My initial interpretation of Roy Hodgson’s 23-man squad was generally positive. Personally, I would not change a single name from the midfield forward. It is of course now important that Hodgson picks the correct starting England XI each game for the forthcoming World Cup.
It is a no-brainer to start with Joe Hart in goal. After a rough start to the season domestically with struggling to get picked, he has come back a far better goalkeeper and is undoubtedly one of the best in the league and after this World Cup, we may even be saying, in the world. Having seen him against Peru, we saw that despite having little to no attacking to deal with, on the odd occasion that he did find himself occupied, he closed down well and always stayed awake. There is also great depth in the goalkeeping options with both Ben Foster and Fraser Forster being proven shot stoppers in their respective leagues.
Hodgson’s defensive selection wasn’t the best it could have been. Glen Johnson is of course, unfortunately, England’s only out and out right back. If this wasn’t the case, I don’t believe Phil Jones would stand a chance of making the squad. He has been part of one of the weakest Manchester United defences in decades and in this past season I don’t think he’s performed as well as people may have hoped after joining from Blackburn. Only has versatility secured a place in the side for him and it may well have come under consideration to take Jon Flanagan instead. It’s certainly a shame that John Terry wasn’t even an option. He would really make that difference in Brazil; after a solid season alongside Gary Cahill, this chemistry and understanding between centre backs certainly wouldn’t go amiss. He was not available though and Roy Hodgson picked well under the circumstances with Gary Cahill, Phil Jagielka and Chris Smalling being the best picks for the job at hand.
The biggest talking point defence-wise was Luke Shaw’s appointment over Ashley Cole. Leighton Baines is the obvious starter out of the three but Ashley Cole’s presence and experience from past major competitions would do wonders for the team. Shaw is a great player and will one day be the best English left-back, but the time he will spend on the bench will be no more beneficial to England than would be if Cole was sat there. Ashley Cole would really slow the game down and make the defence a lot more stable, especially when needed against the likes of Uruguay. Swapping Baines for Shaw would be to like-for-like and this would only really benefit England if Baines were to get injured. Cole would still be able to attack to a good standard and that’s why I believe that Hodgson made a mistake. Ashley Cole is the more all round full back and would make better back up than Luke Shaw.
Had you said at the start of the season that Jordan Henderson would make the World Cup squad, you would have called for Hodgson’s head but with a solid show towards the end of the season in a seemingly unstoppable Liverpool side he really did prevail and his selection was fully justified. The depth in the midfield selection is superb and the talent that has been seen in the past season has left England with real hope as to what they can achieve. The selection was spot on for me and it isn’t a matter of who should or shouldn’t be there, it’s a matter of who should play. The game against Peru saw Frank Lampard miss out completely and I personally can’t see a place for him in this England midfield. Despite only recently coming back from injury, Jack Wilshere seems the best fit for me alongside Steven Gerrard. Of course they’re both players with a lot of skill and quality, but they’re both fans as much as they are players. They play with passion and a never say die attitude that has been missing from England squads in recent years. Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain and Raheem Sterling are equally deserving of a place in the side but a lack of experience between the two leaves me believing there is only space for one. With Chamberlain now an injury worry, Sterling is the obvious choice out of the two but performances shown by Chamberlain in the friendly’s prior to his injury show an element of creativity and enthusiasm that has been missing in many England players in the past few years.
If I were to pick the side, Wilshere and Gerrard would play as holding midfielders with Raheem Sterling, Wayne Rooney and Adam Lallana playing just infront. Lallana plays with a lot of energy and flair and I could see him really making an impact in Brazil. Rooney would play central and slightly more supportive behind the striker.
Rooney has had little impact in past competitions and his performance against Peru was completely lacklustre but when on his game, he can be world class. If he performs as he did against Peru, I’d leave him out altogether as he showed the typical non-existence that is the international Wayne Rooney. Saying this, he is aware of the pressure on him and I think it is important to have trust in him and he will deliver what he is capable of.
This leaves the position of one striker in a 4-2-3-1 formation and this role would of course be given to Daniel Sturridge. He has had the season of his career so far and is brimming with confidence and quality. His ability to score from nothing is something that every team needs and it would be a foolish decision to leave him on the sidelines. His place in the squad needs no more explanation. Danny Welbeck looked mediocre against Peru but showed a bit more class against Honduras and Ecuador, by his standards anyway. He shouldn’t be playing in this World Cup as anything more than squad depth. Finally, Ricky Lambert has had a good season at Southampton and I think his move to Liverpool will force him to perform in Brazil and justify that he is good enough. I’m sure he’d like to lower the raised eyebrows, including my own, as to why Liverpool would sign him despite having Suarez, Sturridge, Aspas and Borini. This would be the perfect opportunity to do so, that is if he does find any playing time.
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