As we wind down for one of the few international breaks remaining before the 2014 FIFA World Cup, focus turns to England and their warm-up friendlies against Chile and Germany.
Friday, November 15th marks the date Jorge Sampaoli’s side rock up to Wembley to test their talents, and here we’ve picked an XI that Roy Hodgson should utilise on the night.
The visit of die Mannschaft may be a bigger game on paper, but Chile will present a slightly different, South American challenge for our boys to deal with. Make the most of the opportunity by fielding your best set Roy!
Goalkeeper
At both club and country level, managers are trying to spook Joe Hart into form.
Manuel Pellegrini recently dropped him for Costel Pantilimon, while Hodgson has confirmed he will try a different ‘keeper in one of the two upcoming friendlies.
Fraser Forster should be brought in to face Chile and their unorthodox attack, saving Hart for the tussle against the “Old Enemy” Joachim Loew brings to town.
Centre-backs
Sampaoli hasn’t been playing with a recognised centre-forward recently, with Chile’s most advanced central player being the No. 10 in Jorge Valdivia.
That’ll give whoever’s picked something they’ve rarely seen before, and in that case it’s best to educate your first-choice duo in something you may well cross at the World Cup.
Phil Jagielka and Gary Cahill are clearly Hodgson’s preferred pair, and they should be given the experience of playing against such an unorthodox approach.
Full-backs
Chile use Eduardo Vargas and Alexis Sanchez as wide forwards, sprinting in off the edge to link up and create goalscoring chances.
Alexis, playing from the right, is currently Barcelona’s second-top scorer in La Liga this season after finally finding form. If there was ever the perfect test of “whether or not Leighton Baines can defend,” it’s now.
On the other side, we’re left with one choice. With Kyle Walker pulling out of the squad due to injury, Glen Johnson is the only naturalised right-back in the squad. Vargas is too quick and too agile for anyone else, so it’s not worth chancing Phil Jones or Chris Smalling there.
Midfield
We’re working on the basis that Hodgson will play a 4-3-3 formation, as that’s what he’s gravitated toward in the bigger, more meaningful games post-Euro 2012.
In defensive midfield, Phil Jones deserves a reward for his fine play for Manchester United recently. His performances have left him ahead of Marouane Fellaini in the pecking order, and the former Blackburn man was key in defeating Arsenal 1-0 last weekend.
While Jones provides the steel, any number of players can provide the creativity alongside him. Hodgson has the choice of Frank Lampard, Jack Wilshere, Ross Barkley and Jordan Henderson, and we think Lamps and Barkley would be great choices for the balance of the side.
Jones holds, Barkley provides a box-to-box presence and Lampard serves up a creative influence.
Forwards
Most fans turning up to Wembley for the friendly will want to see Wayne Rooney playing and scoring, but we advocate resting the in-form striker for the tie with Germany.
Instead, Rickie Lambert should lead the line again and be given a chance to prove his continued worth. He could match up against the tiny Gary Medel —often played at centre-back by Sampaoli —and help introduce England’s newest star to international life.
Adam Lallana will be raring to go and the public will be eager to see him. Why not pit him against Mauricio Isla and see if he can drive the Juventus wing-back down the field? His link with Lambert is borderline telekinetic, so if you play one, you should play the other.
On the right flank, we’d all love to see Andros Townsend given another shot. His form at club level has dipped since he was dubbed “England’s World Cup hero” a few months ago, and he may not have come up against a wing-back at top-level before.
It’s a great chance to test how he’d thrive playing against a three-man defence.
