Player Focus: Does Ashley Cole Deserve His Place in the England Side?

Never too far from controversy off the field, the on field displays of Ashley Cole this season may have helped to save his place in the England side after a mindless blast at The FA this week.

The left-back was quick to grovel having lambasted England's football governing body after they had dismissed his defence of John Terry in the Chelsea captain's court case. With a historic landmark of 100 caps on the horizon, he was sensible to do so, particularly given the form of left-back rival Leighton Baines.

The question remains as to whether Ashley Cole is deserving of his place in the side ahead of the Everton man regardless of his Twitter antics, and we've gone in search of the answer.

Here we will break the duo’s stats down into some of the key defensive and attacking attributes of a modern day full-back to ascertain where each player has the upper hand.

Looking at figures since the start of this season, as well as those solely from the current campaign, it is perhaps Cole's recent form, in a defensive sense at least, which may have convinced Hodgson that the Chelsea man is still on top.

The Chelsea full-back trumps Baines substantially in terms of tackles this season (24 to 10), whilst also making more interceptions and blocks from both shots and crosses. The fantastic start to the season from Everton has perhaps seen Moyes' side have to defend a little less than they are used to, but no less than table-toppers Chelsea, so Cole's statistical advantage is significant.

Baines has completed more clearances and, interestingly, been dribbled past considerably fewer times than Cole (1 to 4) and when you consider the pair's statistics from last season the tables turn in The Toffees' favour.

While Cole remains on top for tackles completed since the beginning of the 2011/12 season, Baines has made more interceptions (76 to 63), clearances (89 to 77) and blocks from both shots (13 to 12) and crosses (22 to 17). Again, perhaps the most interesting figure has seen the former Wigan left-back dribbled past three times as few as his England teammate (11 to 33).

It is clear then, that over a longer sample size Baines' defensive statistics are more than a match to Cole's, so can England's first choice left-back keep up with the Everton talisman's renowned offensive output.

With full-backs asked to support attacks often in the modern game, Leighton Baines has a certain set of skills that any manager would desire from a rampaging left-back. Without doubt no other defender in the Premier League holds as much attacking responsibility for their side as the Everton man.

Due to the fact that set-pieces are among Baines' forte but rarely delegated to Ashley Cole at Chelsea, we have looked at each players crossing statistics without taking corners into account in the interest of fairness. However, unsurprisingly the fact remains that Baines’ delivery into the box is not only far more frequent but far superior in quality.

Baines has delivered 12 accurate crosses excluding corners this season, and Cole just the one. The latter's accuracy is at a pretty woeful 7% this season, while Baines' is at a much improved 26%. However, Cole's cross accuracy since the start of last season is respectable at 20%, though still behind his competitor's 28%.

The fact that such quality from the flanks often provides Baines' with extremely impressive key passing stats is no shock. The Everton man has laid on chances for teammates 30 times in 7 games this season, which is exactly the same number Cole has managed since the beginning of the previous campaign (39 games), with just 6 so far this time around in comparison.

The most surprising statistic, therefore, comes in the form of assists since the beginning of last season, with Cole racking up an impressive 7, while Baines has just 4. This could be attributed to poor finishing from Everton or particularly clinical finishing from Chelsea but indicates that Cole's final ball, particularly last season, was of real quality at times.

However, when looking at other attacking statistics such as dribbles (33 to 14), shots (36 to 22) and indeed goals (6 to 1), Baines is streets ahead since the beginning of the previous campaign.

In conclusion, the stats suggest that Baines can feel hard done by based on form over the past 14 months, but Cole's defensive displays so far this season could deservedly see him keep his place. Despite this, it is clear that Baines offers far more in the attacking third which, in matches against the likes of San Marino, could prove beneficial.

Rotation of key players has never been something that past England managers have tended to exercise in competitive matches, regardless of the quality of opposition. This would seem odd for a top domestic team nowadays, with international football playing catch up in that respect, but with so much pressure on the manager from the press and public there is little wonder that so few risks are taken.

It seems likely that Cole will earn his 99th and 100th cap against San Marino and Poland respectively, but from what we have found it is evident that Baines perhaps should be instated if selections were made on form alone.

Interestingly, Capello certainly doesn't seem under pressure to pick the big name stars since his move to Russia. Whether Hodgson would ever have as much freedom, after his appointment came somewhat from the shadows of a more popular candidate, is up for debate.