Prominent reasons why Chelsea's Ashley Cole was not included in England's final 23-man squad
The omission of Ashley Cole name from the final list of 23 players was quite shocking as Roy Hodgson preferred the youngster Luke Shaw over him. Immediately after being dropped from the team, Ashley Cole announced his retirement from international football. Respecting Hodgson’s decision he wrote on his twitter account: “I got the call from Roy and agree England team should be about the young players. I think it best I retire from England team now. We have a great manager and team and I wish them only success. I will be supporting them like a true fan. Thanks to everyone for everything.”
In fact Hodgson decision could easily backfire on him, given the teams they have to play up against in the World Cup. The Three Lions are placed in the Group of Death along with Italy, Uruguay and Costa Rica; a group so tough that Cole’s experience could prove vital for Hodgson. But in the end Hodgson preferred to go with the youth rather than sticking to the out of form Cole. Hodgson decision was based on several factors, let’s take a look at them.
1) Age
No matter Cole was one the best fullback of England in the past; but we cannot ignore the fact that he has grown old. The 33 year old is well over his peak, he might have more experience than others, but his physical abilities are nowhere near what they used to be. His speed and stamina have waned along with time. His counterpart Shaw who is just 18 years old showed his sublime form after a remarkable season with The Saints, reasonably making Cole, Hodgson’s second choice.
2) Lack of playing time at Chelsea during 13/14 season
Ashley Cole’s playing time at Chelsea was considerably reduced this season. With most of the time he was benched and remained an unused sub, with Azpilicueta replacing him as Chelsea’s first choice left back. Cole started only 17 times for the Blues this season, much less compared to his last season 31 appearances. His worst performance came up against Newcastle; Blues lost that game 2-0, forcing Mourinho to bench him and give his spot to Azpilicueta for the remaining season.
3) Stupendous season for Luke Shaw
Luke enjoyed a remarkable season with the Saints, adding further woes to Cole’s chances of getting a place secured in final 23. Luke played in 35 out of a possible 38 games for the Saints, hardly giving any impression of being a teenager. Here are his stats for the 13/14 season and his comparison with Ashley Cole.
Looking at the comparison, Shaw definitely has an upper hand over Cole. He looked more stable at the back, providing way too many clearances than Cole and was more successful in dealing with aerial threats with a success rate of 55%. Not only that, he also created many chances up the field. Most importantly, committed no defensive errors given the fact he played 35 games, almost twice more than Cole. With a mature performance this season, no doubt Hodgson preferred Luke over Cole in his final list.