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| Courtesy: www.telegraph.co.uk |
SQUAD: GKs- Joe Hart, Fraser
Forster, Ben Foster
DFs- Glen Johnson, Leighton Baines,
Luke Shaw, Gary Cahill, Phil Jagielka, Chris Smalling, Phil Jones
MFs- Steven Gerrard(C), Frank Lampard,
Jack Wilshere, Jordan Henderson, Ross Barkley, Raheem Sterling, Adam Lallana,
Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, James Milner
FWs- Wayne Rooney, Daniel Sturridge,
Danny Welbeck, Rickie Lambert
MANAGER: Roy Hodgson
STRENGTH (S): English
teams are filled with incredible individual talents. True that. For decades
now, that’s the one thing that has always been said about England and this time
also it’s true. England has some of the best young talents in this year’s World
Cup along with some really good seasoned campaigners like Hart, Gerrard, Lampard
and Rooney. If Roy Hodgson is willing to take some risks and start with the
likes of Jones, Shaw, Sterling and Barkley, this English side could be a treat
to watch. England’s obvious strength lies in their attack. With Rooney and
Sturridge up-front, they have two players who can make any defence look silly.
The interesting thing will be to see who plays on the flanks. With
Oxlade-Chamberlain injured, it looks likely that we will see Lallana and
Sterling in the flanks which guarantees pace, creativity and excitement and yes
goals as well. If English attack clicks, they are sure to go a long way in this
tournament.
WEAKNESS (W): Defence.
Yes, it still looks a bit raw. Hodgson decided to ditch experienced defenders
like Terry and Ferdinand for youngsters like Jones and Smalling. Will the gamble
pay off, the next few weeks will tell us that. But for now, it’s a glaring
weakness which opponents will surely look to cash upon. The other thing is, no
one really know what’s England’s best XI. A lot will depend on the individuals
who are selected on the given day. The players come from a variety of clubs
with each club having a different philosophy and style and that has been England’s
scourge for years now. How will they gel as a team on the world’s biggest stage
still remains a mystery!!
OPPORTUNITY (O): This is
perhaps for the first time that the expectations from the England football team
aren’t sky high. Being in the ‘Group of Death’, there are many observers who
believe that England won’t even get past the group stages. And perhaps this
lack of expectation is a boon in disguise. Over the years English players have
had to deal with lots of pressure and expectations and perhaps the lack of it
this time might bring the best out of them. If they manage to get out of the
group stage unscathed it might go a long way in boosting their morale. With
momentum on their side and the confidence of getting out of such a tough group
might do wonders for the player’s psyche. And then who knows what will follow.
Fingers crossed. This might also be Steven Gerrard’s last hurrah at the world
stage and for a player who has given so much back to the game, he has got
really meagre returns. It’s an opportunity for him as well to end his career on
a high and he would be itching to lift the coveted trophy. Maybe this time, it
will be the Captain’s Day Out.
THREATS (T): Italy,
Uruguay, Costa Rica and England. It is literally the ‘Group of Death’. England’s
biggest challenge will be to get through to the 2nd round. And they
would need a lot of luck for that. Thesedays, a quiet popular joke on internet
is that England don’t need to fear penalty shoot-out this time. They will be
out of the tournament well before that. Injuries are another big threat for
England. It looks like Oxlade-Chamberlain is out of the tournament even before
it begins and with no wide player on the standby, the wings already feel lighter.
Jack Wilshere and Phil Jagielka are also quiet injury prone and if they get
injured that might prove fatal for England’s plans as well.
Finally, if England hopes to do well in the tournament a lot will depend
on the performance of two individuals, Wayne Rooney and Joe Hart. If they bring
their A-game, every other team needs to fear England. If not, it will go on the
expected lines, England will be out of the tournament even before it actually
begins.
PREDICTED XI: Hart(GK),
Johnson, Baines, Cahill, Jagielka, Gerrard(C), Lampard, Milner, Lallana,
Sturridge, Rooney.
