Image courtesy of England Football Team Facebook
Rickie Lambert should be considered for England‘s World Cup qualifiers next month, providing he starts the season with Southampton well.
His debut winning goal vs. Scotland was the type of moment football lovers can only imagine as a kid; but perhaps more importantly, Lambert’s first touch in international football shows he may be the man England needs in the coming months — a period that is incredibly crucial.
The qualifiers are going to be tense, and the pressure on England is likely to only get worse after the first game vs. Moldova too. England is screaming out for a goal scorer. Danny Welbeck has shown that he can find goals, but I am sure everyone will agree that in terms of forwards, the squad is lacking in firepower.
Lambert has shown that he is a reliable goal scorer. He takes his chances when they come. Okay, he did narrowly hit the post for what could have been his second, but he seemed to have come on with such confidence, something that has been rare for England players in the past few years.
There was an evident pride and passion from Lambert. His time as an elite player will not last forever, and it was clear that he wanted to make the most of that. If England needs a goal late in those final four qualifiers, why decline bringing on Lambert?
His power and attacking intelligence seems to make himself pop up in all the correct positions, and he should be one of Roy Hodgson‘s forwards in a crucial qualifying period which could decide just whether or not the three lions will be making a trip to Brazil next summer.
Claims for Lambert to be England’s starting striker may be a little early though. There is a risk that the team will revert back to a long ball style of play with him up front. However, the interesting thing about Lambert is that despite his size, he also very talented with the ball at his feet and in front of him.
We’ll see how he performs during the start of the season, but I for one believe Lambert has shown enough to be one of Hodgson’s forwards.
Stowe Gregory is an English featured Soccer and Sports writer for www.RantSports.com. Follow him or tweet on Twitter @stowegregory. Or add to circles on Google +
