Analysis: Why Roy Hodgson shouldn’t have picked Tom Cleverley

Derided as a symbol of Manchester United’s failing midfield, Tom Cleverley may have seen his long term place in the Manchester United side come under threat in recent weeks but was yesterday once again called up to Roy Hodgson’s England squad.

The inclusion of Cleverley suggests that the England manager appears, like many before him, to be picking on reputation and club rather than form, with Cleverley out of form and far from guaranteed a start at his club, despite being a member of the most dysfunctional midfield unit that United have had in years.

The inclusion of Cleverley prompted a wave of social media comments, with Tom Huddlestone’s mum even weighing in, but is his selection correct? Or should he be sat at home on Wednesday night watching the likes of Huddlestone, Gareth Barry or Mark Noble line up for England?

It is perfectly understandable on occasion for a national boss to overlook a form player and keep to his normal squad if he believes that the form players are ultimately not good enough, or that his player has served him well in the past and that their quality will shine through. However, Cleverley fits the bill on none of these fronts.

He compares poorly to his established England international colleagues – demonstrated on the Comparison Matrix above – and should be on the fringes of the side even if his form was passable, rather than guaranteed a squad place regardless of form, theoretically making him vulnerable to competition.

The other central midfield players in the squad have proven to be more creative this season (with Oxlade-Chamberlain based upon last season due to lack of games) and, while Cleverley has made more passes per 90 minutes, he slides down the list when this is limited to forward passes.

Behind the established midfield players who have done enough to be able to keep their places in spite of slightly patchy form, (Gerrard, Wilshere and to an extent Lampard) Cleverley should be feeling the heat over his international place. The likes of Barry, Huddlestone and Noble have all proven to be in better form than Cleverley this season.

Cleverley has looked lethargic in recent weeks and, while he keeps the ball well, often lacks urgency and doesn’t look confident enough to attempt the killer pass.

Key Passes Since Christmas

The matrix shows that Cleverley averages 0.62 chances created per 90 minutes this season, far behind those pushing for a squad place. Since Christmas, he has created just three chances for his teammates, while Huddlestone has created 15, Noble – one of the league’s form players – has created 14 and Barry six.

The respective game times of the quartet shown above also add to the case for Cleverley to be dropped, reflecting the fact that he is struggling for domestic game time.

Against Olympiakos during the week, Cleverley was withdrawn after just an hour, having failed to ever look like troubling the home side’s goal and barely completing a pass within the final third of the pitch.

There is, of course, a valid point to be made that Cleverley’s strengths lie in defensive areas and ball retention rather than creativity. However, even here Cleverley is – on current form – a poor match up to Barry in the battle to compete with Michael Carrick, making fewer passes, tackles or chances. Huddlestone could also argue to be better than Cleverley at the United man’s strengths, with the Hull man making up a higher percentage of his side’s total passes than Cleverley at United and also proving more creative.

The squad could have given Hodgson the chance to test the likes of Noble or Huddlestone, whilst Barry’s form this season has been good enough to put him ahead of Cleverley. With no more friendly’s until the World Cup squad is announced the door looks to be closing on the trio, but Cleverley could also be joining them at home if his form does not pick up.