Ashley Cole questioned if Gareth Southgate could rely on Chelsea defender Ben Chilwell for England at the European Championships.
Speaking on ITV, Cole was reacting to Three Lions 1-0 victory over Croatia yesterday afternoon.
A lot of eyebrows were raised pre-match when Southgate’s team selection came out.
Jack Grealish’s omission and Raheem Sterling’s inclusion caused a lot of debate, as did Kieran Trippier’s call-up at left-back.
Typically a right-back by trade, the Atletico Madrid man was made to switch sides by his manager.
This meant that Southgate’s two recognised players in that position, Chilwell and Luke Shaw, were both dropped to the bench.
Cole’s Chilwell concerns
The decision paid off in the end, with England ensuring they kept a clean sheet and Croatia at bay for 90 minutes.
But Cole raised a concern that the Three Lions boss didn’t have faith in Chelsea’s £45m (BBC Sport) signing to do a specific job.
“You would assume that Luke Shaw or Ben Chilwell would have started the game,” said the Blues legend.
“But it goes down to whether Gareth trusts the players. Does he trust them against Croatia, the first game?
“A lot of inexperience in that squad as well. Could Trippier play on the left and (Kyle) Walker from the right.
“It’s that understanding of playing a little bit more from position. Defensively they were solid from the back, with the back four and the two holding midfielders.
“I felt they were a little bit more defensively solid, whereas can you trust a Luke Shaw or Ben Chilwell to stay and play from position, keeping the momentum and keep possession of the ball?”
Who should Southgate select?
Southgate admitted after the game that Trippier was picked because of his tournament experience over Chilwell and Shaw.
Atletico’s title winning full-back played a key role during England’s 2018 World Cup run and scored against Croatia in the semi-final.
But as much as his Saturday’s performance was sturdy, it wasn’t scintillating, certainly not in an attacking sense.
That is where Chilwell could have added more impetuous in the final third, especially because he is naturally left-footed.
Seven assists and four goals in his debut Chelsea campaign was a decent return for the 24-year-old, compared to Trippier’s six assists and no goals.
England face Scotland on Friday with a lot less pressure riding on the result following their Croatia win, meaning Chilwell might get the nod this time.
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