Rickie Lambert backed to batter Moldova by Hodgson as injury bug bites fellow strikers
Rickie Lambert backed to batter Moldova by Hodgson as injury bug bites fellow strikers
Rooney's withdrawal and knocks for Sturridge and Defoe mean Southampton hero will start anticipated Wembley walkover
Lamb to the slaughter? Ricki and England are expected to secure a big win
Laurence Griffiths - The FA
England manager Roy Hodgson has put his faith in Rickie Lambert to solve his striker crisis.
Southampton
star Lambert has been handed a shock start against minnows Moldova at
Wembley on Friday after Hodgson was forced into a major gamble. Head-injury victim Wayne Rooney and now Daniel Sturridge
are out of the match injured and although Jermain Defoe trained on
Thursday, the Tottenham hitman is not fit enough to start, leaving
England desperately short up front.
Hodgson cannot afford any
slip-ups against Moldova and says Lambert - who will become the first
Southampton player to start a competitive England game for 10 years -
will not let them down.
The Three Lions have scored 12 times in their three previous meetings against Moldova, and Lambert - who scored the winner against Scotland last month on his debut - will surely get the chance to add to that goal and inflict plenty of misery on the Group H strugglers.
Hodgson said: “It would be wrong if I don’t admit the loss of Rooney and Sturridge is a major blow for us.
“Even
before the weekend, those two were very much in my mind as two
important strikers for these two games, and Glen Johnson, Alex
Oxlade-Chamberlain and Phil Jones. Five important players to lose.
“But this is an opportunity for the man who’s been sitting back trying to take his place. A chance to get the shirt and shine.
“I’m expecting (Johnson's right-back stand-in Kyle) Walker
and Lambert to make it clear they should be there, they deserve to be
there and have the quality to be there.”
Lambert, who has gone from beetroot factory worker
to Premier League striker in 10 years, must still be seen as a risk, as
failure to beat Moldova would be a hammer blow to the nation's World
Cup qualification hopes.
In-form Liverpool striker Sturridge is
out of the Moldova game with a thigh problem, but is refusing to give up
on playing in Ukraine next Tuesday.
Hodgson added: “It was a
straight choice between Lambert and Defoe. He [Defoe] hasn’t played for
Spurs, and came with a slight injury. Didn’t train for the first couple
of days.
“It’s partly the fact Lambert turned up fully fit having played the three matches.
“Defoe
hasn’t played and turned up with a slight injury. But I believe in
Jermain Defoe. He’s been with me in all the squads and was very sharp in
training today. Reserve judgement: Hodgson will have "sharp" Defoe on the bench
Michael Regan - The FA
“I’ve not dismissed him, but Lambert’s the one I’ll start.
“We
have to be honest here: Sturridge is doing ever so well to try and make
himself available. He was devastated to turn up injured. He wanted to
be with us and to have the treatment so he could play.
“But he wants to be a part of it. He’s young and can recover quickly.
“We hope there’s some good news on Sunday morning and he can come with us and take part.
“I’m
not enormously optimistic. I’m not confident. But if he could, he so
desperately wants to be a part of it that he will be there.”
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