Posts Tagged ‘Automatic Selection’
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