Euro 2016: England boss Roy Hodgson may have made six changes for Slovakia clash but fingers do not need to be pointed…yet
SunSport columnist Bryan Robson says that Three Lions should not panic after finishing second in Group B and that Jamie Vardy and Daniel Sturridge can play together
NOBODY needs to panic here. Fingers need not be pointed.
Not yet, anyway.
This was another night of frustration and some might say Roy Hodgson got it wrong in making six changes and disturbing the rhythm created by the win over Wales.
But nobody can suggest that Hodgson made any sort of mistake in playing Jamie Vardy and Daniel Sturridge up front against Slovakia.
They were, after all, the strikers who conjured victory against Chris Coleman’s men and deserved to start this game.
England simply found themselves running into yet another brick wall — just like they did for much of the game against both Russia and Wales.
Nobody is more disappointed than me that we did not finish top of Group B but I truly believe our moment is yet to come.
That moment has to be on Monday night, of course, or Hodgson and his team will be on the way home.
That would be tragic. But I don’t think it will happen.
Whoever we play, there will finally be a little room to breathe in the opposition half and it is then, I believe, that we will see England turn on all the lights.
One thing for sure is that Hodgson must now stick with Vardy as his first-choice front man. In the Leicester star I see a player who could become England’s new Gary Lineker.
It is no wonder Arsene Wenger wants to buy him — at £20million he is a steal.
Yes, he missed a one–on–one last night. But that happens to the very best strikers.
What is more important is that Wenger can see — like me — that Jamie is a far, far more intelligent player than a lot of people give him credit for.
During Leicester’s incredible charge to the Premier League title I thought he was not taken seriously enough at times.
Sure, everybody loved his drive and his running. They purred about his pace.
Yet you felt they were really only patting him on the back, happy for the kid from Stocksbridge Park Steels and Halifax to have his five minutes of fame.
They thought he would probably disappear again.
But they did not get how clever he is, how instinctive and — like we saw midway through the first half against Slovakia — that he has a near–genius touch.
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Just look at a re-run of that effort of his when he got his knee to the ball.
His effort went over the bar, but anybody who suggests it was just a stab in the dark does not know what they are talking about.
Vardy MEANT it. In the millisecond he had to react to the cross he used the only part of his body he could to try to get his effort on target.
You cannot teach that, no matter how many hours, days or years you spend on the training pitch.
What Vardy did in that moment was completely natural and reminded me so much of Lineker.
He found so many ways to get that ball in the net. It did not matter how he did it, but he did it anyway.
Often Gary would nick us a winner. We would win without playing that well, but it wouldn’t matter because he had done his thing again.
It didn’t happen for Jamie last night. But have faith.
There is something unique about Vardy and regardless of last night’s result, he is now crucial to the England cause.
If there was a problem up front against Slovakia it was Daniel Sturridge, who I just do not believe quite has it as a starting striker.
He is more of an impact player, someone more likely to strike when legs are tiring.
He does not ask the same questions as someone like Vardy who can strike any time, who worries defenders to death from start to finish.
Now Hodgson must stick with him. I know I would.
There can be no escaping the fact that England failed against Slovakia.
But Vardy still came out as a positive.
And there were a few others, too, such as the Chris Smalling–Gary Cahill axis at the centre of defence.
Sure, they hardly had to break sweat for most of this game. But one reason for that is because they are developing an understanding now.
They look happy together, they are starting to look safer and while they may still may not be the best partnership at the tournament, they are growing into it.
Nathaniel Clyne was sensational and just like the right-back he replaced last night, Kyle Walker, was one of England’s top performers.
As was Adam Lallana who brings Jurgen Klopp’s high–pressing game at Liverpool to an England shirt, although after 25 caps he is overdue a goal.
A first one would have been very welcome against Slovakia and, as much as I like him, he does need to start finding the net — just like England do.
But I still believe that, come Monday night in Nice, they will.
