Deadly Defoe proves England worth
Mon Nov 23 02:50PM
If there was any question about Jermain Defoe's status as England's best natural finisher, he ended the debate with his devastating five-goal performance for Tottenham against Wigan.
It was typical of his single-minded approach to the game that he said afterwards he was disappointed not to get a double hat-trick!
I'm sure his place in England's World Cup squad is safe, but you wonder whether Fabio Capello really rates him.
Certainly, he has not got the amount of playing time his goalscoring record - five in as many games, all from the bench - merits.
It may only have been a friendly, but I was surprised to see Darren Bent start ahead of Defoe against Brazil.
It is a year since the Tottenham man last started an England game, and he would have been desperate to prove he is more than just an impact sub.
Bent, on the other hand, will only go to the World Cup if there is a spate of injuries, so it was a strange decision to pair him with Wayne Rooney.
Defoe's main job is to score goals, but I do not think he is one of those strikers who contributes little else - a charge that can be levelled at Michael Owen, whose World Cup hopes continue to fade.
Clearly Defoe's diminutive stature means he is not a big aerial threat, but he is deceptively good with his back to goal. He has good vision, can hold the ball up and links well.
He is a clever, sharp player so I see no reason why he and Wayne Rooney cannot form a productive partnership. However, they need playing time together between now and the World Cup.
However, England are on hold until the spring, and Defoe's immediate task is to help consolidate Tottenham's position in the top four.
The Big Four have been in position for so long now, it is hard to imagine anyone breaking their monopoly at the top, but it has to happen at some stage and Liverpool's awful recent form gives Spurs a big chance.
- - -
The team that impressed me most over the weekend were Chelsea. They showed Liverpool how to deal with an injury crisis by crushing Wolves with Frank Lampard, Didier Drogba, Michael Ballack, Deco and Ricardo Carvalho all missing.
People might say 'it was only Wolves', but those are the kinds of games that can trip you up - Burnley beat Manchester United, Sunderland beat Arsenal and Chelsea lost to Wigan earlier this season.
On Saturday, they exerted complete control from the first whistle, and fringe players like Florent Malouda and Salomon Kalou stepped into the breach admirably.
We also saw a brief cameo from young Gael Kakuta, the player whose arrival from Lens led to the transfer ban, which has been temporarily lifted.
I feel sorry for the lad, because he was just 16 when he moved clubs and is not responsible for the controversy surrounding him.
He got rave reviews on Saturday, but if people expect miracles from him every week then they will end up disappointed.
Despite making a bright start to life in the Premier League, he will take time to develop and I hope he is give the time and space to improve as a player.
Defoe is a tiny lad, who plays off the shoulder of the last defender you numptie... Bent was started because he's a target man...
and if England continue with the same tactics it will be Bent or Heskey or Crouch with Rooney...If Defoe were to start, it would be in place of Rooney, which wouldn't be that disastrous anyways, as he's a tad bit overrated, and just crowds the midfield unnecessarily... Clearly he sees himself as a playmaker.
So Defoe will always be on the bench as long as England, and the media, are lodged firmly on Rooney's c.ock!Alternatively, you could play a 4-3-3 formation with Rooney on the left hand side... like Man Utd in the latter stages of last season... except you'd have to play a passing and possession game, which you'll fail miserably at when you meat more technical sides.
From wa.irvine on Mon Nov 23 03:24PMI meant meet* obviously.
From wa.irvine on Mon Nov 23 03:38PMjay8my - can you count?
From pkw.wilson on Mon Nov 23 04:21PMdidn't he score 5 goals?
From geraint.real on Mon Nov 23 04:22PMjay8my you're obviously the one who cannot count as Defoe scored FIVE against Wigan not four and therefore he was only one goal away from a double hat-trick.
As for wa.irvines comments regarding Defoe, he may be small but he does not simply hang off the last defenders back, he has a great workrate and is an asset to any team. He can play with a short striker, as he does with Robbie Keane or with a tall one such as Crouch equally well. Capello and England need to get over their obsession with having to have one tall and one short striker as it really isn't that important! Yes Darren Bent has improved since moving to Sunderland where he is starting regularly but Defoe proved yesterday that he is in a league of his own. Andy Cole and Alan Shearer are the only other players in the Premier League to have scored five goals in one game, not even Rooney has managed that so surely Defoe has proved how good he is and that he truly deserves to be in the starting line up, regardless of whether Rooney plays or not.
From mummy2skye on Mon Nov 23 04:30PMi thinkdefoe should play up front with rooney it is the only man who can play four england
From spursfan53 on Mon Nov 23 04:34PMmummy2skye... key phrase "if England continue with the same tactics"
their current tactics entail one big, one small.. and hitting the target man when in a spot of bother last time i checked.From wa.irvine on Mon Nov 23 04:39PMJay......your sharp as a marble mate!!!
From foxation10 on Mon Nov 23 05:02PMIm with you Jay ! all we have to do now is tell Defoe and the FA and the rest of the world that one of his goals didnt count !
From benwass on Mon Nov 23 05:21PMHow many has defoe scored against the big 4 this year?...
From peterscott07 on Mon Nov 23 06:07PMHe scored five you idiot.
From loafer_11 on Mon Nov 23 07:05PMDo not get carried away, Defoe needs to do this against a good defence, not saying he is not a good player but lets get it into perspective. Wigan defending was non existent and you could have seen better at schoolboy level.
From brian.longworth2 on Mon Nov 23 07:49PMwhat pills is that tit jay8my taking he needs to change them fast he scored 5 you tard
From kristian_salter on Mon Nov 23 08:21PMand also the only prem player to score 5 in 1 half i think
From kristian_salter on Mon Nov 23 08:26PMI totally agree Mr Parker. I'd like to see Defoe and Agbonlahor up front together with Ashley Young on the left and Aaron Lennon down the right before the World Cup kicks off. That would be the fastest attack we've ever seen, but we'd need a strong Midfield behind them so i'd have Barry and Gerrard in there. I don't see what Defoe has done wrong not to start and i don't see what Young has done to barely make the Squad getting shifted by his own Team mate Milner? Defoe and Young have been 2 of the most consistent performers the last year or so in the Premiership.
From julesm.dorrell on Mon Nov 23 08:39PMcapello should take Rooney, Defoe, Bent and Crouch i think they should give bent more chances at international level he always scores important goals for club
From y2c_stylez on Mon Nov 23 08:42PMjam8my who is the @#$% now?defoe scored five you a hole
From morrissey_fintan on Mon Nov 23 08:52PMI think defoe scored only 1.. Isnt he the tall guy??
No..
Wait.. Who is Wigan's keeper?? Defoe.. Right??
He scored only 1 yesterday..
From rock.bratt on Mon Nov 23 08:57PMDefoe is a good dstriker but he has not proved himself internationally against the best teams, like Michael Owen has. If the England manager always sticks to his form and appearance only selection criteria, rather then who is the proven best man to do the job internationally for England, then we will come up short at the world cup again. England need Owen with Roonie up front next year.
From marklbelluk on Mon Nov 23 09:00PMJay you idiot, Defoe scored five. As for whether Defoe should start for England, surely the answer should be yes. It doesn't matter whether he is only 4 feet tall or 10 feet tall, he is the leagues leading goal scorer, so surely Capello should play the striker in form. Defoe's scoring record ratio for England is also good considering the number of minutes he has played. This is also true for Crouch, so he should also be taken to the World Cup. The only proviso would be if they both lost their form between now and then.
From mayhewkenneth on Mon Nov 23 09:07PMjay a fool and his money is easily parted,how much of a wager do you want on how many he scored my bet is 5..........the fools bet is4
From littleg66 on Mon Nov 23 09:10PMThey should take Rooney, Defoe, Bent and Owen cos they r amaze (owen just needs 2 get his shooting boots on but he makes the best runs in the world)
From t.murgatroyd on Mon Nov 23 09:13PMJay8my, you're an idiot. Defoe scored FIVE goals. He's the only person, other than Andy Cole and Alan Shearer, to do so since the Prem began. For God's sake man, it's been all over the papers and in the news the last day. Are you blind, deaf, and stupid??? Check the league's stats and the matchcast to confirm. He scored FFFFFIIIIIIIIVVVVVVEEEEE times you tw*t!
From bkjorg1 on Mon Nov 23 09:44PMDefoe scored 5 goals against a pub team. He is not world class and will not come up to the mark in the W Cup. He is tiny and very ugly as well but he pulls a few birds as he is a rich footy boy. I am jealous as I am ugly too but skinto
From colin.howell on Mon Nov 23 11:05PM"Defoe's main job is to score goals, but I do not think he is one of those strikers who contributes little else - a charge that can be levelled at Michael Owen, whose World Cup hopes continue to fade." Hey Parker, your articles are @#$%, week in and week out and for you to talk mess on one of Alltime greats is garbage...What did you ever contribute to the 3 Lions? A few @#$% caps..yea! Defoe is great and playing in a 4-3-3 would be unbelievable with Roons but stop talking @#$% on Owen, you racist!
From bocephus1234 on Mon Nov 23 11:13PMOf all the positions in footy striker and goalkeeper rely most on form. capello will start bent if he finishes season strongly but if defoe is used as an impact sub it's still a plus for england because like the article states he's lightning sharp, fast, and focused. rooney overated?you must be kidding. if england play 41212 with cole at the apex and barry at the base plus lampard and gerrard it's your best bet cause straight 442 only wins you the wc if you got rivelino and figo on the flanks which you don't. congragulations on reaching the quarter finals where you were outclassed by spain.
From niallism on Mon Nov 23 11:53PMA total of 11 of you fell for the most obvious bait I've seen from Jay so far...
well fking done, give youselves a huge pat on the back you numpties!From wa.irvine on Tue Nov 24 12:33AMTime to empty yer keep net Jay
From andy.sproston on Tue Nov 24 01:08AMTarget men are a waste of time , OK Drogba is the exception , but Heskey hasnt had any playing time with Villa at all this season and Crouch scores the odd goal but he wouldnt frighten the likes of Brazil , Spain or Germany (with the magnificant Ozul ) , If Rooney got injured I wouldnt rely on Heskey or Crouch to get goals.
My strikers would be Rooney, Defoe ,- Bent and Crouch on the bench
From csinclair366 on Tue Nov 24 01:11AMjay8my man you go back to school or something. the whole issue here is the history making event with germain defoe scoring five goals and not four. I don't think the whole world was dreaming about it, it actually happened. you must get your facts right before you let your blindness make a full of you
From elvisotia on Tue Nov 24 03:40AM
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