Fabio Capello has named his England 30-man provisional squad for this summer’s world cup. But the Italian now has the tough task of crushing seven players’ world cup dreams, forcing them to watch it in the comfort of their homes like the rest of us. Capello must finalise his ‘23 Lions’ to take on the world cup which gets underway on June 11th.
So which seven players should Capello drop from his 30-man provisional squad?
This article will give you my thoughts and choices on the seven players Capello should send back to England. Some decisions were very easy to make, although a number of players in different areas did have me thinking quite a bit to be honest.
Anyways, here is my final selection:
Stephen Warnock
The 28-year-old left back is not a bad player, but do England really need 3 players in this area? England already have Ashley Cole and Leighton Baines, so why should Capello even think about taking Warnock is beyond me.
Ashley Cole is arguably one of the best left-backs in the world and Leighton Baines is just an all out solid performer, so why should Warnock be apart of the 23 this summer?
Warnock is a good player, but many (along with me) will believe that if he does get picked to go to the world cup he will not feature, so what’s the point…send him packing Fabio.
Matthew Upson
Matthew Upson going to the world cup? You must be joking, he will get skinned left, right and centre by the finer players in the tournament.
The 31-year-old West Ham centre-back is not a bad defender, but we are talking about the world cup here. His positioning is great, but he lacks the speed, which will make him a vulnerable target for sure. Ferdinand and Terry are most definitely going to be the two in the centre of the back line, and many English fans, along with me, will feel the three lions have better options available to them in this department. Pack your bags Matthew, your going home mate.
Michael Dawson
This was a tough call between, Michael Dawson, Ledley King and Jamie Carragher, but I had to go for Dawson, and here are my reasons for this choice.
Jamie Carragher will be going to the world cup because England do not have cover for Glen Johnson. The Liverpool centre-back is also versatile and can play in the centre if Capello wishes him to play there. King or Dawson to play for England this summer? King all the way. King is a better defender than his team mate when he is fully fit and has more experience, which is vital for tournaments like these.
Dawson did have a fine season for Spurs this year, but the 26-year-old may not be so comfortable when coming up against some of the best strikers in the world.
Tom Huddlestone
Personally, for me, Huddlestone is one of the best ball distributors in the game, but unfortunately England do have better options in his position.
Huddlestone is still very young at 23, and many will feel that the Spurs midfielder lacks experience which may cause him a few problems if he travels to South Africa this summer. Without question, the powerful midfielder has had a great season for Spurs. However, after looking through Capello’s provisional midfield selection, Huddlestone looks the obvious choice to send home.
Find out the last 3 players who should get the boot on page 2
Michael Carrick
In recent weeks he couldn’t get a game at Old Trafford so why should he be flying off to the world cup this summer?
Carrick had a fine start with Manchester United this season, but mistakes towards the conclusion of the year saw the midfielder drop down the pecking order at Old Trafford.
The 28-year-old like Tom Huddlestone has great passing ability, but the United man seems to falter when put under pressure. Again, when looking through the midfield England have at their disposal, Carrick looks the weakest. Steven Gerrard, Frank Lampard and now even James Milner are sure to be in front of Carrick. Capello don’t waste a space; send Carrick home to watch the world cup.
Theo Walcott
Hasn’t played enough games this season to earn a seat on the plane to South Africa, plus, he is the weakest in his position.
England have three accomplished right wingers who are better than Walcott, these players being Aaron Lennon, Shaun Wright-Phillips and James Milner. Granted the Arsenal man was injured for a majority of the season, but his inconsistency and lack of football knowledge makes him the obvious candidate to drop.
The 21-year-old poses great speed and agility, but let’s face it, Lennon and Wright-Phillips also have this, and they also have a better final ball than Theo. Many people reading this will be confounded by my choice to put Walcott on the list, and will wonder why Adam Johnson wasn’t put up instead. Well, Adam Johnson is more versatile; he can play on the left or right of the midfield, which makes him a better option than Walcott altogether.
Emile Heskey
7 goals in 57 appearances for England so far, and yet somehow Capello has included the Villa striker in his 30-man provisional squad…can someone tell me why? Apparently Capello reckons Emile Heskey brings out the best in Wayne Rooney…yeah alright Fabio.
The 32-year-old has not started enough games for Aston Villa this season, so how on earth has he made the England provisional squad? Darren Bent will likely be sent home by the Italian, but many will want (like me) Heskey to pack his bags and watch the world cup from the luxury of his own armchair…he certainly deserves to. If he gets on the plane to South Africa in June then lord help us.
So with these seven players being dropped from the 30-man provisional squad, this would be my 23-man England world cup squad this summer:
Goalkeepers – Joe Hart, David James, Robert Green
Defenders – Leighton Baines, Jamie Carragher, Ashley Cole, Rio Ferdinand, Glen Johnson, Ledley King, John Terry
Midfielders – Gareth Barry, Joe Cole, Steven Gerrard, Adam Johnson, Frank Lampard, Aaron Lennon, James Milner, Scott Parker, Shaun Wright-Phillips
Forwards – Darren Bent, Peter Crouch, Jermain Defoe, Wayne Rooney
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