Posts Tagged ‘Ashley Cole’
England tournament player ratings
David James 7/10
England’s best performer against Germany, which tells its own story. Also reliable against Slovenia, suggesting he should have been given the number one shirt against United States.
Glen Johnson 6
Calm and collected as England laboured in the group stage, he was back to his skittish worst against Germany.
John Terry 5
If only he was as quick to react on the pitch as he was off it in attempting to undermine the manager. The tournament that finally proved he is not a defender of top international class.
Matthew Upson 4
Run ragged by Germany’s forwards, his elevated place in Fabio Capello’s defensive pecking order must be questioned.
Ashley Cole 6.5
A willing runner and tackler who made no serious blunders, he can return home with reputation intact.
James Milner 5
Replaced after 30 minutes against USA, he showed enough promise against Slovenia to suggest he can be part of the new guard.
Frank Lampard 5.5
Another goalless World Cup, despite his best efforts against Germany. Battled hard but he remains a shadow of the force he is at club level.
Gareth Barry 5
Wrongly hailed as the midfield messiah after returning from injury, his poor distribution means he should not be considered an automatic selection.
Steven Gerrard 6
Exemplifies the malaise that affects Premier League players in an England shirt, despite palpable effort.
Wayne Rooney 4
A frustrated figure who never looked like repeating his club form of last season. He is clearly not ready to join the very elite just yet. Germany world cup betting pundits were even surprised at his lack of an impact.
Jermain Defoe 6
Scored a crucial goal but otherwise showed his limitations in link-up play.
Robert Green 3
At least his howler against USA has been overshadowed. Should still get another chance in four years’ time.
Jamie Carragher 4.5
His return proved to be a mistake. Off-the-pace and booked twice, he can retire for good this time.
Ledley King 5
45 minutes of action suggests his selection was a risk too far.
Shaun Wright-Phillips 5
A few decent runs but never properly imposed himself.
Aaron Lennon 5.5
Perhaps underused, as his pace offered something different to a team that struggled to find creativity.
Joe Cole 5
An unwilling pawn in the Terry-Capello power struggle who didn’t get the chance to settle the debate.
Emile Heskey 5
Played well against USA but paid for his place due to familiar missed chances
Peter Crouch 5
Mysteriously ignored for the most part, he might be a beneficiary of the stagnant offensive play.
Joe Hart, Stephen Warnock, Michael Dawson and Michael Carrick did not feature.
Overall, it has been a massive disappointment. The BBQ’s, sunshine and many beers consumed will be the highlight of this World Cup with the football being a very joyless subplot.
As for Germany world cup betting odds, they now have it all to do to get through the next round. They face the impressive Argentina. Maybe this is a time where getting knocked out by the winners wouldn’t actually be that comforting?
Tags: Ascii, Ashley Cole, Automatic Selection, Cambria, Defoe, Div, England Shirt, England Tournament, Fabio Capello, Font Definitions, Font Format, Footer, Frank Lampard, Glen Johnson, Group Stage, James Milner, Jamie Carragher, John Terry, King 5, Matthew Upson, Mso, Orphan, Panose, Paper Source, Pecking Order, Pitch, Poor Distribution, Props, Robert Green, Sans Serif, Steven Gerrard, Style Definitions, Style Name, Style Type, Text Decoration, Theme Font, Tournament Player, Wayne Rooney
England team for the 2014 World Cup
At a time like this, speculation about a more positive future is probably a good way to go. So, with this in mind, I have decided to have a look at what the England team might look like by the time the 2014 World Cup comes around. The best betting site odds suggested England would do well in this year’s tournament, but they clearly need to make a dramatic improvement.
I am making these predictions without too much research as I don’t want to be influenced by other people’s opinions. This is just how I see it. This is the direction I think England should go in over the next four years.
Goalkeeper
Joe Hart – Not much doubt about this one. He is probably England’s best keeper right now, so will hopefully have improved even more by 2014.
Defenders
Ashley Cole - The left back should still be up to international football in four years time.
Micah Richards - This is a man that will hopefully reach his full potential soon.
Michael Dawson - The Tottenham man continues to grow in stature and should be first choice come 2014.
Glen Johnson - Ok, he wasn’t great this year, but with four more years experience, he should be part of a young and successful England team.
Midfielders
Theo Walcott - Make no mistake about it, this man will come back and be a major force.
Jack Rodwell - One of the best young talents around, a very good prospect that should force his way into the international set-up in the next couple of years.
Jack Wilshire - The Arsenal youngster should become a major part of Arsene Wenger’s plans next season when Cesc Fabregas moves on and this should lead to an international place.
Adam Johnson - For many, Johnson should have been involved this year. Hopefully though he can develop well as a Premier League player and be an automatic selection in four years time.
Forwards
Wayne Rooney - Say what you want about Rooney’s performances in this World Cup, but he will be back. The expectation levels and tiredness after a long season need to be sorted though.
Daniel Sturridge - This is one of the hardest ones to call, but Sturridge gets the nod for the flashes of goal scoring ability he showed last season. He and Rooney would be feared by defences for their sheer power.
So those are my football tips as to who can form a new look England side.
Thoughts?
Tags: Adam Johnson, Arsene Wenger, Ashley Cole, Automatic Selection, Betting Site, Dramatic Improvement, England Team, Fabregas, Four More Years, Glen Johnson, International Football, Joe Hart, Michael Dawson, Rodwell, Stature, Theo Walcott, Tiredness, Wayne Rooney, Wilshire, Youngster
Liverpool midfielder tips England for success
With the World Cup closing in, many fans, pundits and players are having their say on who they think will win the tournament. This includes Liverpool midfielder Yossi Benayoun who has put England down as his World Cup favourites.
The Israel international, who has played in the Premier League for West Ham and Liverpool, is of the opinion that England have always had the players to be victorious, but now they also have the ideal manager in Fabio Capello.
He says that he has England as favourites, not just because it is where he plays his football, but because “they have very good players” who are performing at their best under Capello.
This does seem to be the general opinion. If the current crop of England players are to win the World Cup, it is going to be with a manager as good as Capello. Basically, all the ingredients are there for this team to do it and the World Cup odds make them third favourites for glory.
However, this has been the case on many occasions before. England have always possessed some of the best players in the world, but have still come up short. Fans will just have to hope the Capello factor plays its part. Can he get this team performing to their best under the pressure of the world stage?
After all, you don’t get too many better central defence partnerships than John Terry and Rio Ferdinand and you don’t get too many better left backs than Ashley Cole. There aren’t too many midfielders in the world with more talent and success than Steven Gerrard and Frank Lampard.
Finally, there isn’t a striker in the world more in form than Wayne Rooney, look in any betting guide and he’ll be one of the strongest tips for top scorer this time around.
Then there are a few of the emerging players that could step up their game to help the more established players. Glen Johnson, James Milner and Jermaine Defoe have all excelled in the Premier League, but can they shine on the biggest stage of all?
England fans everywhere, as well as Benayoun for the sake of his prediction, will be hoping a bit of Italian magic can turn England’s nearly men into champions of the world.
Tags: Ashley Cole, Betting Guide, Central Defence, England Fans, England Players, Fabio Capello, Glen Johnson, Israel International, James Milner, Jermaine Defoe, John Terry, Midfielders, Rio Ferdinand, Steven Gerrard, Top Scorer, Wayne Rooney, West Ham, World Cup Favourites, World Cup Odds, Yossi Benayoun
Defensive woes biggest concern for Capello
The countdown to World Cup 2010 is officially on with less than 100 days left until the big kickoff.
The round of international fixtures this week gives managers the chance to assess the squad ahead of the tournament, knowing the clock is against them.
For Fabio Capello it has mainly been off-field distractions that have occupied his thoughts in recent weeks, with the John Terry, Wayne Bridge and Ashley Cole scandals threatening to fracture the squad. Though I suppose it’s a change from working out how to play Gerrard and Lampard in the same team.
But with the friendly against Egypt shifting the focus away from the tabloid tales and back onto the pitch, there is no let up in problems for the Italian. Anyone thinking about a football bet would have noticed England are strong favourites for the game, but Capello faces a bigger challenge than this might suggest.
None of the ‘keepers selected, David James, Joe Hart and Rob Green, have impressed enough to make the number one spot their own. James is perhaps the front runner, but he has endured an injury plagued season at crisis club Portsmouth. West Ham stopper Green hasn’t always convinced at International level while Joe Hart, the most in-form player of the trio, is very inexperienced at this level.
In front of goal things get worse. Full backs Glenn Johnson and Ashley Cole are out with long-term injuries - Capello has already said he doesn’t want to take unfit players to South Africa so even a late recovery is no guarantee they will make the squad - while we all know why Wayne Bridge is unavailable.
In the middle things aren’t much better. Rio Ferdinand has missed large chunks of the season through injury, while Terry’s fragile mental state following his much publicised personal troubles has led to an alarming drop in form.
The three Lions have solid deputies with the likes of Matthew Upson and Joleon Lescott, but it remains to be seen whether they are World Cup quality.
While Capello tries to plug the leaky defence he also needs to keep his fingers crossed that nothing happens striker Wayne Rooney. The United forward has been in the form of his life this season and his talismanic role for both his club and national side means his fitness is key to England’s World Cup ambitions. Any 2006 style metatarsal injuries and the nation will fall into a state of despair.
After all the tabloid tittle tattle in recent weeks Capello was probably glad to return to on-field matters. But given the headaches he finds there, it’s not going to offer him any more relief. The World Cup football odds make England third favourites to win the competition, but they will have their work cut out to live up to expectations.
Tags: Ashley Cole, Defensive Woes, Deputies, Fabio Capello, Football Bet, Gerrard, Joe Hart, John Terry, Joleon Lescott, Lampard, Matthew Upson, Personal Troubles, Portsmouth West, Rio Ferdinand, Tabloid Tales, Term Injuries, Three Lions, Wayne Bridge, West Ham, World Cup 2010