Capello Announces Provisional England Squad
May 11th 2010 18:50
England's starting line-up? Looks like it...
After dominating their qualification group with thrilling performances, England was quickly pushed to the forefront of World Cup favorites. Not such far-fetched talk when considering the confidence and swagger displayed during qualification. However, everything started to fall apart in February when a scandal involving John Terry and ex-teammate Wayne Bridge took the British press by storm. As if off-the-pitch antics weren't enough, important players were falling to injuries left and right while others displayed poor form, consequently planting seeds of doubt among the press and fans. Questions that had disappeared during qualification suddenly reared their ugly heads back into the mix as spring rolled by. Questions such as: are the Three Lions solid enough in goal? Will Ferdinand and Terry recover their form in time for the World Cup? Who will play with Rooney? What happens if Ashley Cole and Gareth Barry can't make it?
Some of these questions were answered as the Premiership drew to an end and Chelsea were declared champions. Others might be answered by taking a look at Fabio Capello's preliminary squad list for the World Cup.
Goalkeepers
No surprise in goal as the usual call-ups - Robert Green, Joe Hart (who replaced Paul Robinson) and David James – all made the list. Although Hart is the youngest of the bunch, he has shown fantastic form in the Premier League which led to his nomination for the 2010 PFA Young Player of the Year award. However, there is no telling if Capello will risk going with Hart if the more experienced – but average – David James is fully fit.
Defense
Anyone who has followed England for even the shortest of time knows what the back-four looks like: Glen Johnson on the right, Rio Ferdinand partnered with John Terry in center, and Ashley Cole on the left. However Johnson's nagging injury problems have led Capello to call Jamie Carragher out of retirement as back-up. On the left side, many worried about Cole's left ankle which was fractured back in February but he recovered in time to play in Chelsea's final fixtures. Still, Leighton Baines will probably make the trip as his back-up while the inclusion of Stephen Warnock on the list as a third left-back proves that nothing is set in stone quite yet. Finally both Rio Ferdinand and John Terry have been a mere shadow of themselves this season, more so for Ferdinand who was barely able to play two games in a row without going off with some sort of injury. Matthew Upson, Ledley King and Michael Dawson have all been called to audition for a spot in defense's heart. Dawson is the most surprising name out of the three, seeing as he has never been capped at senior level but teammate Ledley King's own injury problems might be Dawson's ticket to South Africa.
Midfielders
Two names among the midfielders list are certain to be on that South Africa-bound plane: Frank Lampard and Steven Gerrard. The rest will come down to match fitness and preference. Gareth Barry was a lock to play behind Lampard and Gerrard but an ankle injury might keep him out of the final 23-man roster. That will leave Manchester United's Michael Carrick and Tottenham's Tom Huddlestone to duke it out for that spot. On the wings, Aaron Lennon's match fitness is the only obstacle between him and a spot on the final squad. Finally, James Milner's versatility could play in his favor while he competes against other players such as the talented Adam Johnson, speedy Theo Walcott, veterans Joe Cole and Shaun Wright-Phillips, and surprise-inclusion Scott Parker.
Forwards
The only name opposing teams will have to worry about in this England squad is Wayne Rooney. After Cristiano Ronaldo's departure from Old Trafford, the young striker has been sensational all season long, winning both the PFA Players' Player of the Year and the FWA Footballer of the Year. Several players are in contention to partner up with Manchester United's striker for the World Cup. Among those, the two players most likely to land that spot must be Emile Heskey and Peter Crouch. Although Darren Bent and Jermain Defoe have been great during the Premier League season, they both carry flaws preventing them to shine on the bigger stage – an inability to step up for Bent and a tendency to run hot-and-cold for Defoe.
So, are England favorites? On paper, they seem to be and Capello has instilled some cohesion and focus in a group that looked like nothing more than a bunch of individuals. But there's no telling how they'll fare against the big guns let alone the smaller but tenacious teams. We'll find out in a month.
Full list of players called up:
Goalkeepers: Robert Green (West Ham), Joe Hart (Manchester City), David James (Portsmouth)
Defenders: Leighton Baines (Everton), Jamie Carragher (Liverpool), Ashley Cole (Chelsea), Michael Dawson (Tottenham). Rio Ferdinand (Manchester United), Glen Johnson (Liverpool), Ledley King (Tottenham), John Terry (Chelsea), Matthew Upson (West Ham), Stephen Warnock (Aston Villa)
Midfielders: Gareth Barry (Manchester City), Michael Carrick (Manchester United), Joe Cole (Chelsea), Steven Gerrard (Liverpool), Tom Huddlestone (Tottenham), Adam Johnson (Manchester City), Frank Lampard (Chelsea), Aaron Lennon (Tottenham), James Milner (Aston Villa), Scott Parker (West Ham), Theo Walcott (Arsenal), Shaun Wright-Phillips (Manchester City)
Forwards: Darren Bent (Sunderland), Peter Crouch (Tottenham), Jermain Defoe (Tottenham), Emile Heskey (Aston Villa), Wayne Rooney (Manchester United)
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