Darren Bent's stock fell during his spell at Tottenham - there is no denying it. After shelling out £16.5 million, Spurs were hoping for a rather more sizeable return than 25 goals in two seasons across all competitions.
However, with 23 league goals this season, the former Ipswich and Charlton striker has firmly punctured any doubts about his ability. The front man's achievements are made all the more remarkable when set against Sunderland's determined mediocrity.
And yet, with more Premier League goals to his name than any English player, bar Wayne Rooney, the 26-year-old looks set to miss out on Fabio Capello's World Cup squad. With the alternatives out of form, lacking goals or losing early season momentum, why won't Mr Capello pick him.
Capello has always maintained that he will only pick players who are fully fit and playing regularly for their clubs. The appointment of an England manager who picks on form, and not reputation, was welcome relief to those sceptics of the boys club mentality of the England camp under both Sven Goran Eriksson and Steve McLaren.
However, he seems to have gradually diverged from this initial promise. The repeated selections of Theo Walcott, David Beckham, Emile Heskey and, more understandably, John Terry disproves the notion that form is the decisive factor behind selection.
Having watched Jermain Defoe's early season form stall and Carlton Cole pik up niggling injuries, Fabio Capello has some questions to answer before picking his squad.
And so to Bent. His £10 million (possibly rising to £16.5 million) move to Sunderland raised eyebrows at the time. Steve Bruce, it seemed, wished to continue the same lavish, scattergun approach to transfers as his predecessor.
But Bent has outshone Kenwyne Jones in a very average Sunderland side. Whilst his club have underachieved, he has consistently been Sunderland's best performer.
He blends genuine pace and a keen eye for goal with a willingness to harry defenders. Indeed, after Michael Owen and Jermain Defoe, Bent is probably the most natural English goalscorer around.
These qualities led The Daily Telegraph's Henry Winter to identify him as an England star of the future by naming him in his 2006 squad of the year.
It doesn't take a genius to identify his pedigree - 141 goals in 336 appearances highlights a striker who has scored regularly at every club he has played for. That ratio is second only to Defoe of the current Premiership strikers eligible for England (and that includes Rooney).
The central criticism is a straightforward one: In five international appearances he is yet to score. This cannot be ignored, but with only two starts amongst those caps it is hardly worrying form.
He is by no means an established international forward, but nor is he less experienced than Agbonlahor or Cole. Lest we forget, Jermain Defoe's England career was largely unremarkable until the past 12 months.
A football phone in show this week criticised Bent for failing to shine against the big teams. This, it was said, was why Capello has overlooked him.
But hang on! Let's examine that argument.
This season he has scored in a 2-2 away draw against Manchester United, the opener in a 3-1 defeat to Chelsea in addition to winners against Arsenal, Liverpool and Spurs. Any reputation he has earnt as a flat-track bully is at best undeserved and at worst woefully ignorant of the facts.
He does not offer defences the same physical challenges as Peter Crouch, Emile Heskey or Carlton Cole, but he is quicker and a more potent goalscorer than all three. Both Gabriel Agbonlahor and Theo Walcott have electrifying pace without the inherent footballing intelligence to go with it.
Whilst Bent does not offer the same obvious qualities as some of the other candidates, he represents a useful blend of all of them. Strikers with pace, strength, a natural eye for goal and a willingness to work for the team and bring others into play are all too rare. Fernando Torres and Didier Drogba are the high end examples.
I would have Bent in South Africa ahead of Heskey, Cole and Agbonlahor. Assuming Rooney and Defoe are certainties, I would bring Crouch and Bent as impact substitutes. This leaves a possible spot for a fifth striker. Perhaps Theo Walcott, as overrated as he is quick.
The case for Bent's inclusion is a strong one:
1. Second highest English Premiership goalscorerthis season.
2. An impressive mixture of pace, strength, work ethic and goals.
3. Has sustained a high level of performance for the last eight years.
So surely a coach who picks on form and not reputation would take him. Wouldn't he?
On Saturday I will be compiling my World Cup 23 and my predictions for Capello's 23.
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I agree that Bent has a really strong case for being on the plane to South Africa. Despite being overrated, I think that Theo Walcott's pace could make him a good candidate for a place as an impact sub late on in games. The name I really don't want to see in the final 23 is that of Emile Heskey, whose inclusion in recent England squads is a mystery to me! I know his statistics are decent but I think that has more to do with luck than talent! He's a completely average player who will surely be short of match fitness and sharpness given the fact that he can't hold down a place in the starting 11. Let's hope Capello picks form over favourites!
ReplyDeleteI would have no problem with Heskey if he showed some aggression on the pitch. He's a quick 14 stone striker who is decent in the air. Why then is he so timid and ineffectual?
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