 ANDY JOHNSON is a natural and instinctive finisher – which is why he has to be the choice to spearhead England’s forward line alongside Wayne Rooney next Saturday. People, quite rightly, have been talking about the quality of his finish which sunk Arsenal on Sunday. It was on his wrong foot, it was in time added on – and he had a postage stamp sized space to squeeze the ball into on the goalline. The connection was sweet, the placing immaculate and the power impressive. But for me there was much more to the goal than just the finish. It was Andy who headed the ball on at the near post from Mikel Arteta’s corner. Centre-halves routinely head balls on like that, but how often do you see them then finishing the chance off? It wasn’t coincidence or good fortune that the ball then found its way back to Johnson. Like all good strikers Andy headed the ball on, then rather than congratulating himself on a job well done, instantly turned and started looking for any scraps he could feed off. He was rewarded when the ball dropped at his feet, and as I’ve already said the finish was devastating. It gave Everton a massive boost for their European push, but it was also a timely boost for AJ ahead of next Saturday’s trip to Israel. Johnson has to be in the starting line up in Tel Aviv. The only other available striker in the current England set up who is as natural a finisher as Johnson is Jermain Defoe. But Defoe is more like I was in that he is very much a penalty box predator. Andy is more of a team player and does much of his work outside the area. He has also been playing regularly, while Defoe hasn’t. Regular football is crucial for strikers hoping to show some consistency, and that’s why I feel for James Beattie at the moment. But for those reasons I think Johnson has to partner Rooney next weekend. Any other decision would be a joke. It will be interesting to see what decisions David Moyes makes now as regards his own forward line. James Vaughan was a surprising selection on Sunday, but he did really well. He’s had a difficult time in the last couple of years, but his return to the senior fold has come at just the right time for the Blues. All the best sides have four good strikers to choose from – and Moyes can now select from AJ, Beattie, Victor Anichebe and Vaughan. Vaughan’s presence alongside Johnson also saw Everton keep the ball down and not play as many direct balls which was heartening to see. Everton’s squad has just received a welcome boost at a vital period in the season. And hopefully England’s campaign will receive the same kind of boost from AJ on Saturday. Why gloved up Gunners just didn’t fancy it >>> | 
Article
