As England take on Montenegro in World Cup 2014 Qualifying, Roy Hodgson has to figure out a way to get the best out of both Ashley Cole and Leighton Baines.
Ashley Cole and Leighton Baines have dominated the headlines ahead of Englandai??i??s crucial double header against Montenegro and Poland. While the former is a regular for his country, the latter through his consistent displays, is a very formidable challenger for the left back position. Conventional wisdom says that only one of these two can should be selected to start a game, so who should it be and can a case be made for playing both of them together?
Ashley Cole
Ashley Cole is part of a handful of truly world class players that England has had over the last decade or so. More significantly, he joins an even smaller list of players who have successfully carried over their club form into the international arena. He is also very experienced having played in the 2002, 2006 and 2010 World Cups and the 2004 & 2012 European Championships. This factor can really prove crucial given the relative youthfulness of Englandai??i??s backline.
The Chelsea man can also point to the fact that he is probably the only player in world football who has had the measure of the likes of Cristiano Ronaldo, Lionel Messi, Arjen Robben et al. In fact Sir Alex Ferguson famously shifted Ronaldo to the left in the second half of Manchester Unitedai??i??s Champions League final with Chelsea because of the relative ease with which he was being marshalled by Cole.
There is probably no better full back in the world in a one-on-one situation and Coleai??i??s reading of the game is also close to perfection. He exactly knows when to stay back and when to go forward. The people who say that Baines is better offensively should also consider the fact that Chelsea are less reliant on Cole as an attacking option as compared to Everton.
Leighton Baines
Throughout the summer long transfer saga involving Manchester United, Leighton Baines did not utter a word. He just got on with it. There is nothing which better encapsulates this Merseyside born and old school sideburns sporting footballer. He has consistently improved since signing from Wigan in the summer of 2007 and after playing understudy to Joleon Lescott initially he has made the left back position his own.
Baines has also rivalled Cole for the status of being the best English left back in the world. In an attacking sense, since the start of the 2008-09 season till the end of the 2012-13 season, Baines has contributed with 16 goals and 33 assists as compared to the seven goals and 14 assists that Cole has managed. Baines has also gone toe to toe with Cole in terms of the tackles, blocks & clearances that they have accounted for in the same period.
The one area that Baines has struggled to match up has been his relative inexperience when it comes to the really big matches, like in the Champions League. Unlike Cole who has frequently tested himself against the best in the business, Baines only gets the opportunity to do the same when playing against the big guns in the Premier League. There is also the concern that Baines is susceptible to the odd loss of concentration which might not get noticed with Everton but will be dissected and magnified when playing at the World Cup with England.
However, despite these shortcomings Baines is a player who is at the top of his game and would get into most of the top international sides.
A Case for Both
With Steven Gerrard and Frank Lampard approaching the end of their careers there are only a few English players who could make a case for being genuine international quality. One is Wayne Rooney and the other two are Ashley Cole and Leighton Baines. So why not play the both of them in the World Cup, one behind the other. England are not blessed with genuine left sided midfielders anyways, who have over the last couple of generations made it a habit of being born a few hundred miles to the west.
It would make perfect sense to play Cole in his natural position where his experience and understanding of the game would be crucial, and Baines in a role further upfield. This will also allow Hodgson to give more freedom to the likes of Rooney and the central midfielders, as Baines can plug in the gaps that might be created due to their attacking forays. England will then also be able to utilize the free kick ability of Baines and this will be extremely important against opponents who will look to stifle their forward line.
But the question remains ai??i?? Does Roy Hodgson have the chutzpah to make such a decision? It must be remembered that Pep Guardiola recently played Philipp Lahm in midfield against Manchester City to devastating effect. The German did a superb job in always being available for a pass and contributing on both sides of the pitch. England presently has two players who are the equal of Lahm and to not play them both would not only be an injustice to them but also the millions of supporters who have been subject to a lack of creative nous by their coaching team for ages.
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