Rose or Bertrand, who should be England’s first choice left back?

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The Tottenham Hotspur and Southampton defenders are currently fighting it out for the England left back spot.

Friday evening sees England taking on Scotland in their latest World Cup qualifying fixture.

They head into the game with a number of questions over the current squad and the team that Gareth Southgate should choose.

The left back position is one that is fiercely contested, with Tottenham Hotspur’s Danny Rose and Southampton’s Ryan Bertrand currently competing for the role.

England under 21 manager Gareth Southgate

The Spurs man has been the first choice in recent years after shining under Mauricio Pochettino but with Gareth Southgate now in charge, at least temporarily, his position may not be as certain as it once was.

So is Bertrand close to replacing Rose in the England starting eleven? We have taken a look at the stats to find out.

As it turns out they are level, with both coming out on top in four of the eight key areas analysed.

Rose has been the better defensively, posting more won tackles per game, 2.4 compared to 0.6 and more interceptions won per game 1.7 compared to 1.5.

Tottenham’s Danny Rose

He has also posted more defensive duels won, nearly double in fact, although Bertrand comes out on top in terms of effective blocked crosses per game.

He is also ahead for accurate passes, 36.6 compared to 35.4 and has registered more key passes per game and more assists than Rose so far this season.

It goes to show just how close they are and further highlights the tough decision that Southgate has to make over the position in his England line-up.

Southampton’s Ryan Bertrand in action with Liverpool’s Adam Lallana