On 16th of November, England will be playing Spain in a friendly and it is a match the fans would be praying that England come out with their reputation not smashed to smithereens. Spain haven’t looked their usual self in the recent past and without their chief playmaker Iniesta and main defender Pique, there is a belief that England could well pull off an upset. But all of this depends on the three Lions executing their plans on the pitch, something they find very hard to do. Gareth Southgate will feel a win in this fixture will only boost his chances for a permanent profile and it is expected England will not treat it as merely a friendly.
England’s main issue have been their inability to be more creative and imaginative in their play and it is something they will be looking to set right. But today we will take a look at the 3 obvious strikers at Southgate’s disposal and look at their chances of starting.
HARRY KANE (TOTTENHAM HOTSPUR)
The Tottenham Hotspur striker was declared fit in time for the North-London Derby and duly scored from the penalty spot to maintain his record against Arsenal. Kane offers enthusiasm and if properly used, end product as well. But his role in an England shirt has been baffling, to say the least till now. And even he has failed to replicate his club form with the National team, therefore, raising doubts over his spot. But there are question marks over his selection for this friendly.
For obvious reasons he looked off the pace against Arsenal and there will be communication from the club against pushing him too much which will likely see him start from the bench.
JAMIE VARDY (LEICESTER CITY)
The Leicester City man barged into National reckoning after a phenomenal season for the Foxes. But similar to Kane, he has also been off-colour for them.
And to make things worse for the Foxes, Vardy is far from discovering his form of last season. And Ranieri has also dropped Vardy in the last match, which was unthinkable a few months back. Selecting him against Spain might not be the best option especially as it could harm his confidence further in the event of another poor showing.
DANIEL STURRIDGE (LIVERPOOL)
The Liverpool striker has slowly worked his way back to full fitness and is back in Jürgen Klopp’s plans. And although, understandably, he has found it difficult to break into the first team in the light of the brilliant performances of the triumvirate of Coutinho, Firmino and Mane. But in his cameo appearances so far, he has looked sharp and threatening in front of goal.
Klopp’s willingness to give him minutes highlights the appropriate fitness level that he is at. According to us, Sturridge is the ideal candidate among the others as of now and should be leading the line against La Roja.
