With England announcing their squad for the 2018 Russia World Cup, there is still much uncertainty surrounding who Gareth Southgate will start in the opening match vs Tunisia on the 18th of June. England will have games against Nigeria and Costa Rica before flying out to Russia which will give Southgate a chance to assess his players however, some of his selections have started arguments regarding who will start in different positions. The full back positions are just two of these.
Right!
It looks like the England boss will shape up in a five at the back formation. In the last couple of friendlies against Italy and the Netherlands he tried this formation and notably played Kyle Walker in the right-sided centre-back position. This means the right-wing back position is up for grabs. Youngster Trent Alexander-Arnold may be regarded as a surprise inclusion in the squad given his age and experience but if we’re looking at this season, he’s more than deserved it.
Trippier has gone under the radar this season, well maybe not Southgate’s one. He’s had big shoes to fill with Walker leaving for Man City but Spurs fans have not missed their former right back. Their current one has had a solid and consistent season. These statistics show just how difficult it will be to choose between England’s two options on this side of the defence.
These defenders will have to play against world class attackers, which they do most weeks, so how do they fare in the defensive department in the Premier League?
Interestingly they have the same number of blocks. They both seem ready to put their body on the line for the cause. Although, the number isn’t that high which could just be down to the quality of the teams they play for. Liverpool and Tottenham dominate most teams they play against in the Premier League so these two don’t tend to have to do much defending.
The younger player has edged Tripper on these other two stats as he leads the Tottenham full-back in interception as well as committing less fouls during the course of the season.
Of course, in the modern era, attacking football, is vitally important, especially for a wing-back. This area is quite balanced between these two. Alexander-Arnold has had more successful take-ons that Tripper although both are quite capable in that department.
The Spurs man slightly edges the Pass Completion statistic meaning he might take more with the ball and shows more experience than the youngster.
He is also ahead of his England teammate in chance creation. He’s created 32 chances compared to the Liverpool player’s 22. These are both quite impressive but this indicates Trippier’s crossing from that right-hand side could be a bit more effective.
Overall, they have been very closely matched throughout the season. Despite the rise and form of Alexander-Arnold, I would start, at least initially, with Kieran Trippier in England’s opening match in Russia.
On the left
The other side of this back five is potentially even more debatable. It looks like Southgate has brought three left-wing backs in the form of Fabian Delph, Ashley Young and Danny Rose. Rose is the only one of these who would have been seen as a left back a couple of years ago. Delph has been successfully converted to a full back by Pep Guardiola during their 100-point record-breaking Premier League campaign. This was after Benjamin Mendy got a serious injury early on in the season. Young has evolved into a full-back at Manchester United in a similar way to Delph in that he was used to fill in for injuries but has now become a regular mainstay in the Man United team at full-back. Rose is the conventional left back. He’s played consistently for Tottenham over the last few season but has been plagued with injury of the course of the 17/18 season.
All three have pros and cons. Let’s look at the stats.
A wing-back needs to be offensively astute, especially in this formation. Which one of these left-sided players comes out on top this season?
I looked at three main stats: Chances Created, Pass Completion and Successful Take Ons. Chances created can be a good show of quality in the final third. The Manchester United man comes out on top in this stat with 22. Rose has only got six but he has played much less this season.
Delph comes out on top in ball retention or pass completion with 93%. This is considerably higher than the other two who are around 80% but he does have an edge in that he plays for Man City who set a record for average possession across the season.
Delph also exceeds when it comes to dribbling around opponent. He’s had 29 successful take-ons, closely followed by Young on 26 but Rose only has 9. Playing a team like Tunisia could be a challenge as the team could sit back and make it difficult to break through. If one of England’s wing-backs can beat their man out wide and get a cross in it will be invaluable.
Although Delph is doing well in his offensive stats, his defensive ones aren’t as impressive. He hasn’t blocked a single shot this season. It must be noted that City didn’t allow many shots at their goal over the course of the season but this is still a surprising statistic.
However, he hasn’t committed the most fouls of the three. Young is the leader in this one, while Rose has only fouled players on eight occasions. This could again be down to the variety of game time.
Young also leads the final defensive stat which is much more positive for him. He’s made a whopping 51 interceptions this season compared to Delph’s 28 and Rose’s 9.
Looking at these statistics, it is clear to see that Rose has the quality but has simply not played enough. His quality and experience in that position will be important to the squad. However, he should not start ahead of the other two.
These two are undoubtedly quality going forward but one has found the correct balance between offence and defence over the last couple of years. In my opinion, Ashley Young should start England’s opening match against Tunisia.
There is one thing for certain looking at both of these positions, we have a lot of depth. Everyone will be very competitive and want to keep their place once they’re earned it. This should provide the best possible atmosphere to get the best performances out of these players.
Let us know if you agree or disagree by leaving a comment on this piece or tweeting @ParkLife_Sport.
All stats gathered from Sqwawka.com’s comparison matrix.
