Andy Carroll has been in fine form of late. For so long it seemed that his West Ham career would be laid to waste by injuries. However, he has enjoyed a renaissance in the latter half of this season, replicating the kind of performances that once upon time made him a hot prospect at Newcastle.
In fact, Carroll has now found the net 6 times in 9 matches, including a blistering hat-trick against Arsenal. This seems to have catapulted him back into the public consciousness, and galvanized some pundits into supporting his claims for the England squad.
Hodgson, for one, has been less enthusiastic. He has signalled his intention to stick with the forwards who served him during qualifying:
“Maybe before we start wanting to throw out the guys who have done so well for the latest shout, the latest ice cream flavour, we should show a little bit of respect to what they have done as well.”
Hodgson is doing a disservice to Carroll in describing him as ‘latest ice cream flavour’. He is much more than a passing fad. Carroll can offer a different dimension to England’s attack, and possesses a unique set of attributes than make him a genuine quandary for defenders.
Carroll’s excellent 2016 form
Hodgson’s main contention is that there is a currently a glut of high quality English strikers, and Carroll simply does not possess the quality to force his way up the packing order.
However, the stats from this season do not entirely support this. Of the main contenders, Kane, Vardy and Rooney look almost guaranteed to be included. The other strikers vying for places are Walcott, Welbeck, and Sturridge. Of this contingent, Kane and Vardy have been head and shoulders above the rest, that is no doubt.
Carroll does compare favourably to the others though. He has made 24 league appearances this season, scoring a total of 9 goals in 1189 minutes. This comes to 1 goal for every 132 minutes of football played. To put that in context, England captain Rooney has averaged just 1 goal every 306 minutes this season. Similarly, Carroll surpasses Welbeck at 139 minutes per goal, and significantly Theo Walcott at 269 minutes per goal. Walcott has been heavily criticized for his performances at Arsenal this season, and judging on this data, he will be the most vulnerable to losing his England place.
Physical presence
In terms of pure aerial threat, Carroll is probably one of the most dangerous players in the world. At 6 feet 4 inches and powerfully built, he towers above defenders, and is rarely ever beaten in the air. The stats this season demonstrate this. On average, Carroll has won 3.8 aerial battles per match, significantly more than any of the other English forwards he is competing with.
This aerial threat is especially effective late on in matches, as players tire and legs become weary. Therefore, Carroll is ideally suited to be an impact sub. When England are chasing goals late on and must resort to a more direct style, Carroll can be the perfect candidate to terrorise fatigued defences. Indeed, he has shown his capability of coming off the bench to grab vital goals countless times for West Ham this season (14 of his 24 appearances have been as a substitute).
Past exploits
It should also be noted that Andy Carroll isn’t completely unproven at international level. At Euro 2012, he scored a vital goal against Sweden which helped book England’s place in the quarter-finals. The goal demonstrated all the qualities that make Carroll such a dangerous threat. He jumped an astonishing 2 feet 2 inches, leaving the Swedish defenders for dead as he powerfully headed the ball into the net from 13 yards out.
This is the kind of raw physical clout that even the most competent defences can find impossible to deal with.
An extra string to England’s bow
Ultimately, even the most committed Hammers fan wouldn’t claim that Carroll should be a starter at Euro 2016. However, Carroll is an immensely useful option to have in the squad. He has demonstrated the ability to come off the bench and make an instant impact, and his physical prowess makes him a force incredibly difficult for defenders to grapple with.
He offers something different from any of the other strikers at Hodgson’s disposal. He is the ultimate Plan B, and he merits his place on the plane to France.
