Leighton Baines and Wayne Rooney were criticised after England’s 2-1 defeat to Italy (Picture: AP)

The reaction to England’s opening World Cup defeat to Italy was not quite as sensationalist or knee-jerk as it has been in the past, which made a refreshing change.

All too often in previous tournament the hype surrounding the England team has reached almost unmanageable levels, leading to the unfair and disproportionate backlash when they inevitably exit the competition.

However, with expectations tempered to a much more realistic level, most supporters recognise the good points to come out of Saturday’s game, despite its ultimate disappointment.

One of the main criticisms surrounded, inevitably, Wayne Rooney and also Leighton Baines.




Italy targeted England’s left-flank throughout the match in steamy Manaus with considerable success – their winning goal from Mario Balotelli stemmed from that side of the pitch and Antonio Candreva put in an excellent display.

Rooney lacked the defensive discipline to stay on the left-hand side which meant Baines was left exposed. That immediately led to critics suggesting that Roy Hodgson had made a mistake in not picking Ashley Cole.

There is no doubt that Cole’s vast experience would have been an asset but you can’t hide the fact that he hardly played for Chelsea in the second half of the season and, at 33, is on the decline as a footballer. Would he really have done any better had he been exposed like Baines?

If Rooney neglects his defensive duty then surely that is the fault of the player and manager for putting him there?

Footballers have all kinds of characters and just because Baines is one of the quieter squad members does not mean he should be pilloried for one of his team-mates’ failings.

There is enough experience in that team for someone to take responsibility and ensure players track back into their correct positions.

The Cole/Baines issue was a tough conundrum for Hodgson and one that probably dominated much of his thinking when he named his squad. Cole has undoubtedly been a world-class player but is on the decline, while Baines lacks big-tournament international experience.

In the end Hodgson went with the younger man and the one in-form.

One of the reasons why Baines struggled to dislodged Cole for so long was his perceived defensive weakness, despite his wonderful attacking play and deadly delivery. Baines has worked extremely hard on that aspect of his game and came into the tournament of the back of a excellent season at Everton where he was part of the Premier League’s third meanest defence.

Because of that it is unfair to target Baines after just one game, especially as given how exposed he was. There is no guarantee Ashley Cole would have fared any better.

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