England – A Whole World (Cup) of Trouble?

Back in November we looked at England’s potential squad – the definites, possibles, maybes, and no-ways – and it looked pretty rosy, pretty balanced. Fast forward three months and it has a whole different, far more worrying appearance…

You can read the initial article by clicking here – but here is the squad we thought (at that time) would go:

David James, Rob Green, Paul Robinson

Ashley Cole, John Terry, Rio Ferdinand, Joleon Lescott, Matthew Upson, Glen Johnson, Wes Brown

Steven Gerrard, Frank Lampard, Gareth Barry, Owen Hargreaves, Michael Carrick, Joe Cole, David Beckham, Aaron Lennon, Theo Walcott

Wayne Rooney, Emile Heskey, Jermaine Defoe, Peter Crouch

Let’s look at these in detail…

David James - Has barely played this season. Desperate to go on loan to ensure he doesn’t miss out. Needs to play pretty much all the rest of the season to make sure he is first choice. Although that air of calamity still clouds him. We must hope he does regain fitness and find form as the alternatives are borderline terrifying.

Rob Green – Had a big chance to step up while James was injured and failed to take it with either hand, making a couple of high profile errors. The fact many West Ham fans don’t like him speaks volumes.

Paul Robinson – Experiencing something of a renaissance at Blackburn but doubts persist over his ability to deal with both long-range shots and crosses.

Ashley Cole - No worries over form or fitness, he is playing some of the best football of his career and is physically resilient. Fingers crossed he does not get injured, as the alternative is Wayne Bridge.

John Terry – Captain spastic is playing well but is increasingly creaky in his old age. His back problems are particularly worrying.

Rio Ferdinand – Has been out injured for ages, although made his return for United recently. Undoubtedly world class on his day – but how many of them does he have left? Hopefully enough to get through South Africa.

Joleon Lescott – Somewhat disastrous at Man City. His place on the plane, let alone in the team, is in severe doubt.

Matthew Upson – Perhaps the only legitimate candidate should Terry or Ferdinand drop out – which is alarming.

Glen Johnson – Huge doubts linger over his defensive capabilities, and opposing teams often cite him as a weak point for both Liverpool and England. His potency going forward is not in doubt – but can we afford it?

Wes Brown - Was abysmal in United’s defeat to Leeds, given the runaround by League One striker Jermaine Beckford. Not a great sign.

Steven Gerrard – Has confessed himself that he’s in poor form – and has had crisis talks with Rafa. Not what we want from one of our supposedly world class players. Although for me his positional indiscipline prevents him from hitting that bracket, part of the reason he has never really shone for England.

Frank Lampard – Mr Dependable has looked a little out of sorts at times this season but seems to now have come into form. Always good for a few goals and a great engine. One of the least worrying.

Gareth Barry – Some seem to think he has been good for Man City, some think he has been disappointing. I’m not really sure. But if he is fit, he will play, and with the death of Owen Hargreaves and poor form of Michael Carrick he is a crucial member of the midfield.

Owen Hargreaves - R.I.P. Barring a miracle bordering on reincarnation he has missed the boat.

Michael Carrick – Seems to have fallen out with Fergie. Not being given much game time, much of which he has had has been at centre back, and he has not been playing well. Touch and go whether he will make it – perhaps will as the only credible understudy to Barry.

Joe Cole - Needs a storming second half of the season. Was England’s best player for a while before his injury and offers that special something that few others can provide. We need him to show he needs to be taken.

David Beckham – Keeps on chugging away. Always good for a 15 minute cameo and excellent dead ball delivery, and a great presence amongst the squad. If fit he will go.

Aaron Lennon – In good form, dangerous, and appears to have added an end product to his pace and penetration. Looks all the better relative to his rivals SWP and Walcott.

Theo Walcott – A giant fall from grace since his hat-trick in Croatia. May not even make the plane unless he starts playing – and well – for Arsenal.

Wayne Rooney – By a mile England’s most important player. Without him we would be fucked. Let’s hope and pray he doesn’t get injured between now and our inevitable quarter final exit.

Emile Heskey – Still sparks debate, still allows others to play around him, we still do better when he plays. First choice alongside Rooney upfront.

Jermaine Defoe – Banging them in, a great option from the bench.

Peter Crouch – Offers something different, and a viable alternative to Heskey alongside Rooney.

So there we have it. Concerns range from huge (Goalkeeper, Right Back, Rooney getting injured) to medium (everything else).We later amended it to include James Milner – who must now be pushing for a starting berth – but things certainly don’t look as good as they did a few weeks ago. Don Fabio must be sweating even more than usual.