5 reasons why Gareth Southgate should start Marcus Rashford against Croatia

Modified Jul 11, 2018 11:56 GMT

Sweden v England : Quarter Final - 2018 FIFA World Cup Russia — Rashford in action for the Three Lions in the match against Sweden

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Yes, the game against Belgium was a poor performance from him, especially since his miss became a talking point, but it was Rashford in the wrong team against the wrong strike partner, Vardy.

Pitting him among the first 11 will bring out a different animal. Altogether in the 120 minutes, he played in this tournament, Rashford had 4 attempts on goal, with one of them on target. He had 1 delivery and 5 dribbles into the penalty box, the second highest in the team, and attempted 4 crosses.

Compare him with Sterling, who in the 335 minutes he played, had 7 attempts on goal with just 1 of them on target. He has 4 deliveries and 6 dribbles into the penalty area and attempted 3 crosses. Neither of them has scored a goal, but Sterling did notch up an assist. A full 90 minutes with the right team alongside him could bring the best out of Rashford yet.

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Edited by Shambhu Ajith