Peter Crouch- Still the right man for England

After being without an international appearance for over 17 months, on Saturday evening at the Britannia Stadium, with seemingly little danger on the horizon, Peter Crouch skillfully juggled the ball and unleashed a spectacular volley into the far corner of the net beyond a helpless Joe Hart, delivering a potent reminder exactly why he is still England’s no.1 target man.

New School Target Man-

After watching the Stoke City striker ply his trade in the Premier League for around 9 years I think it can be universally accepted by most England fans that though he may be 6’7, Crouch is never going to be a Duncan Ferguson.  Crouch is never going to be that brutish, old-fashioned British centre-forward that roughs up centre-halves, bullies them into submission and bullets headers into the back of the net.  Crouch is more of a continental style target man, relying more on his technical ability than physical attributes.  This makes him a unique commodity amongst the strikers of his type, being the only English target man more comfortable with a ball played to his feet than towards his head.

Technical Ability-

For years Crouch has been subject of the backhanded compliment “He’s got good feet….....For a big man” when the truth is he has good technique regardless of his stature and is one of the country’s most technically gifted strikers.  Crouch may not provide you with the same heading ability as Andy Carroll, or possess the strength of Bobby Zamora, but in terms of technical ability, Crouch is without doubt the stand out candidate of the three. 

Reliabilty

Amidst the toil Carroll has experienced at Liverpool and the disjointed season of Bobby Zamora at QPR and Fulham, Stoke striker Crouch has shown he is much more than a steady Eddie.  Across the span of His career the fans of the clubs he has played for would largely vouch for him as a reliable, quality performer.  Throughout the rigours of a Premier League season and on those big European nights Crouch has shown his quality.  Crouch is also a seasoned England international boasting a goalscoring record of 22 goals in 42 games whilst Carroll and Zamora are still unknown quantities, finding their feet at international level, holding only 5 caps with 1 goal between them.  Whilst Crouch may not consistently secure a place is the starting 11, as an England manager when you have him in your team you know exactly what you will get. 

Verdict-

Crouch’s contender for goal of the season on Saturday evening served as a timely reminder in the mind of every England fan and potential England manager that he is more talented than the unspectacular Bobby Zamora, more reliable than young pretender Andy Carroll and still England’s no.1 target man.

​​Sebastian Cowan

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