World Cup 2010 : England

Our memories of World Cup 2010

FourFourTwo Team — Mon, 12 Jul 2010 10:42:00 GMT

Now the curtain has come down on the 2010 World Cup, we thought it would be nice to share our abiding memories of the tournament with you...

Gary Parkinson - Editor, FourFourTwo.com

Best game I'd love to say Slovakia v Italy, but I didn't see it: I was covering Paraguay 0-0 New Zealand. Of the 50-odd games I did see, perhaps the best story was the oddly enjoyable Germany-England match. History in the making, it was statistically quite an even game, packed with drama – That 'Goal', England's plucky semi-fightback, Germany's skilful assassination – and tactical intrigue. I took no pleasure from England's defeat, but I took plenty from Germany's performance.

Best goal The magnificence of its pointlessness only improves Quagliarella's chip as Italy crashed out. Sublime in thought and execution, especially as his team-mates had just let loose the chains on All Hell.   

Best moment Iker Casillas's tears as Iniesta & Co. celebrated the World Cup-winning goal. Having led from the back by almost single-handedly keeping four clean sheets in the knockout stages, the captain richly deserves the honours bestowed upon him.

Funniest moment Tempting to go for Rob Green's fumble – oh come on, it was hilarious - or Yakubu's miss. Or John Terry hurling himself in front of Slovenia's late shots like an Essex-sent missile. Or Heskey lumbering on to conquer the Germans. But that would be to ignore the comedic tour de force that was the French squad's refusal to train and Domenech's impromptu recital of a handwritten ransom note from his own players. Highlight: that coach's Fawltyesque throwing away of his FIFA accreditation as he stormed from the deserted field.

Biggest surprise Capello's v-sign to the media in playing a 4-4-2 (actually more like a 4-2-3-1 but let's not carp) against Slovenia. "Our sources have told us it'll be a diamond," said the crisp salesman. "I've told you, as your manager: You're playing on the left wing, son," said Capello to his captain.

Biggest disappointment Spain. Such abundance of talent and domination of possession should yield far more than four successive 1-0 wins in the knockouts. It worked for them, but it didn't do anything for me. This was a laboured World Cup win on a par with France in 1998, and although that side had Stephane Guivarc'h instead of David Villa, the new Barcelona man's five goals all came in matches where he'd started playing off the plainly unfit Torres - illustrating the great paradox at the heart of the clamour for 4-2-3-1: you need a superb, on-form line-leader, or you're going to struggle. Few in Spain might agree today, but a few in England need to bear it in mind while naming their No.9.

Player of the tournament It's much harder to argue with FIFA's choice of Diego Forlan than it is to argue with wazzocks who haven't seen him since his spell at Old Trafford. Some of those wazzocks hold down highly-paid jobs as alleged experts. They need to lose those jobs.  

Young player of the tournament Again, FIFA made the right call in ennobling Thomas Müller. Fast, accurate, savvy and adaptable, he epitomises the future of forward play.  

Lesson I’ve learned It's possible to get by without much sleep, as long as you have the support of a good family, both at home and at work.

Hugh Sleight - Editor in Chief, FourFourTwo

Best game Germany 4 England 1. Goals, drama, controversy, brilliance - it was a game with everything. Worth 12 hours in a coach to and from Joburg to see it. We'll still be talking about it in 40 years time when Sepp Blatter Jr again refuses to introduce goal-line technology.

Best goal Technically, Luis Suarez's curler was the best, but my favourite has to be the Shearer-at-Blackburn-esque effort from Asamoah Gyan against the US. Defenders bouncing off him like it was a cartoon, followed by an old-fashioned larrup.

Best moment Tshabala's opening game scorcher to assuage doubts that the hosts would get roundly stuffed in every game. And Michael Carrick's very respectable mum suddenly blasting out "I'm England til I die" against Germany.

Funniest moment France's disintegration. They made England's players look like wise old owls. At what point do you decide to sacrifice potentially your only shot at the World Cup because you don't really like that bloke over there because he's slightly younger/posher/less like Patrice Evra than you?

Biggest surprise Germany's football. Even accounting for never writing off the Germans, no one expected such irresistible football. Who knew that Holland were the new Germany and Germany the new Holland?

Biggest disappointment Rooney, Torres, Ronaldo and the other stuttering stars.

Player of the tournament Xavi. Throughout the tournament, all the talk was that Spain hadn't really played well. Jesus. If only England could not play well as well as that! At the heart of this truly great team are the smart feet and sharp brain of Xavi.

Young player of the tournament Vladimir Weiss looks about 12 but excelled for Slovakia, Thomas Muller and Mesut Ozil were both exceptional but I'm going for Gyan again (even though he's 24...). He led the line brilliantly. His great misfortune was that England didn't top their group and give him the chance to double his goal tally against ’JT and Upsy‘.

Lesson I've learned That an awful lot of players win 100 caps these days.

David Hall - Editor, FourFourTwo magazine

Best game Japan vs Paraguay. Just kidding. Ghana vs Uruguay had it all. It was football with heart and soul… and a bit of cheating. It had the lot.

Best goal The first one of the tournament scored by South Africa’s Siphiwe Tshabalala. Had the whole office out of their seats and buzzing about the start of the World Cup.

Best moment Wesley Sneijder running to a TV camera to celebrate his goal against Brazil. A big star with a bit or personality. That’s what we like.

Funniest moment Seeing France’s bizarre World Cup build up (kart racing, road cycling and mountain climbing anyone?) degenerate into a farcical sulk-off between players and management.

Biggest surprise Diego Maradona. Aside from the expected fractious comments aimed at everyone from the Argentine press to Bastian Schweinsteiger, he conducted himself with a level of decorum that I certainly didn’t expect. It was a shame. I thought he’d chin at least one FIFA official.

Biggest disappointment England. I had the dubious pleasure of attending England vs Algeria, the highlight of which was buying a vuvuzela. Yes, it was that bad.

Player of the tournament Wesley Sneijder. Coming off the back of a treble-winning season with Inter, tiredness didn’t appear to be an issue for the Dutchman who pretty much ran the show for Holland. Winter breaks or not, he had a long few months at the office and consistently delivered.

Young player of the tournament Mesut Ozil. We had identified him as one to watch long before the World Cup started and our prediction rang true. Silky skills, great vision and surprising turns of pace made him one of the most complete midfielders at the tournament.

Lesson I’ve learned To never again get excited about England’s chances going into a major tournament. My anticipation and disappointment were significantly heightened by becoming FourFourTwo’s editor in January of a World Cup year. It was a rollercoaster… mainly travelling downwards.

Gregg Davies - News Editor, FourFourTwo.com

Best game Slovakia 3-2 Italy. Fascinating final 15 minutes, in which the holders looked dead, buried and set to bow out with barely a whimper, only to rally out of nowhere and finish a single goal short of qualifying. Super-sub Kamil Kopunek scoring with his first ever touch at a World Cup finals and Fabio Quagliarella’s delightful late chip added to the late drama.

Best goal Okay, so it may not have been everybody's pick for goal of the tournament, but I really enjoyed Nicklas Bendtner’s leveller for Denmark against Cameroon. A simple but brilliant move from the back, featuring two inch-perfect deliveries from Simon Kjaer (diagonal 50-yard effort) and Dennis Rommedahl (pin-point square pass across the penalty area).

Best moment The last-gasp goalline madness between Ghana and Uruguay ending with Luis Suarez’s handball and Asamoah Gyan squandering the chance to rewrite African football history books from 12 yards.

Funniest moment It's difficult for it not to be the French, with a pair of shambolic performances against Mexico and South Africa sandwiching their laughable conduct off the pitch. Some solace for the Republic of Ireland, but not much.

Biggest surprise Brazil hitting the self-destruct button the one time they faced adversity in the tournament. Having cruised through to the quarters, Felipe Melo - sorry, Wesley Sneijder’s equaliser was all it took for the Samba Boys to lose both the plot and their heads.

Biggest disappointment Wayne Rooney, above the plethora of big names who didn’t dazzle. With a season behind him that had filled England fans with so much anticipation, the forward looked like a lost soul in South Africa, one shot against Slovenia that struck an upright aside.

Player of the tournament Without David Villa’s goals Spain wouldn’t have come close to going all the way. But my vote goes to Diego Forlan – carrying his team and his country through to the last four, and one of the few players to truly master the wretched Jabulani ball.

Young player of the tournament Thomas Müller. Two caps and no goals before tournament began. Now five goals in eight appearances, netting his fifth goal of the competition against Uruguay with only his sixth shot on target of the tournament. Badly missed against Spain in the semi-final.

Lesson I’ve learned Bet against Paul the octopus at your peril.

James Maw - Features Editor, FourFourTwo.com

Best game Holland’s quarter-final victory over Brazil had everything - some great football, some atrocious defending and three - count ‘em - THREE moment of madness from Felipe Melo which resulted in Ronaldo advising him via Twitter not to return to Brazil.

Best goal Having lost their opening match to Switzerland, Spain were labouring a tad in the opening stages of their second match against Honduras. That was until David Villa embarked on a powerful run down the Spanish left – cutting inside and beating three men using a combination of power and guile before working the ball onto his right foot and driving it into the top corner.

Best moment Slovakia’s victory over Italy will live long in the memory, and the highlight was undoubtledly Kamil Kopúnek’s 89th minute goal. It was his first ever touch of a football in a World Cup finals and earned his country their first ever finals win. Oh, and it knocked the reigning champions out…

Funniest moment Argentina’s Gabriel Heinze giving a television camera an almighty whack after inadvertently smashing his face into it moments before.

Biggest surprise Fabio Capello’s use of substitutes during the Germany match. The baffled look on the faces of everybody in the packed southwest London watering hole in which I watched the match when England’s biggest goal-threat Jermain Defoe was replaced by Emile Heskey was hilarious, yet telling.

Biggest disappointment The reaction to Luis Suarez’s last minute handball against Ghana (above). I felt the way so many fans and pundits were willing to just accept this blatant act of cheating as ‘part of the game’ and the popular insistence that ‘anybody would do it’ is a damning indictment on the modern game. If the punishment isn’t enough to dissuade the offence then the punishment isn’t severe enough. Bring back hanging, or failing that, just award a goal for blatant and deliberate handball on the goalline.

Player of the tournament Maybe I’m just being contrary, but I felt Bastian Schweinsteiger displayed a consistent level of subtle brilliance as Germany marched to third place. The way he was so willing to sacrifice himself for the team by playing in a more disciplined and withdrawn role than he plays at club level is worthy of high praise (Steven Gerrard take note).

Young player of the tournament I’m not sure you can look beyond Thomas Mueller. For a player of his age and relative inexperience to so quickly become an integral part of such an impressive football machine is not something you see often. His willingness to support both the fullback and centre forward set him apart from most attackers in the tournament.

Lesson I’ve learned That honking a vuvuzela at full blast in a small kitchen in an abandoned office building at gone 10 on a Friday evening will make a noise not dissimilar to those heard in Jurassic Park.

Chris Hunt - Journalist, FourFourTwo.com’s man in South Africa

Best game Germany 4-0 Argentina. Just to see the look on Maradona’s face at the press conference afterwards. He just didn’t see it coming and he still has no idea why it happened.

Best goal For the emotion and for the occasion, it would have to be the first goal of the World Cup. Hammered into the net by Siphiwe Tshabalala, it gave South Africa an unexpected lead over Mexico in the opening game. The crowd went crazy and anyone who was in the stadium at the time won’t forget the experience.

Best moment Frank Lampard’s goal against Germany – well, it was my best moment when he scored it and my worst when the referee continued to play the game without reaching for his whistle.

Funniest moment When Joan Capdevila went down like an extremely heavy saco de patatas, it was Portuguese defender Costa who took the rap, but the TV replays showed a foot of clear air between to the two players, leading fans around the world to believe that it may have been the work of the ‘elbow of god’.

Biggest surprise The form of the Germans from their opening game even surprised the majority of their fans in South Africa, who had been conned into thinking they were crap by Joachim Löw. It’s just a shame this brilliant young team didn’t show up when it really mattered against Spain. It promised to be the game of the tournament but ended up an intriguing game of cat and mouse.

Biggest disappointment The performance of the French, who even managed to give those past masters of infighting, the Dutch, a lesson in how to destroy your team’s chances from the inside.

Player of the tournament A hard call as several players have unexpectedly shone at this World Cup, but I would say Arjen Robben. He may have missed the opening games, but along with Wesley Sneijder he has been a constant danger and the inspiration behind Holland’s charge to the World Cup final.

Young player of the tournament Pivotal in Germany’s run through the tournament, my vote would go to Mesut Ozil.

Lesson I’ve learned That the Dutch have reached the final of the World Cup wearing Nike shirts made from recycled plastic bottles. Apparently it takes eight bottles to make each shirt. Imagine what Johan Cruyff could have done with a shirt made from plastic bottles – although he probably would have demanded one with a different sponsor’s logo on it!

FEATURE: The FFT SA2010 Awards
FEATURE: The Draw Specialist's World Cup

Have your say HERE

FFT.com: Features * News * Interviews * Home
Interact: Twitter * Facebook * Forums

A day out with the referees

Chris Hunt — Thu, 01 Jul 2010 15:35:00 GMT

Seconds after Frank Lampard’s now infamous shot ricocheted down from the crossbar and bounced well behind the German goal-line, there was an almost audible sense of disbelief in the Free State Stadium in Bloemfontein when Jorge Larrionda failed to signal for a goal.

“Oh my god” was the referee’s reported reaction on seeing a replay of the incident during half-time, while fans spent the break raging about whether goal-line technology should be introduced to football.

After the game, England keeper David James was not among those calling for video replays or technological advances. “I think in this circumstance there were possibly only two people on the pitch who didn’t see that ball go over the line, one being the referee and one being the linesman,” he said. “You don’t need technology to tell that the ball is a yard over the line.

“Unfortunately the incident definitely changed the outcome of the game because it would have made it 2-2,” he continued. “It would have been a different game by virtue of the scoreline and a different game psychologically because they would have been under a lot of pressure and we would have been in the ascendancy. As for technology, it would be nice but in this instance I don’t think it was something that was needed.”

On the night James was in the minority. Even the British sports minister, Hugh Robertson, joined the clamour for goal-line technology. “Once the dust has settled, I hope FIFA reassess their opposition to using goal-line technology,” he announced with the smack of political opportunism.

However, Lampard’s overlooked goal was not the first and only decision to cause such outrage during the 2010 World Cup. In the USA’s earlier group game against Slovenia a dubious call by Malian referee Koman Coulibaly robbed the Americans of what looked to have been a winning goal, while just a couple of hours after the conclusion of the England v Germany game, Roberto Rosetti’s failure to rule out a clearly offside strike by Argentina’s Carlos Tevez against Mexico also prompted fierce debate.

Against a backdrop of heated discussion about the standard of World Cup refereeing, and calls for the introduction of technological assistance, it may have been seen as slightly bizarre that FIFA should choose to open the doors of its refereeing training camp to the press, with the promise of an “opportunity to meet referees and assistant referees”.

Faced with this invite the world’s media turned up in force, but they were not there to learn about the training regimen of top referees. To a man they were in search of Jorge Larrionda, wanting to hear his justification for over-ruling the infamous Lampard goal-that-wasn’t, or Roberto Rosetti for his opinion on allowing the Tevez goal to stand.

Arriving at the referee’s training base at the Odendaal High School in Pretoria, journalists and camera crews were promised full access to the referees and their assistants. “Who is here?” we asked. “It would be easier to say who won’t be here,” answered the FIFA representative, itemizing just the refereeing teams from that day’s games. Even English referee Howard Webb would be present, fresh from his game at Ellis Park the previous night.

“Can you point out Larrionda?” we all asked. “Don’t worry about that,” we were told by the FIFA official, “you’ll spot him by the crowd of people around him, just try and give him a little space and treat him with some respect.”

The training session was spread across two pitches, and after the general warming up exercises, the referees initially worked on their fitness and speed. However, of far more interest to the press was the whereabouts of Larrionda. No-one was quite certain what he looked like and many clutched small photographs of the official in the hope of identifying him, but although there were dozens of stretching referees on the training pitch, there wasn’t one that seemed to match up to pictures.

“He is here, don’t worry,” said the jovial FIFA official. “You’ll have plenty of time to talk to him after training, just give him a chance as everyone will want to talk to him.”

After the warming-up session, there was demonstration of offside training, with journalists given a chance to run the line so they could “experience the challenging work of the assistant referees”. This exercise was performed under match conditions, which meant the piping of vuvuzela sounds through the public address system for nearly half an hour. The referees seemed oblivious to the deafening cacophony

After the offside training, some of the referees joined in a bizarre circuit of the pitch, complete with tribal chants, alongside the local African footballers that had been recruited for the training games. Then the moment everyone had been waiting for. Referees were separated by confederation and there was a mad dash as we hurdled the perimeter fence and sprinted towards the South American officials. But there was no sign of Larrionda.

“Where is he,” we asked the clearly confused FIFA official, who returned moments later with an explanation. “It seems that he’s been receiving so many telephone calls at his hotel from certain sections of the media that he’s chosen not to come.”

In the absence of Larrionda, Howard Webb was sought out for his opinion on goal-line technology, but as with every other referee at the training session, the answers sounded uncannily similar.

“Should technology be used to help referees?” we asked.

“I’m open minded about anything that makes us more credible as match officials,” replied Webb, “but that’s a decision for FIFA to take and whatever tools I’m given I’ll use them to the best of my ability. We’ll just watch this space with interest and see where it goes.”

“Can the referees make a stand and demand the use of technology to assist them in their job?” we asked.

“Well, it’s not really our job to make a stand,” said Webb. “We go out there and do our job and you guys can apply pressure if you think that’s appropriate, but let’s hope that we don’t change the nature of the game by knee-jerk reactions. It’s for other people to decide and we’ll see where the deliberations go.”

“What’s your personal opinion?” we asked.

“I’ve got no personal view,” replied Webb, in a well-rehearsed line being spouted on every corner of the training pitch by referees of all nationalities.

It was a line echoed moments later by FIFA’s head of refereeing Jose-Maria Garcia-Aranda. One journalist was tiring of the same answer. “Do you have an opinion?” he demanded. “We’re not in North Korea, you must have an opinion?”

Aranda, it turned out, had no opinion. “If you are happy with that, you are welcome,” he answered, “and if not, then it is your problem.”

Elsewhere at the training ground there was at least one experienced former referee with an opinion and he could understand exactly what Uruguayan referee Larrionda must be going through.

Urs Meier was vilified by the British press in 2004 for disallowing Sol Campbell’s 89th minute goal against Portugal in the quarter-final of the European Championship. As a consequence Meier was dubbed ‘Urs hole’ and ‘idiot ref’ by the British press, and he received more than 16,000 abusive e-mails and death threats after the tabloid newspapers published his contact details.

“They gave telephone numbers, they gave addresses and they made a campaign against me,” he says today from the safety of his position as a pundit for German television. “It was a really a hard time and I can imagine what must be happening for the Uruguayan referee.”

While all the referees at this World Cup are sticking to the FIFA line, now he is retired Meier is free to back the use of goal-line technology. “It’s either a goal or it’s not a goal,” he says. “You don’t need video replays, you just need a chip in the ball and it is easy to make the right decision.

“A shot from 20 or 30 metres out, if it hits the crossbar and bounces down to the ground, it’s always a situation that you are unable to see. It really is a black zone for the referee and for the assistants. When this happens you cannot give the right decision unless you guess.

“Ten years ago there would only be one player who would try and hit a free-kick from 35 metres out, but today, with the new ball and the players, it happens in every game. If you have a shot from 40 metres out, where is the offside line? It’s 20 metres away from the goal and the assistant has to stand there, so it’s not possible to see the goal-line.”

Meier is not necessarily in favour of video replays or extra officials, as he feels this would not help incidents like the crowded goal-line clearance that occurred during the Italy v Slovakia game, but he is a firm believer in the technology of a chipped ball.

“If you have another player on the goal-line standing between the fifth official and the situation, then he couldn’t possibly see if it is a goal or not. You would need a lot of different cameras because you have a lot of different situations. With a chip in the ball it is easy. Also, when the keeper is over the ball, when he blocks the ball on the line, with a chip in the ball it’s easy to tell whether it’s over the line.”

Having listened to all of the 2010 World Cup referees refusing to voice an opinion on goal-line technology, Meier is certain that his former colleagues would be totally in favour of its introduction if they were free to speak. “In such a cases as the Germany v England game, of course it would help, and after the World Cup I’m sure they will all say yes,” he laughs.

Before we leave the training session, in another bizarrely-timed gesture we are handed a press statement by FIFA president Sepp Blatter, in which he apologised to the English and Mexican football associations for the mistakes of referees Rosetti and Larrionda, announcing that football's ruling body was now re-opening the discussion on the use of technology in football. “I deplore when we see a referee’s mistake,” he said, “but this is not the end of the World Cup or the end of football.”

Later on it is announced that that both Jorge Larrionda and Roberto Rosetti haven’t made the cut for the latter stages of the competition. For them, the World Cup is over, as it is for England and Mexico, but the debate will rage on regardless.

More World Cup stuff: Features * Lists * Interviews

FFT.com: Features * News * Interviews * Home
Interact: Twitter * Facebook * Forum

FA's stalling reflective of the nation

Nick Moore — Wed, 30 Jun 2010 16:41:00 GMT

If there has been one mental state that has summed up England’s World Cup campaign, it has been rabid indecision.

Whether it was who should mind the nets or partner Wayne Rooney, Fabio Capello – and the rest of the nation, as they bickered in sordid crack-dens and air-conditioned organic delicatessens – couldn’t seem to make up their mind conclusively about anything.

It’s little wonder then that, as the English stand on the side of the road rubbernecking the carnage, nobody quite knows what to do next. The FA have declared that they need a couple of weeks in which to ruminate and cogitate. And while it’s easy to scoff at them for fudging the matter, the great British public isn’t exactly thinking clearly on the topic either.

53% of FourFourTwo.com’s voters believe Capello is still the man to lead England, while 55.6% of Guardian-takers said that he would be wrong to resign. Daily Mail readers, so often derided as a uniformly-minded, amorphous bile-blob of loathing, can’t agree this time: an inconclusive 56% think Fabio should be axed; while even readers of The Sun – traditional ringleader of the bi-annual witchhunt against whichever poor sod happens to be picking the national team - aren’t joining the pike-wielding hate mob en masse. 41% of them declared that the Italian gaffer should stay put.

Delving deeper into the red-tops’ straw polls, Three Lions supporters seem more bewildered than a malarial Kerry Katona in an astrophysics exam. When The Sun asked whether they blame the players or manager, 45% pointed the finger at Rooney and company, 50% went for ‘both’ and just 5% singled out the gaffer alone. Yet 59% of those who have just absolved him want Don Fabio to be professionally decapitated.

The users of Goal.com, meanwhile, clicked their mice 39% in favour of a P45 and 39% against, while 22% stated that Fabio’s future “depends how he handles the fallout.” Which presumably means that if he buys them a nice box of Milk Tray, whisks them away to Tuscany for a romantic mini-break and promises not to behave like that ever again, they’ll let him off this time.

But what are the options? Absolutely desperate, it seems. Asked who should be in the hotseat for the first Euro 2012 qualifier, 27.5% plumped for Capello, 19% for Harry Redknapp and 18.5% for (now-new Liverpool incumbent) Roy Hodgson. So far, so reasonable-yet-underwhelming. But beneath that Holy Trinity on the target list comes David Beckham (12.8%), whose sole managerial contribution to date is looking incredibly rugged in a suit and clapping handsomely in South Africa.

A small, semi-sane contingent call for Martin O’Neill (7.2%) and Stuart Pearce (3.1%). But below them, madness lies. 1.7% want to see the return of Steve McClaren – the most-mocked gaffer in British football history. 1.1% are convinced that Sam Allardyce’s no-nonsense approach is the way to outwit Johnny Foreigner. And an incredible 0.9% think baseball caps and long throws are the future, scrawling their X in the box marked: “Tony Pulis, England manager” between swigs of meths and shouting ‘b*stard’ at traffic.

For the English, wild knee-jerking is an ever-present trait. Win a friendly, and the World Cup’s in the bag. Lose one and we’re the most pathetic shower of unmotivated disgraces since The French at WWII. This X Factor-generation schizophrenia, while wrong-headed and annoying, has become inevitable. The present indecision is, however, more concerning.

The man on the terrace has never been short of a saviour, an option, and a six-pint-of-lager solution that MIGHT... JUST… WORK. That if we just did this, England could suddenly be globe-crushers again. But the bar stool preachers are silent and worried. The opinion columns, even, are half-hearted (one newspaper opined that the player needed a more personal touch like… Sven Goran Eriksson). The road ahead is foggy. It’s a depressing thought, but it looks like England could be head for yet another hung parliament.

More World Cup stuff: Features * Lists * Interviews

FFT.com: Features * News * Interviews * Home
Interact: Twitter * Facebook * Forum

Theo would be spot on for England

James Maw — Sun, 27 Jun 2010 05:30:00 GMT

Should England do what some sections of the media seem certain they will do, and lose to Germany on penalties this afternoon, it won't be because the weight of history weighed heavily on the players' shoulders, or that the Germans cope better in high pressure situations.

No, it'll be because Fabio Capello didn't pick 21-year-old right-footed forward Theo Walcott in his 23-man squad.

At least that's what research undertaken by Lucozade Sport, with the help of the football analysts at Prozone, suggests.

They have analysed every penalty shoot out the 1998, 2002 and 2006 World Cups and the 2000, 2004 and 2008 European Championships to determine which players are successful from the spot and why.

That’s a total of 14 penalty shoot outs and 130 penalty kicks - 16 of which were taken by England, seven unsuccessfully so.

Perhaps unsurprisingly, given the high pressure involved, when a team is losing a shootout the likelihood of a successful penalty drops by approximately 18%.

That perhaps explains why the team who miss first generally go on to lose the shoot-out - 78.5% of the time, in fact.

Case in point would be England's last three shoot-out defeats. In all three the opposition (Argentina in 1998 and Portugal in 2004 and 2006) missed one of their penalties, but only after our brave boys had botched one first.

As you'd also expect, forwards are the most successful in shoot outs, scoring 75% of the penalties taken. But it's the defenders who follow in second, with a 72% success rate, with midfielders surprisingly bringing up the rear with 61%, despite taking half of those 130 kicks.

The research highlights 21 as being the optimum age for taking a penalty in a shoot-out - with players of that age converting 91% of spot-kicks taken.

Worryingly from England's point of view, Fabio Capello's squad has a grand total of zero 21-year-olds, whereas the Germany squad currently features four - Mesut Ozil, Holger Badstuber, Jerome Boateng and Marko Marin.

Although the statistics suggest England's lack of youth may be a hindrance, their lack of left-footers may prove a blessing.

A higher success rate is seen for right footed penalties (71%) than those taken with the left foot (52%) - so it might be worth telling Gareth Barry and Ashley Cole to make themselves comfortable on the halfway line if the teams can't be separated after 120 minutes.

Almost 87% of penalties aimed in the top left corner of the goal (see above) - the natural side for a right-footed to aim for - are successful. This is more than any other area of the goal - just don't tell Manuel Neuer.

A higher success rate is seen when the kick is taken with the inside of the boot (70%) than with the laces (62%) or the outside of the boot (50%). Although to be honest if you're going to try and be a clever dick in a World Cup shoot-out you deserve to miss.

To continue the debate visit facebook.com/lucozadesportfootball

More World Cup stuff: Features * Lists * Interviews

FFT.com: Features * News * Interviews * Home
Interact: Twitter * Facebook * Forum

Hodge: England have the momentum

FourFourTwo Team — Sat, 26 Jun 2010 20:42:00 GMT

Former Nottingham Forest midfielder Steve Hodge - a member of England's 1986 World Cup squad - tells Luke Nicoli why Fabio Capello's side should be confident going into Sunday's match against Germany

Looking at the two sides on paper, we have the more experienced players and given the performance of both countries in their final group games, England will hope to have the momentum.

I watched Germany’s match against Ghana on Wednesday and although they won, they were put under pressure for long spells. If Ghana had a decent striker on the night, they could have scored a couple of goals, so we can take plenty of positives from that.

I also think Fabio Capello’s side will be buoyed not just by the Slovenia result but also the performance. It was greatly improved from the Algeria game and you could sense the confidence flowing through the players as a result. They will go into the Germany game really believing they can do it.

But as is often the case when it comes to England v Germany, it’s going to be a tight game between two very even teams. Maybe one touch of brilliance will separate the sides and we are all hoping Wayne Rooney will come good and be that man.

Although there has been a lot of talk surrounding his form and fitness, Rooney is still the first name on the team-sheet for me.

The German defenders would take a lot of confidence if they saw his name left off the team sheet, but if the worst-case scenario happens, then the back-up strikers must be ready to take their chance.

At the 1986 World Cup in Mexico, we suffered the loss of Bryan Robson to injury and Ray Wilkins to suspension at the group stage. In stepped Peter Beardsley and myself and I saw it as a chance to really make a name for myself on the highest stage. If it wasn’t for Maradona’s Hand of God, who knows what might have happened…

Four years later the boot was on the other foot as I was dropped for David Platt. In stepped Platty who became one of our stars of Italia 90 – earning a move to Italy in the process.

The World Cup really is a squad game; you are there because the manager rates you as one of the best players in the country in your position – so when you get your chance, you have to make the most of it.

Matthew Upson is the latest player to step up to the plate and I expect him to keep his place against the Germans. Despite his goal, I’m not sure Jermain Defoe will be quite so fortunate.

Knowing the Germans will have a robust defence, I think we could revert to playing Emile Heskey – big and strong – to take some of the knocks for Rooney, or maybe even Peter Crouch.

All will be revealed shortly before kick and then it’s all down to the players.

If we get past this one then there’s every chance we’ll meet a certain Diego Maradona. Haven't we been there before?!

Steve Hodge's book The Man With Maradona’s Shirt is out now. Published by Orion, costing £18.99.

More World Cup stuff: Features * Lists * Interviews

FFT.com: Features * News * Interviews * Home
Interact: Twitter * Facebook * Forum

The power of positive thinking

Chris Hunt — Fri, 18 Jun 2010 10:31:00 GMT

Robert Green may have gifted the USA a point with his absurd goalmouth fumble, but the England players are admirably sticking to Fabio Capello's mantra of positive thinking.

Whatever the state of the performance against the USA, and it was largely poor, this England coach seems to have instilled a sense of belief in the team that might help them survive the inevitable moments of crisis that occur in a tournament such as this, even the 'Hand of Clod'.

Capello understands that confidence is everything. It is the emotion that makes sporting success achievable and can turn the ordinary into the unbeatable, but it can be a fragile commodity.
An error like the one made by Robert Green is not in itself the problem, it is the ability to cope with the situation that is crucial. Negativity is contagious and can spread through a team like wildfire, and when that happens there is little hope. Capello has certainly impressed this on his team.

After the draw with the USA, to a man the England players presented themselves as interested only in the positive. "Tim Howard was 'Man Of The Match' and that was proof of how strong we were," said David James, without flinching. "Obviously with a 1-1 draw we haven't got the three points but with the amount of openings and chances that we created, it's something that we can take into the next game as a positive."

Despite squandering a fine chance early in the second-half, Emile Heskey was also resolutely on-message. "It was frustrating game and I'm disappointed that we didn't take some of our chances," he said, "but we've got to take the positives into the next game."

Glen Johnson, meanwhile, ignored compliments about his own performance in favour of stressing the team ethic, snapping back when a journalist asked whether it was too early to discuss whether this was England in crisis. "That's ridiculous," he insisted. "We've played just one game and the team spirit is fine. The boys will stick together through anything. We've put this behind us now."

For the man whose error cost England the win, there was no attempt to hide. After going through a post-match drugs test, Robert Green was one of the last players out of the dressing room but faced up to the press with confidence. He had only learnt the news that he was the starting keeper when the team was announced to the players five minutes before leaving for the stadium, and although at half-time he had offered his apologies for the error to his team-mates, after the game he was already prepared to move on.

"It was a mistake," he admitted, "but it's something that happens in life. I would have loved to have stopped it, as I do time and time again in training, but it was obviously a genuine mistake, a horrible mistake, but something to deal with and something that you prepare for mentally."

Right-back Johnson was among the players quick to leap to Green's defence. "Everyone makes mistakes and if you're a goalkeeper and you make a mistake it leads to a goal," he said. "But Rob's a great keeper and he deserves to wear the shirt." Emile Heskey echoed the sentiment: "He made a brilliant save in the second half, but people probably won't remember that because of the mistake he made. But he can bounce back from this."

For David James there was no satisfaction to be had from seeing his rival struggle. "We'll have a look at it on video and as goalkeepers we'll get together and help each other out," he said. James sidestepped the opportunity to blame his relegation to the bench on a rumoured injury earlier in the week. "As with Joe Hart, I was up for selection," the Portsmouth keeper insisted. "It was reported earlier on in the week that I had a problem with my knee, but it wasn't the case."

While there still may be question marks over the performance, and indeed over some of Capello's team selections for the USA game, no-one can question the infectious positivity that the Italian radiates, and maybe when push comes to shove, that will be enough to keep this team focused and inspire them to greater things.

More World Cup stuff: Features * Lists * Interviews

FFT.com: Features * News * Interviews * Home
Interact: Twitter * Facebook * Forum

Make new summer plans, it's going to end in tears

James Maw — Sat, 12 Jun 2010 07:30:00 GMT

Back in December the World Cup seemed a lifetime away, and FourFourTwo just couldn’t wait to see how Fabio's boys would get on in South Africa, so the folk behind Championship Manager were kind enough to invite us over to watch a simulation of the entire tournament using a specially-coded version of their latest title...

June 12
England 3-1 USA
Rustenburg

There are few surprises throughout the England side – although e-Fabio prefers Jermain Defoe to Emile Heskey up front.

After a slow start, England click into gear and goals from Lampard and Rooney give England a 2-0 half-time lead. But in typical fashion, complacency kicks in, and US midfielder Michael Bradley pulls one back just after the break. Fortunately Steven Gerrard smashes one in from fully 30 yards, and England hold on for a confidence boosting 3-1 victory.

June 18
England 4-1 Algeria
Cape Town

Brimming with confidence after a win in their opening match, England romp into a three-goal lead within half an hour, with two Jermain Defoe strikes sandwiching a Wayne Rooney belter.

But yet again, Fabio’s boys lose focus and allow their opponents back into the game, with the Algerian's bundling home from close range. As Algeria press for a second, England catch them on the break and Rooney pokes home his second of the match. England are on a roll.

June 23
Slovenia 0-0 England
Port Elizabeth

With six points already on the board, England’s place in the last 16 is already secure going into the final round of group matches. It’s at this point in real life that hysteria would kick in back home, and you’d start to see those little flags adorn roughly 91 percent of the nation’s cars, endless fluffy news-pieces about people that have painted their house/pub/Labrador in support of the team, and people who show little if any interest in football for the other 48 weeks of the year start telling you that England have ‘the best team on paper’, but that ‘Lampard is sh*t’.

There’s nothing like a drab stalemate to curb misguided optimism.

June 26
England 3-0 Australia
Rustenburg

England face Group D runners-up and old sporting adversaries Australia in the first knock-out round, with the nation gripped by World Cup fever.

The Australian’s barely muster a single attack as a rampant England side coast into a 2-0 lead within 28 minutes, midfield duo Steven Gerrard and Frank Lampard with a goal apiece. Wayne Rooney makes it three midway through the second half before defender Craig Moore is sent off for the Socceroos. J

ust as the Aussies think things can’t get any worse, Lucas Neill is sent off for mouthing off to the referee and the men from down under are forced to play the final five minutes with nine men. Of course, if this actually happens it’ll be impossible to get served a drink in London that night.

July 2
Argentina 1-0 England
Johannesburg

A grudge match for a million blazingly obvious reasons, you can imagine the hype that would pepper the run up to this quarter-final clash, particularly with the likes of Germany, Brazil and the Netherlands already crashing out of the competition.

England get off to the worst possible start when John Terry gets turned inside out by Lionel Messi, who promptly smashes the ball past Paul Robinson to give Argentina a seventh minute lead.

In a tight, cagey match, England only manage to get three efforts on target, with Argentinean defenders Walter Samuel and Gabriel Milito able to quell the tide of England pressure. England are outplayed, outclassed and out of the competition. E-Fabio’s head has been superimposed onto a root vegetable and little effigies of the computerised John Terry are being strung up across the East End.

So, if this simulation is anything to go by, England look set to go out with a whimper at the quarter-final stage, just like they had done four years previously, and in five World Cups prior to that. It might not be the most encouraging simulation ever – but you can’t deny it’s believable.

How the Rest of The Tournament Panned Out

The biggest casualties of the group stage were Germany, who on the verge of finishing second in Group D, before a late Asamoah Gyan goal saw them lose 1-0 to Ghana and crash out of the competition. 

The last sixteen saw Spain beat Brazil 1-0, Portugal overcome Chile and penalty shoot-out wins for Slovenia and Italy against Denmark and Holland respectively. In the quarter-finals, Ghana came from behind to beat France after extra-time, Portugal knocked out surprise packages, Slovenia, and Italy won a thrilling encounter against Spain 4-3. 

Ghana’s dream died in the semi-finals with a 2-0 defeat to Italy, while Argentina battled to an extra-time win over Portugal.  World Champions Italy faced England’s conquerors Argentina in the final, where a first half Alberto Gilardino goal was enough to give Italy a typically tight 1-0 victory.

Player of the Tournament

Davide Santon, Italy
The Inter Milan right back didn't make Italy's squad for the so-called 'real' World Cup, but announced himself onto the world stage with a string of brilliant performances for the eventual computerised winners. The most notable of which came in the final, where he managed to keep a leash on Lionel Messi (not literally – that would be weird and inappropriate).

Michael Essien, Ghana
‘The Bison’ may be spending most of the next month sprawled across a sun lounger, but he was the star of the simulated African side’s unlikely (and unreal) run to the semis, scoring goals against Serbia and France. The Chelsea star probably also kicked a few people and smiled a lot.

Liedson, Portugal
The Brazilian-born striker switched allegiances to Portugal earlier this season, and made up for lost time, winning the Golden Boot after scoring eight goals. Two of those came against the country of his birth, which could lead to an awkward atmosphere next time he pops back to his parents' place for tea and to get his washing done by mumsy.

Classic Matches
Portugal 7-2 North Korea
Liedson and Cristiano Ronaldo both grab hat-tricks as Portugal hammer the gallant North Koreans – who would probably have just been happy to have scored twice, were it not for the fear of impending ‘disciplinary action’ back home. Gulp.

France 3-2 Nigeria
The Super Eagles have France boss Raymond Domenech sweating again, before Thierry Henry grabs a late winner – presumably with his hand, or possibly some kind of stick.

Italy 4-3 Spain
We know what you’re thinking – the Azzuri’s results usually read like binary code, and there seems little chance they’d win in such a fashion. Maybe Marcelo Lippi had his team sheet back to front...

Shocks
Honduras’ 2-1 victory over Spain in the second round of matches blew Group H wide open, with Spurs’ midfielder Wilson Palacios scoring a 67th minute winner against the European champions. It's hard not to imagine Cesc Fabregas sobbing like a small child who’s lost his teddy.

Brazil blew a 2-0 lead against lowly North Korea, with Nigel Pearson look-a-like Lucio giving away a last minute penalty, and picking himself up a red card for his troubles. Striker Choe Kum-Chol slotted the spot-kick past Julio Cesar, and earned a famous draw for the side ranked over 80 places below the five time world champions in FIFA’s rankings. At least the Brazilian press can’t complain it wasn’t entertaining...

Ghana were surprise winners of Group D – ‘the Group of Death’ (human casualties: zero), after beating Germany 1-0 in their final group match. A late goal from curiously old looking Rennes forward Asamoah Gyan was enough to dump the 2002 finalists out of the competition.

More World Cup stuff: Features * Lists * Interviews

FFT.com: Features * News * Interviews * Home
Interact: Twitter * Facebook * Forum

Would triumph make Capello England's greatest?

FourFourTwo Team — Sat, 12 Jun 2010 04:00:00 GMT

If England win the World Cup will Fabio Capello be considered England’s greatest ever manager? We hear both sides of the argument...

Gabriele Marcotti - Author of Capello: Portrait of a Winner

If England win the World Cup they will become the first country to win the tournament with a foreign manager, the first to win a World Cup in Africa and the first European country to win it outside  of their own continent. If you put all those ingredients together – and couple them with the uncertainty surrounding the make-up of the England team – then it would be hard not to consider him the greatest.

The fact is that winning the World Cup in the modern era is a lot harder than it was in ’66. There are more teams involved, there are more professional footballers than ever before and the World Cup is now far more representative.

You could obviously argue that Sir Alf Ramsey achieved so much with England beyond simply winning the World Cup, by reaching the semis of the 1968 European Championships and the quarter-finals of the 1970 World Cup. The counter argument would be that England were at home in 1966 and that a lot of people in Portugal and Germany would probably cast all sorts of shadows over that victory.

Capello is very mindful of his place in history. There was talk of him managing Italy after Marcello Lippi, but he turned it down because if he won the World Cup with Italy in 2010 he would only be equalling his predecessor’s achievement. If he does it with England he can really make history.

Jimmy Armfield - Member of England’s 1966 World Cup squad

There’s absolutely no doubt that Fabio Capello has done a fantastic job since he took over from Steve McClaren, but to consider him the greatest would be premature – he would have to go on and keep achieving.

In the period he has been involved, there’s no one in football who would doubt that he is a manager of the very highest class. He has experience both as a player and a manager in Italy and Spain, and you can’t dispute the fact that England qualified very well for the World Cup, which is something we haven’t always done in the past.

If England do win the World Cup for the first time since ’66, then it would be real achievement because it’s away from home and, of course, you now have to play more matches.

The simple truth is, though, that you can only do what you can at the time and back in ‘66 we were the best team in the tournament, which brought its own pressures.
If win, then perhaps Capello would be viewed as the greatest ever, but I think at this stage he could only be classed alongside Alf [Ramsey] rather than be seen to have surpassed him.

It’s extremely difficult to compare players, teams and managers from different eras and Alf could only do what he had to do – and he did that very well. There was only one Alf Ramsey and English football has never come across anyone like him before or since.

More World Cup stuff: Features * Lists * Interviews

FFT.com: Features * News * Interviews * Home
Interact: Twitter * Facebook * Forum

Group C: England

Jonathan Wilson — Tue, 08 Jun 2010 15:53:00 GMT

With a great manager and strong squad, the Three Lions are two-thirds there – but will they be scythed down by luck?

Three things determine whether a side will be successful at a World Cup: the coach, the squad and circumstance.

England have an A-grade coach in Fabio Capello, and a squad that, with its mix of top-class players and a couple of obvious flaws, can probably be regarded as B+. The two together are enough for optimism; all that remains is for circumstance - injuries, form, refereeing decisions, climate, luck, bedroom shenanigans - to come good.

The climate - the first winter World Cup in which England will have competed for 48 years - should allow them to play at the sort of high tempo that comes naturally, but injuries and form are already reason for concern. The loss of David Beckham (and Michael Owen) was unfortunate, but he would only ever had been a second option; more worrying are the injuries which put question marks over Ashley Cole and Aaron Lennon.

Cole is not merely the country's best left-back, but offers a vital overlapping presence on the wing; Lennon is vital as a source of pace, particularly with Theo Walcott out of the picture. John Terry's mid-season slump and the loss of Rio Ferdinand are a further source of anxiety in an area where England had seemed secure.

Still, if they are fit and firing, and if Wayne Rooney avoids injury, England probably go to South Africa with as good a chance of winning the World Cup as at any time since 1970. Spain and Brazil are better sides, but England are high among the pack of other contenders.

They were hugely impressive in qualifying, winning every game until they were over the line and finishing as top scorers in the European section. The snivellers - of whom there are many, for past disappointment has made cynicism the easiest option where England are concerned - would claim they had an easy path, but it was the only European qualifying group to feature three teams who had played at the previous World Cup; six of the other eight groups only contained one.

Even if Capello has been taken aback by the tabloid obsession with his players' personal lives, he has, by and large, restored discipline after the indulgences of the end of the Sven-Goran Eriksson reign and the stagnation of the Steve McClaren era. Even the players seem to have take up the mood of realism, with Rio Ferdinand admitting they have in the past been "carried away" by the "hype and euphoria".

"The whole circus that followed the England squad last time at the World Cup was a joke, and I wouldn't like to see that again," he said. "It's a distraction and is detrimental to our chances. I love my kids and my missus as much as anybody else, but if it meant me winning the World Cup and not seeing them for four weeks, I'd take that." Would that he had the chance.

Giant steps: Capello shrinks the pitch

Capello had given his side a sense of purpose and tactical rigour, and even seems to have solved the age-old Gerrard-Lampard conundrum by given them clearly defined roles: Frank Lampard as a left-sided holder alongside Gareth Barry, and Steven Gerrard on the left of an attacking midfield trident with licence to cut inside.

Strengths
Rooney is probably the most complete centre-forward in the world, capable of both leading the line and dropping deep or wide to create play, and blessed with the dazzle and the sense of timing to turn games when his side most needs it. He is the key figure in a front six that, if fit, has great balance - as 34 goals in 10 competitive games under Capello suggests.

Weaknesses
The obvious weakness is in goal, where no outstanding candidate has emerged from half a dozen reasonably good ones. Rob Green looks likely to get the nod, but he has had far from an unblemished season.

That is part of a wider concern about the back four, which leaked six goals in 10 qualifiers – not overly troubling, but probably more than they should have conceded given how dominant England at times were. Glen Johnson is yet really to convince at right-back - although England have only the rather reluctant Jamie Carragher as competition - while Ferdinand's absence continues Capello's search for a regular, reliable centre-back pairing.

Then there is the issue of centre-forward and the ongoing Emile Heskey debate. He is a brave, selfless player who creates space for others and Rooney, in particular, seems to relish playing with him, but the fear always lurks that if a chance fell to him at a vital moment, he is as likely to hit the corner-flag as the back of the net. His attributes probably outweigh his flaws, but he is a scapegoat waiting to happen.

Interesting fact
Proportionally, England have drawn more games at World Cup finals than any other side to have reached four or more tournaments.

The Coach: Fabio Capello
A record of nine titles in 14 years with four different clubs across two countries tells its own story. More than that, Capello has done it in a variety of styles - under-defensive with AC Milan in 1993-94, joyously attacking with Roma in 2000-01. He is the arch-pragmatist, a brilliant leader adept at getting the best out of the players he has available.

Key Player: Wayne Rooney
He threatened to lead England to glory at Euro 2004 before a broken metatarsal intervened, and the same injury restricted him at the 2006; this, hopefully, will be his first fully-fit major tournament. If he can reproduce his Manchester United form, it gives England a great chance.

Probable Team (4-2-3-1): Green; Johnson, King, Terry, A Cole; Barry, Lampard; Lennon, Rooney, Gerrard; Heskey

World Cup Talentspotter: More details on the players
Q&A: FFT interviews a player from every nation

Fixtures
USA, June 12, 7.30pm, Rustenburg
Algeria, June 18, 7.30pm, Cape Town
Slovenia, June 23, 3pm, Nelson Mandela Bay

Qualified Top in UEFA Group 6
Andorra (A) 2-0
Croatia (A) 4-1
Kazakhstan (H) 5-1
Belarus (A) 3-1
Ukraine (H) 2-1
Kazakhstan (A) 4-0
Andorra (H) 6-0
Croatia (H) 5-1
Ukraine (A) 0-1
Belarus (H) 3-0

World Cup record
1950 1st Round
1954 Quarter-final
1958 1st Round
1962 Quarter-final
1966 Winners
1970 Quarter-final
1982 Second Round
1986 Quarter-final
1990 Semi-final
1998 Second Round
2002 Quarter-final
2006 Quarter-final

More World Cup stuff: Features * Lists * Interviews

FFT.com: Features * News * Interviews * Home
Interact: Twitter * Facebook * Forum

Sir Les: Capello to chop Dawson, Huddlestone & Bent

James Maw — Mon, 24 May 2010 10:19:00 GMT

Ledley King is a better option in the centre of England's midfield than Gareth Barry or Michael Carrick, while the 'unadaptable' Darren Bent should be spending the summer on the beach, according to Les Ferdinand.

FourFourTwo caught up with the former the former Newcastle, Tottenham, QPR and England striker at a West London watering hole last week aiming to pick his brain with regards to some of the selection dilemmas still facing Don Fabio.

With little over a week to go before the Italian picks the seven members of his 30-man squad who will be sent home from the party early without so much as a goody bag or a slice of Ben 10 cake, there are still big decisions to be made.

Happily several of those quandaries involve the very same players he works with on a part time basis as a Harry Redknapp’s striker ‘consultant’ at Tottenham Hotspur, making Sir Les a pretty good authority on some of the key selection battles ahead.

Sir Les fancied a drink, so left the helicopter at home

Whereas once the order of England's centrebacks had appeared set in stone, a combination of poor form (Matthew Upson) and injuries (Rio Ferdinand) have lead to Jamie Carragher and Ledley King both returning to the fore at the last, with Michael Dawson – astonishingly perhaps the most in-form of the bunch – making up Capello’s quota.

Spurs skipper Ledley King’s ongoing knee complaint has restricted him to just 20 appearances for the White Hart Lane club this season, and has led some to speculate that he may be one of the not-so-magnificent seven to be cut. But Les is adamant King will be part of Capello’s plans, unless there is a sudden and substantial deterioration in his condition over the next seven days.

“The only way Ledley doesn’t go is if he breaks down,” Ferdinand insists. “There’s two friendlies coming up and if he comes through them and is still fit then he will go. Anybody that knows football and knows defenders will tell you that Ledley is one of the best defenders we’ve got in this country.

DEFENSIVE DILEMMA

“Capello might not be thinking about him playing every game, but what he’s proven this season is that he is capable of coming into a team without having played much football in the run up to a game and perform brilliantly straight away –that’s an asset to a manager and it’s something the England coaches will certainly look on favourably.”

But while Ferdinand is confident in King’s chances, he doesn’t share the same optimism for some of Tottenham's other stars.

“I tend to believe that boys that haven’t been in the squad regularly through the qualifying campaign, like Michael Dawson and Tom Huddlestone, are the ones you fear for most as far as not making the final squad is concerned,” he explained.

Will Dawson and Huddlestone still be celebrating on 1 June?

This newfound defensive dliemma has eclipsed the previous hot topic – which strikers will be left at home, and which will spend 10 hours sat alongside Wayne Rooney eating peanuts and watching awful Nicolas Cage movies.

The Italian has left himself with four options, five if you include the possibility of a lone role for Rooney.

There's Emile Heskey – a proven foil for the Manchester United striker, but one who has scored just three Premier League goals this season; Peter Crouch – a regular goal scorer at international level, but unable to nail down a regular starting berth at club level; Jermain Defoe – a player who has enjoyed his best ever Premier League season, but has yet to shown any tangible sign of forging a threatening partnership with Rooney; and Darren Bent – the Premier League’s top English goal scorer, but one still largely untried at international level.

STRIKER POSER

Ferdinand believes that Peter Crouch’s international record will see him selected, despite the former Liverpool and Portsmouth striker starting just five of Spurs’ last 13 Premier League matches.

“Peter showed [for Spurs] against Manchester City that he’s got all the ability in the world when it comes to holding the ball up and bringing others into play, and when you look at his goals to games ratio for England, it’s very impressive, I don’t care who you’re playing against, you’ve still got to put the ball in the net – Peter’s done that and for that reason I feel he’s a definite to go.”

Much like Crouch, Emile Heskey is expected to travel with England despite hardly setting the world alight at club level. While the quality of Heskey’s performances in the white of England over the past 18 months cannot be doubted, the same cannot be said of those in claret and blue. Indeed, the Aston Villa front man finished 2009/10 as the 27th highest scoring English player, behind such prolific marksmen as Ashley Cole, Gary Cahill and Jody Craddock.

"I'll score some goals when I've found my bloomin' contact lens..."

Yet Les doesn’t see goals as the beginning and end of a good striker’s work: “Your goal record is obviously something you’re judged on as a striker, but there are other aspects to the game which are just as important and help the team.

“If you’ve got somebody like Emile Heskey up front, you know you can play a long ball to him and it won’t be coming straight back because he’s got the strength and presence to keep the ball, and the rest of the team will get a chance to catch their breath and re-group.

“Both Rooney and Michael Owen before him have played their best football for England alongside Emile Heskey –he’ll go and toil, battle, fight, win the flick-ons and bring the other players into the game, and this is just as important as goals sometimes.”

With that in mind, what of two strikers generally considered to be purely goal scorers – Jermain Defoe and Darren Bent?

INCREASING AWARENESS

Both have also found success in front of goal this season, with Defoe scoring 24 goals in 41 matches this season, and Bent faring even better with 25 in 40. But Defoe has shown an increasing awareness of play outside the box.

“It’s something we’ve been speaking to him about” Les explains, “he’s always shown great sharpness and awareness around the box, but what we’ve said is that the application needs to be the same when he’s in a deep position as it is when he’s near the goal – I don’t think you can get into the England side on goals alone, even as a striker.

“It might sound harsh, because he’s had an incredible season in terms of goal-scoring, but does Darren Bent possess some of the assets that Jermain Defoe does? I’m not quite sure. You have to play a certain way with Darren Bent in the team, whereas Jermain is possibly a little bit more flexible.

“Obviously it’s important to take players that are in form, but you’ve also got to find the players that blend together correctly, and although he’s scored a lot of goals and had a tremendous season, you can only play one way with Darren Bent – he’ll play on the shoulder of the last man and looks to get in behind, and England don’t play that way. My expectation is that Capello will take the four ‘regulars’ – Rooney, Crouch, Defoe and Heskey.”

"Hush your mouth, Ferdinand!"

For Michael Dawson, Tom Huddlestone and Darren Bent not to make the final cut wouldn’t be such a shock, but Ferdinand believes Fabio Capello could yet have a surprise up his sleeve.

“You’ve got Michael Carrick and Gareth Barry vying for that deep midfield role, but there’s also Ledley King – who with the greatest of respect could probably do it better than the other two if you want a real defensive midfield player."

King has not played regularly in midfield for Tottenham since 2003/04, so for him to play there now would perhaps be the biggest selection bombshell of all.

With just eight days to go before Capello must name his final squad, it still seems there are more questions than answers. Who would be England manager, eh?

Well, perhaps one day, Les Ferdinand.

“Getting into management has always been something I’ve talked about” Ferdinand explains. “I couldn’t see myself being the type to chuck teacups about though. They’re all plastic now anyway, so it wouldn’t have quite the same effect!”

NEWS: Ferdinand: Spurs can compete in Champions League

FFT.com: Features * News * Interviews * Home
Interact: Twitter * Facebook * Forum

We spoke to Les Ferdinand over a pint of Greene King IPA. The Official Beer of England Rugby will be supporting the football boys in South Africa this summer. Get behind the team with a pint of Greene King IPA – the taste of England