Jermain Defoe v Darren Bent – facts and stats on the Tottenham and Aston Villa strikers fighting for an England spot
Tottenham's first-team coach Joe Jordan believes Jermain Defoe can snatch Darren Bent's place in England's 2012 European Championship squad. "Between now and then you have to prove you are a good player, so I wouldn't say that [Bent will go], Jermain can do that. He is waiting for his opportunity," he said. Bent, who left Spurs in 2009, found himself below Defoe in the pecking order during his unsuccessful spell at White Hart Lane and on Monday comes face to face with his old club when Aston Villa travel to north London.
Here, talkSPORT has analysed the the two strikers' stats to see if we can guess who will be going to Poland and the Ukraine.
DARREN BENT
AGE: 27
CLUB: Aston Villa
STYLE: Goal-poacher, offers little from outside the box, or with his head, but is consistent.
GOALS
FOR VILLA THIS SEASON (ALL COMPS.): 5 in 11 appearances
SINCE JOINING VILLA (JAN '11): 14 in 27 appearances
VILLA GAMES PER GOAL RATIO: 1.97
CLUB CAREER GOALS: 167 goals in 389 appearances
CAREER GAMES PER GOAL RATIO: 2.3
ENGLAND: 4 goals in 13 appearances
ENGLAND GAMES PER GOAL RATIO: 3.25
HE SAYS:
"I feel like I've got much more of a chance going to the Euros than I have in the past. I've played in more games recently than ever before so I just have to work hard this season and keep on improving. When there is a tournament in the following summer, it feels like you are on trial during the season with your club. It feels like every week you go out and play, you have to do something special because you know the manager (Capello) is going to be watching." - November 2011
THEY SAY:
"You will never get a better chance to win a match than that. My missus could have scored that one". Harry Redknapp, January 2009 after Bent missed against Portsmouth.
"I know him very well, in the box when he sees the ball he scores goals. In my career as a manager, some players were not so good when they were 20, 21, 22 but after they improved. Sometimes it's important which team you play in, and the relationship with the manager, the private life. It's impossible to know the future." - Fabio Capello, June 2011
JERMAIN DEFOE
AGE: 29
CLUB: Tottenham
STYLE: Quick-thinking goal poacher with long-range shooting ability and bags of pace.
GOALS
FOR SPURS THIS SEASON (ALL COMPS.): 6 in 13 appearances
SINCE JOINING SPURS (04-08, 09-present): 103 goals in 264 appearances
SPURS GAMES PER GOAL RATIO: 2.56
CLUB CAREER GOALS: 184 in 446 appearances
CAREER GOALS PER GAME RATIO: 2.42
ENGLAND: 15 goals in 46 appearances
ENGLAND GAMES PER GOAL RATIO: 3.0
HE SAYS:
"My last match for England ended when I was injured against Switzerland after scoring a hat-trick in the previous game against Bulgaria. So, in my mind, when I play for England I can score. I just want that buzz again. I just want to go and prove to people that I can do it again. My record shows I can score goals at that level." - November 2011
THEY SAY:
"He looks stronger than I have ever seen him and I have known him since he was 14. He has done a lot of work in the gym in the summer and he looks even more explosive." - Harry Redknapp, August 2009
"Defoe is always very important for us, he can shoot with his left foot and his right and his performance was really, really good and his movement without the ball was fantastic." - Fabio Capello, September 2010
VERDICT
Bent has a better record in the Premier League, having scored a goal every two games on average since joining Aston Villa in January. The £24m striker has a worse record than Defoe in an England shirt, taking around three games to find the back of the net. Where Bent enjoys being the main man up front, Defoe works well with other strikers and though the suggestion persist that he is better as an impact substitute, his record for England is good. If Defoe can play and score regularly for Tottenham this season, his record, experience and versatility might prove more useful for Capello's final squad.
Who would you take?