Club or Country – a different question

This is not going to be one of those dreary debates as to whether clubs should allow their players to go off and represent their country and have the chance of playing at the World Cup, it is meant as a light hearted comparison between the current England team – with one or two changes – and what I believe the Spurs starting line up would be if everyone was fit, healthy and available.

So to start with the England team, and taking those that started against Moldova, would I make any changes if I were England manager? Only two realistically as I would bring Dawson into central defence instead of Jagielka and there would have to be a place for Rooney, replacing Lambert. A third possibility might be to bring in Baines ahead of Cole but there is so little to choose between those two at the moment.

For Spurs, it is going to be a bit of guess work as quite a few of the players that I would personally pick have yet play more than a handful of games for us between them, with a defence that virtually picks itself, the others may or may not be a surprise.

So to start the comparison –

Goalkeeper – Hart v Lloris

Not an easy choice as Hart has been the outstanding goalkeeper in the Premiership in the past three seasons, frequently keeping Citeh in the game and denying the opposition, but with virtually no competition for his place at either club or for country his performances have begun to suffer. Lloris in contrast had to fight for his place in our team, and since doing so has cemented his place as no 1 for both us and for France. Both can be dominating in the area and both are quick off the line so I give this as a draw between the two. England 1 – THFC 1.

Right back – Walker v Walker

The easiest of discussions as Kyle Walker, despite his faults (not least his idiotic attempts at falling foul of the authorities and being pictured doing so), is the best English right back without a doubt, Glen Johnson may run him close but not close enough. Only injury or a severe lack of form will stop our Kyle from being the no 1 in this position for England for some time to come. Whether he will continue as our right back is perhaps open to question as surely Levy, AVB and Baldini are already looking for options to improve. England 2 – THFC 2.

Centre back – Cahill v Kaboul

Once Younes is back to full fitness, and it cannot be long, he will resume as our no 1 centre back, the big strong defender that we knew two season ago, dominating his opponents, clearing his lines and scoring important goals. Cahill seems to have gone backwards since his move south so a simple choice – Kaboul. England 2 – THFC 3.

Centre back – Dawson v Vertonghen

Interesting, you might think, as having chosen Dawson ahead of Jagielka for me to then choose Vertonghen over Dawson. I have great affection for Daws, he plays with such conviction and such passion that he is precisely the type of character you want on your side, but he does lack a little pace and he does get caught out of position too frequently which is why I have big Jan in the Spurs side and he would therefore get the vote from me. England 2 – THFC 4.

Left back – Cole v Rose

Rose may well be the up and coming star of the England under 21 team but if he were good enough he would be in the full England team. He isn´t and not just because of Cole but because Leighton Baines is also there ahead of him. England 3 – THFC 4.

Central midfield – Gerrard & Lampard v Sandro & Paulinho

Gerrard and Lampard have the edge when it comes to experience and to goalscoring – over 200 international caps and dozens of goals between them – yet nothing to show for it, and with next year´s World Cup being their last chance at getting anything you do wonder if they will ever win a medal. Up against them, quite possibly the two guys who will step onto the biggest arena of them all next July and take Brazil all the way to the Final and ultimate victory. Who would you choose to be your central midfield pairing? A couple of aging Englishmen or two powerhouse Brazilians keen to make their mark on the world? I know who I would choose – sorry guys but it has to be Brazil. England 3 – THFC 6.

Right Wing – Walcott v Lamela

We have yet to see what Lamela can do – 15 minutes against le Arse was hardly enough to show what he is capable of. But the videos and the hype for one so young must mean that he is one of the most exciting players to have left Argentina to join us – and there have been a few. Even Ardiles and Villa are raving about this guy. How does he compare against Walcott? Probably the only area where Theo has the edge would be in raw speed as Erik – whilst quick – is not super quick, but he does have better control, more tricks and better shooting capabilities than the man from Engkland so again the vote goes to south America. England 3 – THFC 7.

Attacking midfield – Wiltshire v Eriksen

Again very difficult to work out as we have only seen what Christian can do from videos and TV clips, but what he can do is quite stunning. He may not have the strength in the tackle of Jack but he has more craft and creativity, he has a wonderful eye for goal, and is sublime from set pieces. That he only plays for Denmark is perhaps a shame as it is quite likely he will get the dubious accolade of the second best player in the world not to be at the World Cup next season. The best? Some upstart from Wales. England 3 – THFC 8

Left wing – Welbeck v Chadli

Two very workmanlike players both being used slightly out of position to suit the needs of their team. Welbeck is more of a striker than a winger but has to fill the wide left role to accommodate the 4-2-3-1 system, while Chadli is more adept at playing off the centre forward, through the middle. Both are capable of coming infield creating space for themselves to either shoot or set up other players, while defensively Chadli is probably the superior. However, based on what I have seen to date and based entirely on goalscoring threat, I would give this one to the young Englishman. Shame he won´t be available for selection tonight following that terrible booking on Friday night. England 4 – THFC 8.

Centre forward – Rooney v Soldado

Much as I love Soldado and his coolness under pressure, as well as his ability to score, I really cannot see past Rooney on this one. Whilst less than cool on too many occasions, Wayne can score spectacular goals, and his drive and commitment is second to none. He brings so much more to the team than goals and goals alone England 5 – THFC 8.

So there you have it. A win for THFC but not by much. My opinions only, but without anything decent to occupy our thoughts at the moment, something for you to ponder over as we await the weekend action.