Until recently, Michael Carricks league form has gone, somewhat characteristically, unnoticed. His quiet consistency, although never overlooked by his manager, fails to draw the attention of the pre s. This is no real surprise; Carricks play relies primarily on tackles and interceptions, breaking up opposition attacks before playing a simple pa s to begin the cla sic Man United counter attack.It is fashionable to debate Carricks potential inclusion in the England squad at the moment, but a brief look at his statistics quickly answers any questions. It is not his defensive work that merits inclusion ahead of Parker, but his excellent ball retention.Will England use a defensive midfielder?Roy Hodgson Alex Verdugo Jersey , is a pragmatic manager who, given only a short space of time to work with the players before the Euros, will look to focus on defensive solidity. He will be acutely aware of Englands technical deficiency, knowing that England really are underdogs on the international circuit.With this in mind, the likelihood of Hodgson utilising an anchorman in midfield is high. Analysing Englands recent international record, we can see that in the last six competitive games England have won four and drawn two. All four wins came when England used a 4-5-1 with Parker playing deep; both draws were when Capello selected a more traditional 4-4-2.Hodgsons West Brom team regularly switch between 4-4-2 and 4-5-1, choosing the latter against stronger teams when a more defensive set up is nece sary. In the last two months Hodgson has used five in midfield (with Mulumbu in the holding role) against Man City, Newcastle, Chelsea and Man Utd. The likelihood of him fielding a similar formation in the European Championships seems relatively high, considering he has already acknowledged succe s in the summer isIf you take the second striker out, the threat to the back of the defence has to come from the midfield, you need midfield players bursting forward. The central midfielders do an important job for you, theyre going to protect the back four, and theyre also going to be the catalysts for attacks. What Hodgson is saying here, is that if he was to play 4-5-1, he needs two thing from his central midfield. He needs them to be bursting forward, but he also needs them to be the catalyst for attacks. Step forward Michael Carrick.Michael Carricks defensive statistics may not be as high as Parkers but they are still very good. He makes 3.1 tackles per game, the 8th highest of any midfielder in the premier league, and more than both Fellaini and Alex Song. He averages 2.5 interceptions per match which, again, is the 8th highest of any midfielder in the division. What is most intriguing however, is the number of clearances Carrick makes: a puny 1.6 per game, only the 17th highest for a midfielder in the league. Why is it that a midfielder so adept at breaking down opposition attacks rarely makes clearances? The answer: he never feels the need to do so.Carricks ball retention is outstanding. He makes an average of 72.4 pa ses per game, significantly higher than Parker or Barry, and bettered only by Yaya Toure and Mikel Arteta, arguably the two best midfielders in the league this season. Of these pa ses, Carrick has an 89.8% completion rate, the 2nd highest of any English midfielder. His long pa s completion is even more impre sive, with an average of 6.1 per game making him the 4th best midfielder at long range pa sing in the division. But there is one statistic that tells us all you need to know about his England credentials. Michael Carrick, despite the majority of his work involving breaking up play around his own penalty box, has been dispo se sed an average of 0.3 times per match, the 4th lowest of any midfielder, and significantly better than Parker (1.3 per game) and Barry (0.7 per game). Carrick rarely loses the ball, rarely gives away po se sion.If Hodgson requires a midfielder who can be the catalyst for attacks, Carrick fits the bill perfectly. The consistency of his pa sing and his ball retention skills make, as can be easily seen in any Man united match, a huge contribution to their swift counter attacks. If Hodgson requires attackers to burst forward to support a lone striker, than surely an anchorman who will play the pa s rather than clear his lines is the best way to ensure the midfielders in front of him can offer attacking support quickly and efficiently.England were transformed in 2007 when Gareth Barry re-entered the Trevor Bauer Jersey England set up in a similar role, albeit in a 4-4-2 formation. Having relied on the tenacity of Owen Hargreaves up until this point, the introduction of a great pa sing midfielder in a deep role instantly gave more freedom to Steven Gerrard. Barry has remained in the England set up ever since, but his defensive work cannot compare to that of Parker or Carrick.Having the cool head of Michael Carrick sweeping up in front of the back four, calmly retaining po se sion and beginning an England attack, would lead to greater participation in the game from midfielders playing ahead of him, allowing them to burst forward, as Hodgson would say. It is interesting to note that Manchester United, a team with the highest po se sion rate in the league (57.1%), have won fewer aerial duels than any team bar Swansea and Wigan. Having a defensive midfielder who does not put the ball in the air, but instead quickly and efficiently turns over po se sion, certainly helps this statistic, and gives his fellow midfielders more time on the ball. It is no wonder that Scholes and Giggs have had such great seasons dictating play from the centre of the park. With Carrick in the England side, we can expect a similar amount of time and space for Gerrard, Barry or Lampard in Ukraine.Follow me on twitter: