Yes: Lorenzo Wong (LW)
No: Jonathan Barrow (JB)
JB:
Oh Roy, you’ve picked a squad filled with pipsqueaks! In the 2010 World Cup, Capello gives Matthew “My back hurts so I can’t get up” Upson the nod at retirement age, and now we have Hodgson doing the complete opposite by giving debutante defenders the chance to embarrass themselves on the world stage. In what world can Smalling replace Ferdy, and Luke Shaw fill in for Adulterous Cole?! This is the group stages, not a poxy qualifier against Kazakhstan! When the England crèche is thrown in the deep end against the likes of Uruguay and Italy they won’t stand a chance.
The attacking options chosen are all wrong! Both Welbeck and Sturridge?! Two identical strikers, same style of football and the same haircut! Take one, Hodgson, but not both – by the way, Sturridge plays much better on FIFA than Welbeck does, making him the obvious choice. Andy Carroll has come on leaps and bounds since he joined West Ham, deserving a place on the plane. Also the wide players picked (well done Hodgson) will provide magnificent service, Lallana is a diligent crosser and Sterling is the same – we’ll need a big lad to get his head on the ball, so Caroll in!
Defoe is not your foe, Hodgy, he’s your friend! Take out Meathead Milner and add Jermaine to the fray, hopefully he and Carroll can form a partnership to replicate that of Crouch and Foe when they played together. The World Cup is about national pride, we cannot simply ignore the fact that anyone in England who has ever kicked a ball will be living vicariously through this England squad at the forthcoming World Cup. Pick a team that will do England proud. Club football is for development; national football is where we need home-grown class to be prevalent.
LW:
Let’s get one thing straight – England have no chance this year. We won’t even make it past the groups. The focus must be on Russia 2018, so there’s no point taking a group of thirty-somethings who’ll be alongside Adrian Chiles by then. But Brazil 2014 will give these youngsters vital experience on a big stage which they can build upon.
Even then, the squad is strong, particularly up front. In Rooney and Sturridge, England have natural finishers, with Lambert and Welbeck offering much needed versatility and attacking diversity. The chemistry is good too, with midfielders Lallana and Sterling at the same clubs as Lambert and Sturridge respectively.
There’s no pressure this year. The fact that only six of the players have been to a World Cup is refreshing and represents Hodgson’s positive twist on what could have been a grim reality check. I can see us losing with dignity, and gaining much needed experience for the future, and believe me, that’s an improvement on the 2010 catastrophe.