4. James Milner
Roy Hodgson sang the praises of the Manchester City winger at the weekend and tipped him
to rescue England in Kiev on Tuesday. James Milner doesn't come with all the bells and whistles of your typical winger like Theo Walcott does, but what he lacks in party tricks he more than makes up for in composure. Not a goal-scoring winger, Milner has still picked up plaudits for his defensive capabilities and penchant for tracking back and can also operate in a central midfield role to protect the back-line. Against Moldova, England played with Lambert up top and Walcott and Danny Welbeck in support in a 4-3-3 formation, which is where Milner could play alongside the former two. Hodgson said of the 27-year-old:
"We know what James will do, he isn't, and doesn't pretend to be, as exciting as some of the wingers we sometimes use these days. "After a long period of time where I've not seen many wingers in the country, I'm now seeing lots of them. But we are going to need experience in Kiev. Milner is not a winger, but the qualities he brings could be very useful."
Selecting Milner might be considered the most conservative of approaches in all the options available to Hodgson, but it is one of the more sensible ones.
Option 2: 4-3-3 Hart; Walker, Cahill, Jagielka, Cole; Wilshere, Lampard, Gerrard; Milner, Walcott, Lambert