24 Apr 2012

Ex-Red: £17m LFC star is only third-choice for England now. Deserved?

Glen Johnson has been an England regular for a while now but his place is now well and truly under threat from the likes of Kyle Walker and Micah Richards. Anfield legend Mark Lawrenson recently argued that Richards should get the nod ahead of Johnson at right back, and now another former Liverpool player has indirectly suggested that Johnson's time as an automatic choice could be coming to an end.

Lawro argued that Richards 'must' start England's Euro 2012 opener, and now ex-Liverpool striker Stan Collymore has gone a step further and suggested that Johnson is now third choice right back. He told The People:

"I'd start [Euro 2012] by giving Tottenham's Kyle Walker the nod at right-back. He is youthful, enthusiastic and a better defender than any of the others [Right backs].

"Micah Richards is a good defender, too, but Walker has pace to burn and if we have a busy midfield he can get down that flank and cause real problems".


I've always argued that Johnson is a defensive accident waiting to happen, and we saw that again during the West Brom game on Sunday. Johnson's time as an automatic choice at right back must surely be over, especially given the competing quality of Richards and Walker.

Collymore also predicted that only one Liverpool player will make the England starting XI in the summer, and no surprises for guessing who that is:

"It's crucial you have Stevie G in the side as he can keep the ball ticking over. He and Parker have the mobility to cope with any midfield combination that includes someone as skilful as Franck Ribery of France".

I agree that Gerrard should start, but after all his injury problems, is it really true that he has the 'mobility to cope with any midfield combination'?

Jaimie Kanwar


21 comments:

  1. Hard to disagree with Glen Da Johnson's place in Lawro's pecking order as he has had a stop-start season and even then, he hasn't been all that great, especially compared to Richards.

    I have never really been a fan of Stevie in a two-man central midfield for club, let alone on the international stage where the tempo is different. His tracking and dictating the defensive side of the midfield battle has been below par this season when in central midfield, at best. But we aren't exactly spoilt for choice in central midfield, especially with Wilshere out. The likes of Hendo and Cleverley are all hype at the moment. 
    So Lampard, Barry and Gerrard to the rescue(!)So looks like its 'same old, same old'....yay(!)

    head in hands moment

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  2. If your playing a 3 man central midfield there's no point playing the best defensive right back. This is what a 3 man central midfield is for, so you can have 2 wing backs that get down the wings more than perform defensive duties. The only reason Richards looks better than Johnson is becuase the players he cross's to actually score, put Johnsopn in the City side and he'd look ten times better than he does for Liverpool. I do think richards will be 1st choice, but playing for England I also think he'll look terribly ordinary.

    Play a 4-4-2 system where right and left backs are expected to stay back and defend and its a totally different story, Richards 1st choice all day long as Johnson is very poor at defending.

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  3. personally i feel we are actually going to the euro's with one of the strongest teams we have had in a long time.

                   Hart
    Walker    Cahill     Terry      Cole
       Lennon Barry Lampard Young
                   Gerrard
              Rooney

    i can honestly see this team challenging.

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  4. Usual crap from likes of Collymore after 1 mistake by GJ. Where the hell was his opinion after Spurs beaten 3 -0 by Utd, all goals were down to Walker, defensive inexperience and lack of tactical positional awareness!!! Just depends, if you like someone you turn blind eye to mistakes, and when a mistake highlights your opinion you throw it in after GJ makes 1 mistake. Can't remember too many more this season!!!!

    Walker over rated. Mancini obviously seeing something different with Richards

    Time will tell. If you analyze all 3 properly, know who would be starting for me

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  5. One mistake? What about all the other Johnson mistakes this season that have led to goals? The guy is a defensive liability, and it's been that way since the say he signed.

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  6. Johnson is a liability. KD needs serious reinforcements in all departments. With the current "squad" We are in deep s#@$%. England in Euros is a foregone conclusion. nuff sed.

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  7. A bit sad basing an opinion on Walker on his FIRST game back at Tottenham at a time of disruption with the opening game being postponed at short notice. A true sage!!! If patriotism is the last resort of a scoundrel then selective use of facts is the last resort of a deluded plonker in denial.

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  8. Think Johnson is still better than Walker, to be honest. Richards, on the other hand, is another matter, though. Especially since Richards has improved going forward over the past year or so.

    England cannot be expected to do much when they are playing so many of the team that flopped against the Germans. Who will be 2 years more experienced while our team is simply just 2 years older. Never seen a country like this one for refusing to move on their celebrities and favourites. They are even talking about Beckham for the Olympics, it is embarrassing. 

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  9. Best right back in the country full stop!

    Honestly some people need to stop listening to moppets’ like Lawrenson and
    reading the tabloids! Formulate your own opinions based on facts!  Glen
    Johnson is an exceptional right back who has made very few mistakes this
    season. Kyle Walker is the flavour of the month! Better than Johnson???? No
    way!

    Neither is Kelly or Flanagan. I think Richards is the only right back in the
    country at the moment that rivals Johnson in ability both defensively and
    offensively!

    Really how old are some of you guys?

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  10. I would take Sagna too, along with Richards, over Glen Da Johnson

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  11. Are u on crack mate Johnsons not a defender, Made numerous mistakes for LFC. He gives u the odd glory goal and  goes missing a lot in defense down the right side, teams know it too. Nightmare at corners can't head for toffee and his man markingis poor. Hope the rumourabout Morhino wanting him is true

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  12. You're on drugs. He's not even the best rightback at Liverpool. A bigger waste of money than Adam. 

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  13. personally i think kelly would have made the england squad if he was given a starting place at liverpool because he is better than johnson in my opinion. for someone with his height and strength, he is deceptively quick and attack minded, while his frame is useful for clearances from back post crosses and from set pieces. definitely deserves to be ahead of johnson at liverpool. by the way i dont think johnson is bad at all but kely hasnt hardly put a foot wrong since his debut and maybe both could play on the right sometime?

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  14. Kelly can't run. Hes got a long clumsy stride. Johnson is more athletically talented IMO. He made one mistake in the last match, and it has resulted in a article about him. What about some of the tackles he did that match, they were top notch, he put a cross in for Carroll that should have buried it, again that is overlooked.  How sad some fans are when they scapegoat players. Agger and Skrytl have made more mistakes than Johnson, but they get all the plaudits. As for Kyle Walker or Richards, I would go with Richards, because he is  big and strong. He will harrass players with his physicality and he does have speed to burn. Hes young, and the very much the future of England. 

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  15. Glen Johnson = Luxury player.

    Paid too much for the guy in the first place....he's on huge wages....and tbh just isn't consistent enough esp when the likes of Kelly can come in a nd at times overshadow him with some very fine performances.....

    I'd rather us off load Glen in the summer and keep Kelly, we need to cut our wage bill, Cole and Aquilani are still our  too..so i think this time in the summer we need to seriously deal with excess baggage at the Club which im afraid is how i see Glen....

    Nice bloke, but i don't think his career as RB will go any further whilst the likes of Richards etc....are all banging on the door.

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  16. Malaysians say, 'England is only a jatuh kampung' or village champions only winning the World Cup on their own soil. They failed again on their own soil in Euro 1996. England has not won anything across the English Channel. Whether Johnson or Richard play is small matter.

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  17. I cant believe LFC fans are slating Glenn johnson after all Liverpool had one of the best defensive records in the league when we put GJ,MS,DA and Enrique as our back line saying Walker is better than GJ is a joke Richards maybe but whenever GJ plays you the his gonna cause the opposition more trouble  have anyone been watching Spurs of late the last 3 matches walkers been caught out of position he is lucky he has parker for back up Pool doesnt have Lucas to cover him. if Mourinho gets him you will see how good he really is with Xabi ready to cover and spread wide those long ball to him then you will see GJ is 1 of the best attacking full backs in the world and we should be proud to have him

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  18. Totally on point he made that mistake against westbrm now he has to face murder how perfect can we be when1 mistake is murder no 1 ever writes an article to compliment him even when played out of position (left back).

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  19. I wouldn't even have johnson as the first choice liverpool right back, I'd put kelly ahead of him any day , way more reliable

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  20. Defends better in general, at left back, in my opinion, funnily enough.

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  21. Who gives a rats what Stan Collymore thinks , and who a gives a rats about The Euro's

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