Who was the stand out performer in France and who should join Roy in retirement from England duty ?
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England squad ranking
A promising perfect qualifying campaign and victories in friendlies over the likes of Portugal and Germany hinted that an England squad, full of youth and flair, could go to France and perform. It was not to be however as England scored a total of only four goals against four fairly mediocre opposition in the likes of Russia, Wales, Slovakia and Iceland. A loss in the round of sixteen signified the end of the road for Roy and his slumped squad who knew a media backlash and national sense of deflation rested on their shoulders. Surely not all England players were that bad, in this article I will attempt to rank the players from the very worst to the accomplished few.
THE BENCHWARMERS
HEATON, FORSTER, STONES AND BARKLEY.
Tom Heaton : The 30 year old Burnley keeper who travelled to France as a replacement for the injured Butland was never in the slightest likely to feature. Given his age it's unlikely he will feature in any future England squads however he will have gained experience and platefuls of French cuisine in equal measures on the trip abroad.
Fraser Forster : The 6ft7 giant similarly to Heaton entered the tournament as Hart's deputy, however given Hart's crucial mistakes the question begs as to what the future holds for the former Celtic man. Forster kept six straight clean sheets upon his return to Southampton's first team and this suggests to the future England manager that he has the potential to restore confidence to a rocky English defence.
John Stones : It's surprising Stones did not feature given the fact Hodgson only brought three central defenders to France, most of all against Slovakia in which many players were rested. Stones clearly possesses a unique talent despite his young age since he has the composure to control a game from the back. Stones is almost certainly a future starter in the English set up, captain perhaps, he should not be disheartened not to have featured.
Ross Barkley : The second Everton man not to feature, a player who offers something different whether it be his ability to beat a player or ferocious long shots. Whilst Barkley may suffer from inconsistent performances the stalemate against Slovakia was crying out for his introduction, however after Hodgson opted for the likes of Kane and Rooney in the eventual 0-0 draw it was clear that Barkley was not to play a part in England's tournament.
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19) James Milner :
Notable input : Beaten all too easily in the dying minutes against Russia which resulted in the equaliser.
Milner was unfortunate to only get 5 minutes of game time in France, this can't be a true reflection on the Liverpool midfielder's hardworking and technical qualities. However when judged on his minimal input Milner will be the first to admit he should have done more to stop the Russian player who waltzed passed him with a ease to deliver the assist to make it 1-1 in injury time in England's opener.
18) Harry Kane :
Notable input : Possibly the World's worst set pieces in the history of football.
A couple of months ago Kane was regarded as the England superstar. In the 2015/16 season the Tottenham striker proved he was more than a 'one season wonder' when he claimed the Golden boot ahead of the likes of foreign talent such as Aguero and Lukaku. A terrific solo effort which sparked a comeback in a friendly against Germany got the crowds talking and pinned Kane down as England's main man. Well, how times have changed. In France Kane failed to get off the mark, weak headers, rising shots and offside after offside became his traits as he failed Roy time after time. As the tournament drew on Kane's confidence was sapped and he became more and more of a burden for Enland's attack. Kane will feel devastated with his efforts and will hope that it can be forgotten as he strives to maintain his place in England's starting team.
P.S : Why is Kane taking corners ?
17) Jack Wilshire :
Notable input : N/A
Wilshire was a wildcard in Roy's selection, his lack of first team football was always likely to affect his performances, especially given his dynamic playstyle - full of movement and invention. Wilshire featured in the second halves against Russia and later on Iceland, and earnd himself a start against Slovakia too. However a common theme of losing possession affected England performances, in fact England did not score when he was on the pitch, reflecting a dismal time in France for the midfielder,
16) Raheem Sterling :
Notable input : Poor delivery, Poor confidence, Poor tournament, Poor guy.
Many will argue that the Man City winger should be much higher up the list after awful performances however at times he showed a spark in which he created chances. Sterling was praised in the first half against Russia for his desire to go forward as he gave Smolnikov a torrid time, unfortunately his delivery often let him down. Sterling made a golden chance against Wales and he even won a penalty against Iceland - however the positives end there. Other than his pace Sterling failed to show many other attributes, he lost the ball too easily and crosses were constantly blocked or aimless. For a £50 million man Roy will feel let down yet left himself to blame because the 21 year old was the only one out and out winger at his disposal. Players back home such as Townsend and Antonio will be shaking their heads at Roy in bitter disappointment.
15) Joe Hart :
Notable input : 'nothing to do' (minus two painful mistakes).
Before the tournament began Hart was 'Head and Shoulders' above his English competition, however after errors against Wales and Iceland Hart will now feel the pressure from the likes of Forster and Butland on his back - well, scalp even. Hart conceded four times this tournament despite only facing fewer than ten shots on target. Whilst Hart is pretty faultless for two of the goals his howlers vs Wales and Iceland left England faced with an early plane home.
FURTHER RANKINGS TO FOLLOW
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