Player Focus: Cole and Baines' contrasting styles causing Hodgson headache

If England were a club team, it’s a safe bet that they wouldn’t have ?both Ashley Cole and Leighton Baines. Anybody with the capacity to ?transfer players looking at the England squad would sell one or the other,? reasoning that Kieran Gibbs is more than adequate back-up, and look to? use any money raised to sign another centre-back, a goalkeeper, or ?perhaps a genuine holding midfielder. As it is, England are stuck with?a glut of high-class left-backs and, although Cole’s injury means ?Baines will retain his place for Tuesday’s game against Poland, Roy ?Hodgson will have a major decision to make before next summer’s World ?Cup (if England get there).

This season Cole has made 1.9 tackles and 1.4 interceptions per game,? effecting 0.8 clearances. Baines has made 3.0 tackles and 1.3 ?interceptions per game, effecting 3 clearances. That, frankly, says ?little, other than hinting at their respective styles. Baines is more ?energetic and more combative, his style based on him getting forward,? whereas Cole is more reserved, sitting deeper and filling space. In? part that is to do with how their clubs set up, but it’s also down to ?personal characteristics.

Cole is one of the most natural defenders at full-back the English ?game has ever known. His performance in marking Cristiano Ronaldo when? England lost on penalties to Portugal at Euro 2004 remains the ?template for how to play the role. Defending, though, is a trait that ?remains elusive to statistics: often it consists of closing down? space, of forcing errors, of being close enough to a forward that he ?doesn’t receive the ball. None of that is particularly easy to detail? in statistics.

When Cole left Arsenal for Chelsea in 2006, he became a more defensive? player. Jose Mourinho, he said, almost forbade him to cross the? halfway line. Under subsequent managers, he regained some of his ?adventure. Perhaps Mourinho, having returned, would have insisted he ?curtail his forward runs again but age, anyway, seemed to be ?encouraging caution, as can be seen in his diminishing crosses per ?game. In 2010-11, Cole averaged 2.7 cross attempts per game, in 2011-12 2.4 per game,? in 2012-13 1.7 per game and only 0.9 per game this season.

Baines is four years younger and understandably more energetic. His? number of crosses are down this season as well – 4.5 per game as? opposed to between 5.5 and 6.3 per game in the last three seasons –? although whether that is down to small sample size or a different? tactical approach from Roberto Martinez is difficult to say. Either? way, he crosses the ball far more than Cole and, with his dead-ball ?ability, can realistically be said to offer a greater attacking threat? than the Chelsea man, as is made clear by the fact that, last season,? he made 3.1 key passes per game while Cole made just 0.6.

The question then becomes whether the balance of the side is better ?served by sacrificing a little defensive solidity for greater? attacking flair – and to an extent that depends on who operates at ?right-back. With Glen Johnson or Kyle Walker, Hodgson is more likely? to look for greater solidity on the left; with Chris Smalling or Phil? Jones, he is more likely to be inclined to attack – and whether the ?left-sided forward prefers to have help on the overlap or the security ?of a defensive platform.

“It’s a tough one for the manager because, if you were in his shoes,? you’ve got such a great player already in Ash and, if it’s not broke,? you don’t fix it,” Baines said. “I just hope he feels he’s got two ?guys that he can depend on. Ash has this wealth of experience [105? caps to Baines’ 20] I could never match. That adds weight to his case? but hopefully the manager has confidence in me. I feel I’ve pushed ?[Cole] hard. I’ve no idea if, in the manager’s mind, it’s really close ?or if he always knows which he prefers, which has been Ash, and if? that’s always going to be the case when he’s fit.”

For now Hodgson doesn’t have to make a decision. He looks to get? through on Tuesday night and then can pick both Baines and Cole in his? squad for Brazil. Come next June, it might simply come down to which ?of them is in better form.