Halt the Count & Board the Plane - England's Left-Back Debate is Finally Settled

Halt the Count & Board the Plane - England's Left-Back Debate is Finally Settled

Football Blog

Halt the Count & Board the Plane - England's Left-Back Debate is Finally Settled

With the World Cup edging ever closer, the discourse around who should be on the plane and who should be omitted from Thomas Tuchel's 26-man squad is swelling to a cacophony of opinion.

Some positions are ultimately set in stone; take the centre forward position, which will inevitably be filled with the imperious Harry Kane – or Jordan Pickford, who will line up in between the sticks for the Three Lions barring a disaster.

But not every space is quite so simple to fill, with the most potent example of exactly that being the left-back spot.

Over the last year, debates have been rife about the left-hand side of defence, with (until recently) no standout candidates staking their claim as the frontrunner.

Rico Lewis, Nico O'Reilly and Myles Lewis-Skelly were the names that held the most weight in conversations, but none of them really felt like the answer – leaving many wondering if it would be another tournament of waiting for Luke Shaw to crawl from the depths of the physio room to fill the void.

But, in the last couple of months, that is a sentiment which has shifted drastically, with a name that many had likely forgotten about at the back end of last season coming to the fore and taking the reins at the head of the pack…

That man is Lewis Hall.


Injuries Finally Overcome

Now, it's only right of me to preface this by saying I myself am a Newcastle fan, but to be quite frank, at this point I'm adamant that you can't claim this opinion to be rooted in bias – it should be common knowledge by now.

Lewis Hall was hindered toward the back end of last season by an ankle injury that saw him miss the fairytale cup final day, a gutting circumstance for the boyhood Newcastle fan.

He then began this season with a plethora of fitness and injury concerns which kept him from consistent minutes on the hallowed turf of St James' Park for a good chunk of time.

Understandably, during this period of absence, Hall became an afterthought when it came to England squad discussions. Something which it appears Hall did not take kindly to, given the vengeful nature of his on-field performances upon return.


Return of the Hall

It wasn't until November when the left back fully rid himself of the plaguing niggles he had endured and established himself as a starter in Eddie Howe's side once again and now the cobwebs are blown off and the confidence has returned, Hall looks almost unstoppable.

Newcastle haven't been great by any stretch of the imagination; believe me, I know, but even in those moments of struggle there has been an air of bewilderment at just how good the Englishman has been.