Arsenal winger Theo Walcott has surprisingly failed to make the final cut to catch the South Africa-bound flight to represent England in the World Cup 2010 finals. Coach Fabio Capello has announced the final 23-man England squad for the World Cup 2010 on Tuesday (1 June).
Besides the axing of Walcott, Capello has produced another surprise by including Shaun Wright-Phillips as the back up for right winger Aaron Lennon. Walcott was one of those very few players who started in both of the England’s recent friendly matches against Mexico and Japan. So, there was little doubt about Walcott’s place in the 23-man final World Cup squad, and thus, his exclusion from the squad has become the biggest surprise in Capello’s selection.
Darren Bent, who was in excellent scoring form throughout the last season for Sunderland, was left out following his poor show against Japan. Bent was the second highest English goal scorer in Premier League last season with 24 goals, trialing only Rooney’s 26 goals.
Putting an end to all speculations, Capello named Gareth Barry in the final squad after being assured of the midfielder’s adequate recovery from the ankle injury that he sustained on 5 May during a Premier League match. Barry went through a last minute test by the doctor on Tuesday morning before Capello took a late decision on the player.
Capello also named Manchester United’s holding midfielder Matthew Carrick as the back up for Barry who is most likely to miss England’s opening match against USA on 12 June. England has been drawn in Group C where the Three Lions would also face Algeria and Slovenia.
Ledley King and Jamie Carragher have made the final cut as the back up for Capello’s first choice centre backs Captain Rio Ferdinand and John Terry. Both King and Carragher made their international return recently in a 3-1 win over Mexico on 24 May at the Wembley stadium, London. Matthew Upson has clinched the 5th centre back spot ahead of Michael Dawson.
Versatile Carragher can also be a back up for right back Glen Johnson. Capello named Stephen Warnock ahead of Leighton Baines as a back up for the first choice left back Ashley Cole.
After a strong performance against Japan, Chelsea star Joe Cole has claimed his place in the squad. Though he generally plays on the left wing, he was impressive in his attacking role through the middle against Japan. Lennon, who was deployed out of position on the left wing against Japan and did his job flawlessly, could also be thought to be a back up for Joe Cole on the left wing.
Lampard and Gerrard would play the creative role in the midfield. Versatile Milner is capable of playing almost any role at the middle of the park, though he may prefer the left side of the midfield. There are many who are calling for Lampard to be deployed just behind Rooney, and thus, adding fluidity to English attack.
Despite some excellent saves by Green in the recent friendly games, Capello might still give the no. 1 shirt to David James, weighing on his experience. However, many English fans are not quite comfortable with James being the no. 1 due to the ‘Calamity James’ tag attached to his name.
Wayne Rooney will lead England attack, but Capello has to decide if he would deploy Rooney up front or in the deep in the traditional 4-4-2 formation. However, Rooney would be the lone striker if England plays on a 4-5-1 formation. The Manchester United star has some quality attacking partners in Heskey, Defoe and Crouch. Heskey and Defoe can create space for Rooney, while Crouch has an outstanding scoring record for England.
Here is the England 23-man squad for World Cup 2010:
| England World Cup 2010 Final Squad |
| Roles | Players |
| Goalkeepers | David James (Portsmouth), Robert Green (West Ham United), Joe Hart (Manchester City) |
| Defenders | Rio Ferdinand (Manchester United), John Terry (Chelsea), Ledley King (Tottenham Hotspur), Jamie Carragher (Liverpool), Matthew Upson (West Ham United), Ashley Cole (Chelsea), Stephen Warnock (Aston Villa), Glen Johnson (Liverpool) |
| Midfielders | Steven Gerrard (Liverpool), Frank Lampard (Chelsea), Gareth Barry (Manchester City), Michael Carrick (Manchester United), Joe Cole (Chelsea), James Milner (Aston Villa), Aaron Lennon (Tottenham Hotspur), Shaun Wright-Phillips (Manchester City) |
| Forwards | Wayne Rooney (Manchester United), Peter Crouch (Tottenham Hotspur), Emile Heskey (Aston Villa), Jermain Defoe (Tottenham Hotspur) |
Despite couple of surprising decisions from Fabio Capello, England squad looks pretty much balanced. There are 12 players in the squad who also represented England in 2006 World Cup in Germany. Most importantly, 9 out of these 12 players are now considered for England’s starting line up. So, it seems that England’s first eleven would be pretty much experienced.
Average age of the England squad is around 29 (28.65), an age when players have enough experience as well as physical strength to deliver their best. Interestingly, both the median and mode age of the England World Cup 2010 squad is 29- meaning most of the players are in this age range. Lennon and Hart, both at 23, are the youngest members of the squad, while 39-year-old David James is the oldest player in the squad.
England squad includes 8 players who are currently at 30 or above. There are 11 players in the squad who are in the age range of 25-29. This indicates that a plenty of England players are currently at a perfect age where they do not lack experience anymore and are not too old to meet the physical demand of the game.
Four years back in 2006, the average age of England squad was around 25 (25.26). Both of the median and mode age was also 25. Youngest member of the squad was 17-year-old Theo Walcott, while David James, at 35, was the oldest member in the squad.
The average appearance of the current England squad is 39 (39.04), while the average appearance of the England squad four year back was 32 (32.08).
So, it is pretty much clear that in terms of both age and appearance England’s current squad is much more experienced and balanced than the side represented England four years earlier.
y the haeck walcott isnt in squad
ReplyDeleteGuess he is too young? Poor darren bent as well. But that's an interesting review of England's selection.
ReplyDeleteWalcott isn't in the squad because he can not perform on the big stage. A good squad selection by an experience Manager shows expericence in depth and knowing his players. An injured Beckham is better than a fully fit Walcott although Walcott's time will come. Emil Heskey is a surprise pick! A good front player and an ideal forward if playing one man up front.
ReplyDeleteWHY HESKEY YOU MIGHT ASWELL HAD AN EMPTY SEAT
ReplyDelete