It’s been a difficult few days for English Football, with controversy surrounding the Manchester derby, the Robbie Keane ‘penalty’ debate, and Sol Campbell’s not-so-surprising departure from Notts County. But I’m here to put a smile back on your faces with a positive overview of England’s World Cup qualifying campaign and their chances of winning next year’s World Cup. Every year the England team is branded as a team to watch out for, to not underestimate, and to possibly win the World Cup. And every year we are disappointed. When it’s not David Beckham kicking out at Diego Simeone, it’s David Batty missing a fatal spot-kick. When it’s not Wayne Rooney stamping on Ricardo Carvalho’s goolies, it’s Darius Vassell scuffing a pk straight into the hands of the Portuguese goalkeeper, Ricardo.
However, under the wily management of Fabio Capello, England have rapidly built a team that looks more capable than ever of winning Football’s biggest prize. The majority of you will have watched England’s qualifying campaign, and what a mightily impressive one it’s been too. 8 wins out of 8 and never have we looked like being beaten. A mesmeric 4-1 win in Croatia was backed up by a 5-1 demolition of Kazakhstan, before a potentially sticky encounter in Belarus was overcome with a 3-1 scoreline. The positive thing is, not only have England been slotting the goals home, but the scorelines don’t flatter them. Performances have been top class, and consistent, while attitude off the pitch seems to have improved greatly since the much disrespected Steve McClaren thankfully departed as England manager.
Fabio Capello has knitted a team who are united, and together in what they do. Team spirit seems sky high, confidence is growing with every match they play, and the work ethic is second to none. The Italian stallion certainly seems to have got the boys firing on all cylinders, and the pre-World Cup signs look very promising indeed.
The next question as far as the National Team is concerned is who will be going to South Africa? Now, every single England fan will have a different opinion on this topic, and I’m here to throw a few names out of the hat and stir things up a bit.
I’ll start with the backline.
Currently, England have many possible alternatives across the back. In goal, Ben Foster, Robert Green, David James, Chris Kirkland, Joe Hart and even Paul Robinson will be aiming to impress the gaffer in the coming months. Foster’s form of late has been dubious to say the least. A howler against Manchester City at the weekend allowed Gareth Barry to slot home, although luckily for Foster, United went on to steal the game. If he’s to be on the plane come next summer, errors like that have to be eradicated. Robert Green, David James, and Joe Hart all look pretty solid at the moment and aren’t doing a lot wrong. The key for them will be staying fit, and continuing to play well. Chris Kirkland and Paul Robinson are the outside bets. Robinson had an up and down England career before getting the boot in David James’ favour, while Chris Kirkland failed to cement a place in the Liverpool side, and has never really had a chance at International level. For Wigan he’s gone almost unknown. While not playing especially bad, he’s not exactly set the world on fire, and if he’s to push for a place in Capello’s 23-man squad, he’ll have to up the ante and really play well this season.
The defence looks very solid at this moment in time. Lead by whole-hearted skipper John Terry, who’s obviously a certainty for South Africa, England have looked hard to break down, and good going forward from the full-back positions. Glen Johnson and Ashley Cole are also stick-ons, while I’m sure Rio Ferdinand and Matthew Upson will be in the final squad. Joleon Lescott, all £24m of him, should be lurking around as well, although he’s not been at his best so far this season.
Depth in the full-back areas doesn’t seem too much of a problem, although Micah Richards, whom you’d expect to be Johnson’s back up, has looked rather vulnerable of late, and on the left side Leighton Baines is playing in an Everton side shipping goals. Stephen Warnock and Nicky Shorey will definitely be eager to stake their claim for Ashley Cole’s number 2 slot.
A few wildcards would be Stoke’s Ryan Shawcross, Curtis Davies of Aston Villa, and even Bolton’s Gary Cahill who seems to do little wrong at the Reebok. Jack Rodwell and Anton Ferdinand would be a couple of names people may not think of, but still have a decent shout at being involved in the squad. Rodwell in particular has been hailed as the next big thing, although he’s been playing in the holding role for Everton this season. One would say that if he’s to make the break through, centre-half would be his best option.
England’s midfield also looks very strong, not only on the field, but in depth too. Frank Lampard, Steven Gerrard, and Gareth Barry make up the heart of the midfield and have performed superbly of late. Tom Huddlestone will be looking to break into the side, as will Owen Hargreaves when he returns from injury. A fixture in the England side 18 months ago, injury has curtailed his career once again, but should he make a strong return for United, you wouldn’t bet against him making the final squad. However, would Capello drop Barry for him?
Shaun Wright-Phillips, Aaron Lennon, and James Milner look the perfect candidates to play on the wings. Ashley Young would also be in the mix – his recent performances for Villa have been nothing short of outstanding. Question marks remain over Lennon’s ability to cross the ball, but that can be worked at. Theo Walcott, who is currently out injured, will undoubtedly feature in the friendly matches preceeding the finals, and should be a strong candidate also. His hatrick against Croatia dispelled any doubts about his ability at the highest level, although they were few and far between. Joe Cole is yet to make a first team return for Chelsea, but I’m sure he’ll be featuring at some stage. A world-class player, and one 99% of England fans would have in their starting XI. He also gives 110% every single game, and that’s the kind of personality England needs all over the park.
Perhaps the biggest talking point of the England midfield is David Beckham. No longer a regular starter, Beckham has cemented himself as a kind of super-sub. Able to change the game and offer England a new dimension, Becks would be a more than capable reserve and someone who sets a great example off the field for the youngsters of the side. The model pro, someone you’d definitely pick.
We’re not looking too shabby upfront either, with Wayne Rooney and Emile Heskey currently enjoying a decent partnership. However, Jermain Defoe would probably be most people’s choice to partner Rooney upfront, especially with his fantastic early season form for Spurs. Peter Crouch and Carlton Cole have also been involved with England lately, and if Michael Owen keeps up his decent form then he’ll no doubt be in with a shout. Gabriel Agbonlahor would be a very good option too. His pace causes havoc in the Premier League and he scores his fair share of goals as well. Should he go to SA, he’d be a great option in the last 15/20 minutes of a game, with a tired defence, to try and finish the game off.
So there’s plenty of options for Capello, and I’m sure plenty of names I haven’t mentioned here will have a shout. This is perhaps England’s best chance of winning the World Cup in a very long time, certainly since I’ve been around. Lets hope it’s not ‘one of those years’ again.
My 23-man squad for the 2010 World Cup in South Africa:
R Green
D James
J Hart
J Terry
R Ferdinand
M Upson
A Cole
G Johnson
J Lescott
M Richards
S Gerrard
F Lampard
G Barry
T Huddlestone
A Lennon
J Milner
S Wright-Phillips
D Beckham
J Cole
W Rooney
J Defoe
P Crouch
G Agbonlahor
Having looked at our team, it’s time to take a little look at some of the other candidates to win the World Cup, and what England will need to do to beat them.
Italy’s recent form has been dubious. They’ve not played well, and struggled in games they shouldn’t have struggled in. Should England come up against the Italians, you’d think Capello would have the know-how to overcome them. The midfield battle would be crucial, and on paper you’d say England have the wool over Italy. Up front, Luca Toni would be a problem for Terry and the likes to deal with, but all-in-all England look a stronger side. And they’re playing better.
Brazil are obviously going to be favourites. Kaka would need to be marked off the park for England to stand a chance. Gareth Barry would have his work cut out, as would the England defence. Luis Fabiano has been in great form recently for club and country, and would be a dangerous threat. From the full-back area, Dani Alves would cause a lot of problems down England’s left. His pace and trickery means Ashley Cole would be cautious about bombing forward and leaving that left-hand side exposed. Lets hope one of the other big guns do us a favour and knock them out. Would be a cracking contest mind.
Finally, the old enemy. Germany. We dislike them severly, and that would be a major motivation for our boys to take them to the cleaners. However, sometimes that can be a bad thing, especially for Wayne Rooney. When tempers reach boiling point, Rooney gets involved in little tussles that affect his game. He has matured a lot in the last few years, especially after the Carvalho incident, but a World Cup semi-final/final would be the ultimate test of his nerve. If England keep their cool in the heat of battle, they’ll be major contenders.
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