Player Focus: Forward Thinking Rose a Useful Option for Spurs and England

It’s hard to remember a time quite like this for the England national team. After the stasis of the so-called golden generation, when half a dozen big names were assured of their place on the teamsheet, almost irrespective of form or whether they could play together or not, Roy Hodgson finds himself in a position where there are almost no automatic picks, but a host of promising options.

For years, the left-back slot was the preserve of Ashley Cole. Leighton Baines was unfortunate that for so many of his best years he was kept out of the national side by one of the few true greats England have had in the past half century. With Baines perhaps now past his peak, the position that was until recently the one great certainty – if Cole’s fit, pick him; if he’s half-fit, pick him – is now subject to doubt.

Luke Shaw, perhaps, will make the position his own, but he is unlikely to be back from his broken leg in time to prove himself before the Euros. Kieran Gibbs is a second-choice at Arsenal behind Nacho Monreal. Ryan Bertrand, having another solid season at Southampton, has seven caps already and has never let England down. But there is perhaps another option, one who has had an excellent season and may end the campaign as a league champion.

Danny Rose has been called into the England squad without getting onto the pitch, and he was a first choice for Stuart Pearce’s Great Britain side during the 2012 Olympics, but he has not yet won his first senior cap. That surely cannot be far away. Full-back is arguably the most demanding position in Mauricio Pochettino’s system at Tottenham, which is why he has rotated there more than any other position, but Rose, sharing the role with Ben Davies, has thrived, his comfort on the ball and driving runs more than compensating for the odd defensive lapse.

It says much for his style of defending that while he has made 2.8 tackles per game in the Premier League this season – more than any other England-qualified full-back other than Sunderland’s Billy Jones – he has only made 1.3 interceptions per game. 140 players in the Premier League make more than him, including his teammate Kyle Walker, who manages 2.8 per game as well as 2.5 tackles. Rose is perhaps not somebody you’d automatically turn to if your style was to sit deep, hold the position and look to frustrate an opponent – which may, in fairness, be England’s game plan should they reach the latter stages of the Euros.

But for Tottenham’s pressing game he is ideal, offering attacking width and constant surges down the flank. His average of 1.2 shots per game is third highest of all full-backs in the league behind Aleksandar Kolarov and Patrick van Aanholt. In an ideal world, of course, he’d have scored more than just one goal (Van Aanholt has three, although he has played nine more games), but there’s still something remarkable about Rose averaging 20 per cent more shots per game this season than Eden Hazard.

A 77.8% pass completion rate isn’t stunning, although it’s still the tenth-best figure for any player who has played regularly at full-back in the league this season. That’s all the more impressive given that he plays 2.0 long balls per game and puts in 0.5 crosses per game; he’s attempting a significant number of high-tariff passes. Tellingly his figure of 0.9 key passes per game is the fifth-best for any full-back in the league.

Rose isn’t what Cole was at his peak, probably isn’t as effective even as Baines at his best, and it may be that a fit and rehabilitated Luke Shaw outstrips him. But he’s an extremely useful option not only for Pochettino and Spurs but potentially also for Hodgson and England.

Where does Danny Rose rank in terms of England's best left-backs at present? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below