A lot was made in the build-up to England’s second World Cup
qualifier with Ukraine this week about the national team’s lack of a main
striker and, with Wayne Rooney and Andy Carroll injured, forward
responsibilities fell on Jermain Defoe’s narrow shoulders.
Although Defoe did a good job and scored a perfectly fine disallowed goal in the first half, he struggled to make himself known in the
Ukraine defence and their back four were relatively solid for the majority of
the game because of it.
England played a more patient, passing brand of football
than previous games and it was nice to see our wing play used to proper effect.
Steven Gerrard was given the usual distributer job in midfield and with
full-backs, Glen Johnson and Leighton Baines, happy to come forward, England
found themselves in very promising situations.
Yet, midway through the second half and a goal down, Roy
Hodgson’s side should have equalised when a cross came over for Defoe. The
striker rose to meet the ball but his 5 ft. 5 in. frame would not stretch far
enough: a golden chance wasted.
It is a simple thing to say but, had a taller striker been
there, England would have equalised a lot earlier than they did. The encounter
was truly nail-biting for fans betting on football.
This is not to denigrate Defoe’s clear striking talents, but
England do need a physical presence in the box. Three of their Euro 2012 goals
came from headers and, with a player like Gerrard able to pick a man in the
box, it seems foolish not to harness this advantage.
Hodgson may opt for a bigger front man in future qualifying
games to provide this aerial presence. Rooney may be the obvious choice but
with Carroll, Peter Crouch, and Darren Bent all more than capable of scoring
with their head, there is plenty of choice for Roy to find his perfect front
man.
