Will Kieran Gibbs take Ashley Cole's spot in the England team at the World Cup?

Kieran Gibbs

One debate that’s been dominating many of the headlines leading up to England’s inevitable quarter final world cup exit on penalties this Summer is who should be occupying the left back position for Roy Hodgson’s men.

For the past decade Ashley Cole has done what almost every other England player has failed to do and maintained a consistent run in the national side, actually putting in decent performances in more or less every game- including the major tournaments. It’s testament to Cole’s quality in an England shirt that despite Everton’s Leighton Baines being one of the most productive left back’s on the planet in terms of the number of chances he creates, Cole has kept him at bay for most of the important internationals.

The Cole versus Baines debate is one that could rage on all season but as Bill Clinton and Tony Blair showed us in the 90s there’s a ‘third way’ not right or left, but somewhere in the middle and in this case he plays for Arsenal.

Kieran Gibbs is enjoying exactly the sort of season he’s been threatening to for a while now and has become a mainstay of the Gunner’s defence, which has helped them finally launch a realistic title challenge – despite Arsene Wenger’s recent comments about not being in the running.

One immediate advantage Gibbs has over both Cole and Baines is the number of games he’s played, which is quite ironic given the injury problems he’s had in the past and how his rivals usually seldom miss any matches.

As we can see from the comparison matrix, Gibbs may have played more games but he’s actually enjoyed less time on the pitch than Baines, but that shouldn’t deter Hodgson, as turning out for the Gunners over 20 times at this stage of the season shows how important – and reliable- he’s become.

Turning up is one thing but producing a decent performance is another and fortunately for Gibbs, when he does play he’s been very impressive, especially when it comes to his defensive work.

Average Defensive Score Per Game

Putting players such as Baines and Cole in the shade defensively is no mean feat but if we’re completely honest, the main reason Baines has been the choice of many to take over England’s number three spot is his ability to create chances.

Average Key Pass Total (Per 90 Metrics)

Baines still puts his counterparts in the shade when it comes to causing the opposition problems, creating at least one chance for his team mates each game, something neither Cole nor Gibbs can boast of.

It’s not just about creating chances, though, and if Hodgson is looking towards the future then taking a player who, at 24, is years away from his peak and could do the best job defensively in Brazil, may make more sense than preferring one who’s got almost zero chance of being around for the following world cup. Roy, it’s over to you.