As part of my response, I'd like to echo the sentement shown in the following post:
I am very close to agreeing with both of you, and I certainly would have considered both Smith and Defoe as serious contenders. If you allow that Errikson is entitled to chose to take only four strikers, you have to ask who these gusy would be replacing. IMO, Smith replaces Haskey, and Defoe replaces Vassell.
Smith's goalscoring is, as I said, suspect, and while his determination and aggression are easily the equal of Heskey's, he has nearly as many career sendings off as Roy Keane. That's a risk. If you're in a European Championships semi-final, and you're selecting the team, how can you justify the inclusion of a player who might leave you a man down? Only if his talent outweighs that risk, and Smith, while a better linking player than Heskey, is not proven at international level to be sufficiently better than Heskey to merit selection. He should have been given more playing time earlier in the year, but Eriksson didn't give him that chance, and his choice is limited because of that.
Secondly, you have Defoe. I also rate him as a bit better than Vassell, but Vassell has a good international goalscoring record 4 goals from 16 appearances, almost all of them substitute, and at least of of those goals came in an important match at a vital time. Defoe has 45 minutes of international experience. Again, he should have had more time earlier in the year, but Eriksson hasn't given it to him, so he has to pick the guy he knows can do it. Vassell can score that important goal, Defoe may be able to score it.
Smith's goalscoring is, as I said, suspect, and while his determination and aggression are easily the equal of Heskey's, he has nearly as many career sendings off as Roy Keane. That's a risk. If you're in a European Championships semi-final, and you're selecting the team, how can you justify the inclusion of a player who might leave you a man down? Only if his talent outweighs that risk, and Smith, while a better linking player than Heskey, is not proven at international level to be sufficiently better than Heskey to merit selection. He should have been given more playing time earlier in the year, but Eriksson didn't give him that chance, and his choice is limited because of that.
Secondly, you have Defoe. I also rate him as a bit better than Vassell, but Vassell has a good international goalscoring record 4 goals from 16 appearances, almost all of them substitute, and at least of of those goals came in an important match at a vital time. Defoe has 45 minutes of international experience. Again, he should have had more time earlier in the year, but Eriksson hasn't given it to him, so he has to pick the guy he knows can do it. Vassell can score that important goal, Defoe may be able to score it.
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