Steven Caulker looks set to make his first start for the full England side tonight as they prepare to face Sweden but have the centre half’s performances ensured that he is inked in on AVB’s teamsheet for the rest of the season?

Caulker impressed while on loan at Swansea in the last campaign and it was obvious that he was ready for regular first team football in the Premiership. The question was, would it be provided by Spurs or would the player look to move on?

At the beginning of July, Caulker signed a new, long term deal at the club but had to wait behind Jan Vertonghen at the start of the new season. When Jan switched to left back to cover BAE, Steven started a run in the team that has seen him play seven league matches along with five more appearances in the cup games to date.

Along with usually dependable defending, Caulker has also shown an eye for goal with two strikes in the league and he should really have had a third from the home tie with Lazio.

The answer to the question will no doubt come when Benny returns to full fitness and it wouldn’t be a surprise if AVB switched back to Gallas and Vertonghen in the centre. Meanwhile, Steven Caulker’s promise has been rewarded with an England start this evening but should he be one of the first names in our Starting XI?

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10 COMMENTS

    • I thought he was good vs City – how are you going to deal with Aguero running one-on-one at you when your LB AND Sandro have failed to stop him getting the ball and left you alone to defend it? The whole team lost that game. AVB’s subs messed him up. He was playing most of game next to Gallas. Walker gets injured, so why not bring on Naugthon and keep a consistent CB pairing? No, instead he is paired with Dawson. Unless no choice, you do not want to do this. Kaboul still hasn’t proven that he can put enough performances together without injury. He managed last season, but this season I fear he is returning to his former self.

  1. Simple answer is no. Good young talent, but still has has a lot to learn before he displaces the like of Kaboul, Vertonghen and Gallas when they’re all fit.

    Caulker still has to improve his tracking of runners in crowded areas, and for someone who is 6ft 2 plus-has to start throwing his weight around a lot more (i.e. be a lot more dominant over his opponents physically). He still seems a little to tame in the tackle for me at the moment, for me.

    Nice to see him get a run of games now though, as it will only benefit him and the club in the long-term.

  2. Vertonghen, Caulker and Kaboul in a 3-5-1-1 setup. Bale and Walker on both flanks with Sandro, Dembele & Sigurdsson in the middle. Upfront a combination of any 2 of these Adebayor, Dempsey, Defoe and Falque.

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