Jordan Henderson’s fitness was one of England’s hot topics that went into the 2020 European Championships, and some suggest that he should be left out of the squad due to his lack of minutes for Liverpool.
But after coming in at half-time in the Three Lions’ last group game, a 1-0 victory against the Czech Republic at Wembley, the Red skippers are now in contention to start against arch-enemy Germany in the round of 16.
So far, Kalvin Phillips has replaced himself with Declan Rice in midfield – and won the match against Croatia with an impressive, energetic performance before making a slightly less glamorous performance against Scotland.
Phillips also played against the Czech Republic from the start, but again Leeds midfielder – even though he did everything that was asked of him – was a bit weak, especially in a relatively tough second half.
For England to advance in the competition, it is clear that they will need much more dynamism, adventure and quality in midfield.
Henderson came on at half-time against the Czech Republic at Wembley on Tuesday / Chloe Knott – Danehouse / Getty Images
They need to develop the ball better and in Henderson they have a more experienced and rounded midfielder who can influence play in the attacking third, while providing the level of effort and frequency required to include the likes of Toni Kroos and Ilkay Gundogan.
Admittedly, England have been brilliant defensively. They have not yet conceded a single goal, have been compact and difficult to break down and have largely had control over the pace of their games. The downside has been their inability to get things to shoot at the other end, and that has largely been down to a lack of balance in midfield.
Henderson’s strength, on the other hand, is receiving the ball deeply, picking out pockets with room to move into and driving passes into the front line with precision and power. It’s a Steven Gerrard-like move to add, adding another dimension to Gareth Southgate’s attacking armor.
Not only that, he is a natural leader both on and off the field. His knowledge and experience at the highest level gives him the edge over the rest of Southgate’s midfield options and provided he is as fit as he says he is, bringing Henderson to start XI is the right move.
Jordan Henderson is a Champions League winner and one of England’s most experienced players / Matthias Hangst / Getty Images
This is not to say that Phillips is not a useful player, but after playing a deep role for Leeds all season, his tendency to fall in with Rice limits the number of progressive runs from England’s more forward-looking players – making them relatively easy to defend. against.
Henderson is the box-to-box midfielder that this team has called for and even if the three lions eased through the group stage without him, the challenge that Germany has posed at Wembley will be much greater than they have faced so far.
