World Cup 2014: 5 Reasons Jay Rodriguez Should Go Ahead Of Danny Welbeck

2. Does Welbeck€™s International Experience Count For Much?

Until recently, Rodriguez hadn€™t played for England €“ but he has now corrected that by making his international debut in 2013. This now means that the player has made a single appearance for the full England side as well as the U21 team. In contrast, Welbeck has far more international experience and has won 20 caps for the senior squad and scored eight goals. It€™s likely that if this issue was debated by pundits, a chief argument for taking Welbeck ahead of Rodriguez will be the fact that he has more international experience. Obviously, I wouldn€™t dispute that €“ but what is questionable is the quality of that experience. I also find it very difficult to evaluate players at international level because the level of some international opponents means performances have to be kept in perspective. The decision that needs to be made here shouldn€™t be purely made on which player has played more games at this level. In my opinion, Premier League form is of a higher value because every EPL team offers decent quality opposition, which is certainly not the case at international level. However, I would concede that it€™s hard to compare the two players on the international stage, because Rodriguez has only made one appearance.