England head into their final group game of the Under-21 European Championships requiring a win against Czech Republic to seal a place in the semi-finals.
So far, whilst looking defensively resilient, Stuart Pearce’s side have struggled in front of goal and have scored just once, which should have been ruled out for offside, in their two group games.
Danny Welbeck’s goal in the dying moments against Spain has been the pinnacle of England’s attacking play so far. Daniel Sturridge leads the way in the tournament with the most shots on target with six, yet the Chelsea striker, who enjoyed an influential loan spell at Bolton, is struggling to convert his chances.
So who are the attacking threats needing to deliver against the Czechs?
Kyle Walker
The 21-year-old has drawn early comparisons to Roberto Carlos for his performances in Denmark so far. Although he plays on the opposite flank to the Brazilian, he’s provided a similar amount of influence in attack when raiding up the right wing. Defensively, he’s solid too and often uses his strength quash the threat of the opposing winger.
Walker enjoyed a promising spell at Aston Villa while on loan from Tottenham last term. In his 15 league appearances, he bagged three assists and one goal. His attacking threat bettered that of some of Villa’s more experienced midfielders as he made an average on one key pass per game, while his overall distribution success was 77%.
The right-back also dribbled on average 1.7 times per outing – the most out of Villa who posses a fine winger in Ashley Young. In defence, his stats were more than modest as he averaged 2.7 tackles, two interceptions and 3.3 clearances per game.
Daniel Sturridge
In his loan spell at Bolton, the 21-year-old made 12 appearances and netted eight times. He’s carried his tendency to shoot into the tournament as he averaged 3.6 shots per game in the league last term. The striker also showed his willingness to take on defenders as he successfully attempted 1.8 dribbles per game.
His distribution, however, needs work, as his pass completion rate was at 73%, although there is promise shown in his ability to link with others as he averaged 1.33 key passes per game.
Sturridge has looked bright so far in Denmark, but the onus is now on him converting a higher percentage of chances he is given, should he manage that, he’d likely be a shoe-in for the tournament’s golden boot award.
Danny Welbeck
On loan from Manchester United last season, the 20-year-old made 26 appearances for Sunderland and score, six goals, while creating one assist.
Statistically, the forward appears to be less imposing than Sturridge, as he averaged just 1.6 shots per game and made a lowly 0.81 key passes per game with a 79% passing success rate.
Tom Cleverley
The 21-year-old has not had the same impact in Denmark which made him a strong contender for a starting place in Roberto Martinez’s side last season. The winger, who was on loan from Manchester United, made 25 appearances, scoring three goals and sealed two assists,.
His stats last term reflect the tournament he’s had so far – steady. The winger averaged 1.2 shots per game and surprisingly showed a lack of willingness to take on players as he made just 0.6 dribbles per game. His key passes per game count stood at 1.08, although ball retention was high as his pass success rate was a respectable pass success rate 82%.
But again, Cleverley, like Welbeck and Sturridge are players who need to seize the opportunity against Czech Republic on Sunday to get out of the group stage.
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