Wayne Rooney has an integral role in England’s success next summer, but who should partner him up front? This remains an issue that will have fans debating throughout the season.
Ideally, we need someone with Heskey’s strength and ability to hold up the ball, AND with Defoe’s pace and finishing. Heskey plays well alongside Rooney, but his scoring record is poor. Defoe scores goals, but doesn’t bring the best out of our best player. Neither option is perfect. But there is another way...
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Michael Owen, when on form, is the most natural finisher in the game. But he doesn’t suit Rooney either. Darren Bent, Carlton Cole and Peter Crouch all have a mixture of strength and finishing. But are any of them capable of winning us a World Cup? Bent and Cole still have to prove themselves at the highest level, and Crouch needs to cement a first team spot for Spurs, first.
So what about the guy who’s keeping Capello’s current choice on the bench for Aston Villa?
Martin O’Neill has faith in Heskey and John Carew, but not as much as he does in Gabriel Agbonlahor, and I don’t blame him.
The 22-year-old has hit double figures for each of the last three seasons, despite spending much of his time on the wing. But now Agbonlahor has developed into a fully-fledged striker, with a little bit of everything.
He’s big; he’s strong; he’s got pace; he’s got skill; he scores goals regularly and has been doing so for the last three years in the Premiership. And he’s in form this season. So is he the answer?
“If you look at the strikers England have got then there's big competition. Darren Bent is on fire, there's Jermain Defoe, Em's doing really well for England, Rooney is banging goals in too – and then there's Carlton Cole who is knocking on the door and Michael Owen, who over the course of the season you know will start scoring goals regularly,” Gabby told the Guardian.
"It means you've got to be scoring yourself if you want to be in there and get your own name up. I've got two out of four so far, so as long as I keep it going, and right through to the end of the season, that will hopefully get me on that plane.”
Agbonlahor is still young, but has experience. If he does develop further this season, then he could well be the answer we need. So let’s hope he steps up to the next level, because if he does then England may well too.
Is Agbonlahor the answer?
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