Countdown Complete - Front line falls flat.

If the 30-man provisional squad is anything to go by then my predictions have been pretty tasty so far. Wes Brown didn’t make it but as I said previously, if Jamie Carragher’s availability had been public knowledge he would have blown Brown out of the water, as he has.

Lets cut to the chase, Wayne Rooney is in and he needs to be well looked after for the next month. He has shown the strain of carrying the attacking demands of Manchester United on his broad shoulders recently, never more so than on Sunday when he volunteered himself for substitution when still in the hunt for the golden boot. Rooney is not the sort of play that returns rusty or loses his touch, if he doesn’t kick a ball again until June 10^th I will still have him leading the line, bar none.

Theo Walcott has pace and defenders do not like pace, just ask Gary Neville, Jamie Carragher and John Terry, three world class defenders who have constantly faltered under the pressure of pace. Also an option out wide, Walcott is a potential impact substitute if ever there was one, his inexperience limits his options when on the ball but you don’t need to think too much when you can run 100m in 11 seconds. Look at what Walcott did to Barcelona in their Champions League first leg with Arsenal. The narrow, intricate football that Arsenal plays makes it difficult for Walcott to have an impact over 90 minutes. Each of the three goals he scored against Croatia, in qualifying, came from the former-Saints star picking the ball up wide and running at people, that does not happen at the Emirates, not since a certain Mr. Henry ruled the roost in North London.

Emile Heskey, if it were up to me, would be spending his summer in England with his agent trying to find a new club. The professional rebound board cannot get into his club team and age is not on his side. Heskey is a confidence player if ever there was one; he needs an arm round his shoulder, a whisper in his ear and a gaping open goal before he can show any form of ability. All the stick that’s been aimed at Emile over the years by know-it-all, failed footballers turned journalists, like myself, have no doubt contributed to Heskey’s glaring lack of self-confidence but, in a one month knock out tournament, there is not enough time for ego rubbing, especially not for such a questionable talent.

In Heskey’s place is Peter Crouch, there are pros and cons to the inclusion of Crouch (or Dave as Trigger calls him) pro: the used to play for QPR, con: I reckon Abbey Clancy was after me before he started flashing his cash at her. Crouch has a better first touch and better mobility than Heskey, two massive factors when picking a target-man. Crouch can also finish as he has shown with Spurs and England already, yes some of his goals have come against lesser teams but he puts them away none-the-less. Capello will be going against all his previous claims, that he picks players on form, if he picks Heskey, he has had his chance and he has failed to deliver, time and time again. We’ve all heard Michael Owen et al describe the ex-Leicester man as the ideal strike partner but we don’t have Michael Owen any more. We need to pick a player able to compliment Wayne Rooney and I see Crouch as the man for that job.

Bobby Zamora is omitted from my World Cup squad, he has been exceptional as the focal point of a 4-5-1 formation for Fulham but Fabio Capello is not going to play that system. It may not sound like a hugely demanding change for a player to make but I do not see Zamora continuing his club form onto the world stage. He has had one exceptional season on the back of some pretty woeful ones, he has moved from club to club and often been offloaded as a disappointment. I think Zamora has been a fortunate victim of Roy Hodgson’s management skill and Fulham’s particular style of play. It may seem harsh but I think Zamora knows that he would be out of his depth in South Africa, there are better players in front of him and I think there are even better players behind him in pecking order.

This is a the most depressing part of the draw, I am completely indifferent as to whether Jermaine Defoe or Darren Bent go to the World Cup, both are well short of the crème-de-la-crème of all out strikers England has produced in the past. Lineker, Shearer, Owen, goal getters of the highest quality. Bent and Defoe are quick and know where the goal is but they do not inspire me in the least. I doubt that either of them have the mental strength for an occasion such as this and I see neither of them getting the better of a world-class defender. Bent has got goals at unfashionable Sunderland but there must be a reason he is not playing at a better side at 26 years-of-age. Defoe just about pips Bent to the post but I still have my reservations. Barring Wayne Rooney this group of players leaves me completely deflated, so much so that I wouldn’t even bother with starting any of the other three….

IN: Wayne Rooney, Peter Crouch, Theo Walcott, and Jermaine Defoe

Below is my starting 11 for England’s World Cup, this is a fantasy but with attacking options like those above desperate times call for us to rely entirely on Wayne Rooney. its a 4-5-1. Aplogese for the layout but i don't have a clue what I'm doing

Rooney

J Cole, Gerrard, Carrick, Lampard, A Johnson

A Cole Terry Carragher Johnson

James

The Big 23- Englands Defenders

DEFENDERS

IN: John Terry, Rio Ferdinand, Ashley Cole, Glen Johnson, Matthew Upson, Leighton Baines, Wes Brown, Michael Dawson.

Filling a 23-man squad seemed an easy enough task at the start, however, just five minutes in to the conundrum and not only am I torn between defenders but I cant even decide how many to take. I have settled on eight, I considered a brave seven but, with injuries blighting my options, one more seems more vital than optional. Once that mathematical brainteaser was out the way it was time for the stalwarts, shoe-ins and certainties to pick themselves again, or so I thought. In truth I started with a list of 23 defenders, everyone a genuine candidate, well Jonathon Woodgate might be considered wishful thinking. When Fabio Capello first addressed the British press, upon his appointment as boss, he placed a hell of a lot of emphasis on form being paramount to his team selection; in doing so he may well have made a rod for his own back.

Rio Ferdinand, one of the best three defenders in the world for the past 10 years, is a shadow of his former-self. A few months ago I implied that his off-field exploits, magazines, restaurants, film productions and record labels, might be the scourge of his season, now I feel almost repentant as he is so clearly crippled with back problems. A meager 12 Premier League appearances, six shy of the 18 showings that seasoned sick-note Ledley King has put together instills very little confidence. So often Ferdinand’s fleet of foot was the perfect foil for John Terry’s lack of pace, the two combined to make a dream pairing, in Rio’s current condition that is far from the case.

Too much has been made of John Terry’s apparent lack of form since his extra marital activities become public knowledge. You try to go about your business with 50,000 screaming obscenities at you and its bound to cause a wobble, in a months time it will all be forgotten, as will Wayne Bridge who will be offloaded by Manchester City and exiled from the national team.

For some good news finally, the fourth best statistically rated defender in the Premiership, according to Actim, is English and has missed just a handful of games in three seasons. Leighton Baines is 25 and is about to complete another stellar season for Everton; in the last three years he has played 90 league games and attracted plaudits throughout English football. He is, first and foremost, a tenacious defender and a reliable left-back. He quality of his delivery has secured him the role of free-kick taker for David Moyes side and the Scots manager can regularly be heard championing his £6 million man. Stephen Warnock has shown a similar level of consistency and reliability, in the same position, at Aston Villa but Baines edges it as Ashley Cole’s back up.

Wes Brown, Matthew Upson and Michael Dawson make up my remaining defensive cover. Brown offers cover in any position across the back four and has shaken off the youthful over-exuberance that previously allowed mistakes to creep into his game. Matthew Upson is a large part of reason that West Ham are still in the Premiership, a solid yet cultured defender, one of the top ten this year. All the noise over Ledley King’s involvement seems short sighted when you consider that, yet again, he has played half a season while Michael Dawson has held things together for Spurs for over 30 games and grown in stature as a defender. Dawson has statistically had a better season than Upson but experience would guarantee Upson the third choice centre-half spot.

Phil Jagielka and Joleon Lescott have not got enough match time in while Gary Neville’s re-established importance, in Alex Ferguson’s side, meant he goes close but he looks increasingly vulnerable up against pace.

Paul Konchesky and Ryan Shawcross can consider themselves unlucky not to make my completely irrelevant cut. Konchesky has flourished in a Roy Hodgson side that is primarily a 4-5-1 defensive one, which counts against the former Charlton mans inclusion in Capello’s 4-4-2. Ryan Shawcross is going to be a big player for England for years to come, already a commanding figure in a Stoke side that has established itself in the Premiership with his help. The fallout form the Aaron Ramsey incident has counted against the 23-year-old. The three game ban, incurred from the resulting sending off, came at a crucial time and making his return in a 7-0 defeat to Chelsea did not help. Gary Cahill and Micah Richards have struggled, one with fitness the latter with form and they too look like occupying England spots in the future.

The fallout from Sven Goran Eriksson’s reign is still damaging as Jamie Carragher, despite an impressive season with faltering Liverpool, refuses to make himself available for the new Italian chief, while Sol Campbell gets a ‘thanks but no thanks’ from me.

We do have an abundance of talent in defence, some players at their peak, some over the hill and some real prospects, the key will be getting the right balance. Capello will have to earn his money when it comes to selecting his defenders but if anyone can do it I fancy the Italian can.

England's Safest Hands

The Chosen Few.

Every football fan with access to the Internet and the will power to avert their eyes, for five minutes, from the bounty of pornography available has chipped in with their version 23-man World Cup squad and I am no different. I will break it down into segments, to allow you enough time to YouTube ‘Gordon Brown Disaster’ afterwards. Goalkeeping up first.

IN: David James, Robert Green and Joe Hart

It would be easy to point to the league positions of the employers of my first and second choice keepers, David James and Robert Green, but it is clear to anyone that has seen their fair share of Premiership action this year that not only have these two equipped themselves exceptionally well but they have also got an awful lot of practice in. Under immense pressure each week, both behind shakey defences and in team’s short of strikers able to force the onus onto their opposing number James and Green’s only major stumbling block might be the physical and mental toll that the 2009-10 season has taken on them.


Joe Hart has been a stand out success story this season and his worth has been highlighted this week by billionaire employer Manchester City’s desperate attempt to bring him back from his loan spell at Birmingham, to salvage their challenge for Champions League football. Hart has missed just two of Brum’s 36 league games this year and at just 23 he is a shining prospect for England and whichever domestic side is lucky enough to secure his future services. This World Cup, however, has come to early for the youngster to be a serious contender for the number one jersey.


Experience is such a vital element and it has proven itself so many times this season in the Premier League, look how Arsenal have suffered in the absence of Jens Lehmann and how the top clubs flourish with a mature head in the sticks. Hart is the only keeper in the top ten sides to be under 25 and has 15 years to reach the level of some one like veteran Edwin van der Sar. This tournament will give Hart invaluable experience and stand him in good stead for the future six or seven tournaments he could feature in for England in the future.


Ben Foster helped Watford to the Premiership back in ’05-06 and far from disgraced himself in the season after when the Hornets suffered relegation. Four teams had conceded the same or more amount of goals in the league that season and in the 33 games, in total, that Foster played he conceded a respectable 27. However he is now 27 and has played just 127 competitive club matches. He has been besieged by injury and overlooked at Manchester United, with David James’ career coming to a crescendo he may still climb the pecking order but he needs two or three quality seasons.

Chris Kirkland’s tale is a similar one, made his professional debut in 1997 and followed that up shortly with an England cap but in all that time he has amassed just 215 club appearances. He has had a fine season with Wigan this term but its not enough to warrant him a place on that plane.


There you have it, replies are welcomed.
Next up is England defenders….. easy?!?!