A right winger, setting the international stage alight with his blazing runs and fearsome shots, and being lauded as the torch-bearer to lead a new generation of England youngsters on the international stage. Andros Townsend is the new gem in the England ranks and he cannot be ignored by the media, the public, or indeed Roy Hodgson.
However, cast your mind back to September 9th 2009. Remember? Well, to jog memories, it was the day that Theo Walcott scored a hat-trick against Croatia and a 4-1 win in Zagreb was viewed as revenge for the Croats denying England a place at Euro 2008. The England forward was hailed as the new hero to lead the nation to improbable victory in the 2010 World Cup. It was also the same night that the end of David Beckham was announced widely by the media, as his obvious replacement had emerged. Similarly, with Townsend having two good games for the team, Walcott is now the man to be considered ‘replaced’ even though he is currently missing through injury.
The worst thing to do, as many England fans know, is expect too much from one player, especially at a young age. How many times has a ‘new starlet’ emerged from the shadows of youth football and ended up as a bit of a damp squib? Townsend could go the same way.
The London-born winger is exciting. He can dribble, he can shoot and he can run. He leaves defenders in his wake as he knocks it on and bursts forward. This explosive style is similar to Wayne Rooney in that it ups the tempo and makes fans stand up and take note. The control he has over his rocket-like shots at goal is simply devastating. Very few players can use this much power and still keep their shot low, and it usually takes years for them to become as confident as Townsend at pulling it off week in, week out.
However, before anyone else jumps on the bandwagon praising him as the bright light of this England squad, take note of some things he needs to improve on. His tendency to cut inside has made him predictable at times and he is effectively marked out of games when defenders suss him out. He has, in more recent weeks, decided to mix it up a bit and it has worked quite well, but there is still too little variation. Top full-backs will have him in their back pocket, provided they do a bit of homework on the youngster.
The element of surprise is one advantage that Townsend currently has. Not much is known about him, so often defenders will not expect him to do too much, but in a year or two, he will need to have more tricks in his box than to continually cut inside onto his stronger left side or occasionally cross the ball with his right.
Another comparison between him and Walcott is his crossing ability. When rushed, both can pull off some fantastic crosses, but with time to think, they both seemingly panic and pick out the wrong pass. There have been moments where Townsend has looked exclusively left-footed due to his poor crosses or his intent to cut inside, but then he pulls out a great right-footed pass and puts a cat amongst the pigeons.
Spurs and England are also in a tricky position of not having played top European teams on a regular basis, so the real test will be if and when Spurs qualify for the Champions League or Townsend plays in the latter stages of next summer’s World Cup. This then brings up the problem of him potentially being judged on one tournament at the highest level, whether it is for good or for bad performances. To sum it up, Townsend needs to be playing well at a high level consistently before being considered a world-class winger so the hype surrounding him could potentially prove detrimental, as it has with many players in the past who have been lauded after only a handful of appearances.
Will Townsend ever be a world-beater? No one can truly say now, but there are definite signs that he could be with good guidance and improvement. For now, however, let’s just let him concentrate on his game, without the burden of being the England team’s new insect under the microscope.
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