’s future. Hodgson will have to face the dilemma of dropping the ageing Baines in favour of Shaw sooner rather than later, and now is the ideal time for the former Southampton man to be incorporated into the first-team fold full-time.
With Daniel Sturridge not included in the squad due to injury, Rickie Lambert has emerged as Liverpool’s sole striking representative, though once again it is difficult to see why he has made the roster. The 32-year-old has had a tough time since his summer move to his boyhood club and is yet to find the net. Lambert’s advancing years means that his place at Euro 2016 is by no means certain, which makes it all the more puzzling as to why Hodgson did not turn to Saido Berahino, who is surely a better prospect for England when the tournament begins in two years’ time. The West Brom youngster is the top English goal scorer in the Premier League, having scored as many league goals already this season as he did during the whole of the last campaign. Berahino is a genuine and exciting talent who is by no means a flash in the pan, and whilst one could argue that an appearance at a major tournament for the senior side in two years’ time would come too soon, there is time yet for Berahino to gain ample experience internationally. Besides, a teenage Wayne Rooney required little time to announce himself on the international stage at Euro 2004.
England’s routine group provides Roy Hodgson with a great opportunity to identify his strongest side as well as the players who will shape the national side in the future. However, by consistently selecting a favoured few, rather than the best players, he risks curtailing England’s full potential. Merit, not personal preference, is the answer.
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