The Rooney-Kane-Vardy dilemma

How should Roy Hodgson use Harry Kane, Jamie Vardy and Wayne Rooney at Euro 2016? England’s win over Portugal threw up more questions than answers…

Roy Hodgson said before England’s Wembley friendly with Portugal that the game would confirm his thinking for Euro 2016. However, with his attack blunted by the 10-man visitors for much of the contest, the manager still has issues to resolve.

Chris Smalling eventually made the breakthrough late in the second half to ensure England’s final preparation game for Euro 2016 ended on a winning note and Portugal’s defensive approach after Bruno Alves’ 35th-minute sending off made the hosts’ task tougher.

But there was little attacking verve on view to send England’s travelling supporters to France on a wave of excitement.

The chief problem emerging from the contest for Hodgson is how to use the two top scorers in the Premier League this season, Harry Kane and Jamie Vardy, and his captain, Wayne Rooney.

For the first time, Hodgson started with all three on Thursday night. With Kane and Vardy up front and Rooney at the tip of a midfield diamond, England kicked off with a system designed to maximise the strengths of their forward trio.

Kane and Vardy were deployed in traditional centre forward positions, where they’d be well placed to create and finish scoring opportunities, while also stretching the play so Rooney would have time and space to use his playmaking skills.

On paper it seemed like a smart move. In reality, the system negated the qualities of all three.

With Rooney claiming centre ground and with no wingers on the pitch, Kane and Vardy were forced into the channels – to find space when England had the ball, to track full-backs when they didn’t. As a result, England’s strikers were dragged away from dangerous zones and left Rooney without obvious targets when he was on the ball.

At half-time Vardy had touched the ball just five times, Kane had managed one tame shot into the goalkeeper’s arms and Rooney’s passing accuracy was down below 60 per cent. All three were substituted in the second-half …

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