Roy Hodgson has a difficult choice to make on the left side of defence.
Ahead of the 2014 World Cup one of England manager Roy Hodgson’s hardest choices is going to be who to select in the two left-backs slots in the 23-man squad.
For the upcoming friendly with Denmark three have been chosen – Everton’s Leighton Baines, Chelsea stalwart Ashley Cole and debutant from Southampton Luke Shaw – but there are also cases for Kieran Gibbs of Arsenal, or Tottenham Hotspur’s Danny Rose to earn a spot.
Here is a comparison of the the players Hodgson has at his disposal with statistics from this year’s Premier League season, courtesy of Squawka.
Leighton Baines – Everton, 22 caps
Matches: 21.
Pass completion: 87%.
Key passes: 30.
Tackles won: 46.
Tackles lost: 30.
Defensive errors: 1.
For a long time many have been stressing that Baines should be starting for the national team and it seems Hodgson is finally taking notice and will put the 29-year-old in the starting XI at the World Cup. Even though the full-back hasn’t been as impressive this term as the previous two, his stats are still solid and his set pieces are an added bonus.