A forgotten man before the tournament begun.
All the talk was based around Harry Kane, Jamie Vardy and Marcus Rashford.
Not only creating the equaliser against Wales, Daniel Sturrridge managed to score the winner at the dying moments.
When fit and it is a question of when fit for Sturridge, he is without a doubt England’s best footballer. People will disagree, but who else in the squad has the ability to score the winner in the dying moments in such an important game like he did? The answer is simply no one.
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Roy Hodgson will get the plaudits for bringing both Vardy and Sturridge on, but the reality is he should not. How they both or even one of them did not start is just ludicrous.
How is it everyone else can see what is required yet Hodgson cannot? There is more questions than answers and that is just concerning for anyone associated with the England football team.
Everyone was going on about how well England played against Russia in the opener, but did they win? It was clear there was not enough goals in the side and it was further backed when Hodgson picked the exact same XI against Wales. That just looked toothless upfront in the first-half.
It took until half-time for the England manager to introduce both Vardy and Sturridge against Wales and for his sake, luckily he did.
Vardy took his goal well, but ultimately England can thank Sturridge for keeping their 2016 Euros hopes alive.
You perhaps could have understood Hodgson not starting Sturridge if he was carrying an injury or whatever, but the reality is he was not. He had been fit for around four months for Liverpool and had been scoring some big goals for them.
Just look at that goal he scored against Sevilla in the Europa League final. That was genuinely world class and was a sign of a man who had hit some form.
If he had have played against Russia there would have been no doubt England would have come away with the points.
What makes Sturridge such a great forward is the ability to drop deep and influence play, as his goal shows. He isn’t just a goalscorer which is perfect for the modern game and England.
England just looked far too stagnant in the first half and the introduction of Sturridge and Vardy changed that. When teams are sitting back like Wales were you need to be constantly active. The game was crying out for someone with quick feet and someone who knew how to find the back of the net.
For Sturridge to not start in the final group stage game there would have to take some form of an injury. He has surely done more than enough to earn the faith of Hodgson and co.
In major tournaments you need world class footballers in your squad and Sturridge is England’s closest product to that. If England are serious about progressing in this tournament then Sturridge is the key to that.
On another note, Harry Kane looked tired and well off the pace which therefore could see him rested in England’s last group stage game against Slovakia.
If there is one player that should not even be close to the first XI at the minute it is Raheem Sterling. Another average performance from the winger and he is just left off from his recent season at Manchester City. The fact he started ahead of Sturridge (and even Vardy) in the first two group stage games further backs just how clueless the selection panel is for England.
But with England now top of their respective group after coming away with the lot against Wales, Hodgson in the nick of time may have just discovered what has been missing in the early stages of the tournament.
It should come as no surprise Sturridge has come away with what could be a vital goal for England’s campaign, and it’s now time the footballing public stop putting him out of the frame for a start. That’s what has been frustrating about it, people have just forgotten about him.
He was England’s main man during the 2014 World Cup and that should still be the same as of today. Stick with him and England will get their just rewards.
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