The Anfield Six

 So Roy Hodgson’s England have overcome their four obstacles and topped their group, qualifying for the quarter-finals against Italy on Sunday evening. Winning the group has been difficult considering England had to play against a France side full of quality attacking talent, a Swedish team we simply never beat in competitive football and the host nation Ukraine, and all of this done despite the biggest hurdle standing in our way, the almost insurmountable problem of having six Liverpool players in the squad of 23. To celebrate England’s safe passage to the knockout stages (where a disappointing penalty shoot out probably awaits) I thought I’d check on the progress and performances of our players in the squad, the Anfield Six.

 Andy Carroll – started one match, scored one goal. Carroll was one of England’s two or three best players against Sweden and deserved to keep his place for the game against Ukraine but Hodgson decided instead to recall Wayne Rooney, who is unarguably better than Carroll so it’s hard to disagree with the decision, even if there is a good argument Carroll should have retained his place in the starting eleven. He took his goal superbly from Steven Gerrard’s cross and let’s hope we see more of the same kind of aggressive heading in the penalty area for us next season. Also, crucial to his goal, the fact that he headed the ball downwards is a big step. He has been guilty of not doing this at Liverpool and has seen plenty of attempts go just over the bar when a downwards header would have resulted in a much better chance of scoring.

 Glen Johnson – started all three games. You know what you’re getting from Johnson, good going forwards, great recovery tackles and occasionally dodgy defensive positioning. And this sums up his tournament so far perfectly. I’ve long thought he’s a midfielder in a defender’s position but I have to say against Ukraine last night I thought his defensive performance was very solid. All round I’m impressed with him so far and it would be nice to see him add a goal or an assist to his attacking play before England board the plane home.

 Jordan Henderson – played fifteen minutes against France, replacing Scott Parker. Henderson was one of the selections met with almost universal disapproval but he looked composed and tidy in his short cameo against a French side with a talented and experienced midfield. The experience of being in and around the squad will do him a world of good and if he gets another opportunity to play I’m sure he won’t let anyone down. I was also impressed with him in the press conference at the beginning of the tournament, he spoke well about himself and others and he seems to have a good grasp of this aspect of his profession.

 Steven Gerrard – three games, three assists, countless passes and tackles. Gerrard has been England’s captain and best player, the hearbeat of the team and a leader in every way. His crosses in from the right have set up the opening goal in each of England’s three matches, you can’t ask for much more than that! It was assumed that Parker would hold and Gerrard would play further forward but the way it has worked out the two take turns switching between the two roles which reduces Stevie’s effectiveness going forward but makes more use of his excellent tackling ability. Also for two players who have had hard seasons it helps save their legs which could benefit England greatly should they reach the later stages of the tournament.

 Martin Kelly – no appearances. Kelly has been ill for some of the tournament and missed a bit of training, and he hasn’t yet had chance to contribute to the first team. In this respect all of the debate over Rio Ferdinand’s omission seems pretty redundant, he certainly wouldn’t have played this role any better than Kelly and wouldn’t get the benefit of the experience which the younger player will gain from being involved.

 Stuart Downing – no appearances. Of all 23 players in the squad Downing was probably given the most stick by supporters and media over his inclusion. So far he hasn’t yet made it onto the pitch, making his contribution only slightly more than that of Ashley Young……….