The Final Countdown

The countdown is nearly over and the days of idle speculation will soon be behind us. The last ten days have certainly given everyone much to ponder upon though and it just wouldn’t be a World Cup if there were not one or two twists in the tale.
Firstly there is the matter of Capello’s squad selection and the farcical way in which it was announced. For me the squad selection held nothing that was of any great surprise. Of course the main subject on everybody’s lips was the omission of Theo Walcott which was perceived as unexpected by some. I however do not understand how a player who has not played well or has ever really consistently performed is expected to be in an England World Cup Squad. I for one was happy at Walcott’s absence and such a commonsensical decision is a far cry from Sven’s inclusion of Walcott four years previous, I feel we are in safer hands than ever before.
Obviously there is probably an argument for each of the other six players who missed out that they are a touch unlucky. Bent and his supporters must wonder what else he could possibly do to get the nod, but the truth is at international level he will always come up a fraction short. Scott Parker is an outstanding professional whose work effort is second to none, but it has been argued, I believe correctly, his aggressive style may not suit the World Cup arena. Tom Huddlestone must have thought he had a chance after some limp performances from Michael Carrick this season, but Capello once again plumped for experience. The same must be said of Upson’s selection over Michael Dawson, going strictly on form you would have to say Dawson should get the nod. Lastly Leighton Baines dug his own grave to a certain extent with subpar performances in the friendlys followed by airing his homesickness anxiety to the press.
The general theme of those close calls is experience has been given priority by Mr Capello and its hard to argue with the rationale. Ultimately though, whether we win the World Cup or not will not hinge upon these tough decisions the manager had to make. The main heart of the team picks itself and keeping these players fit and working together in a system that suits the opposition we are up against will provide the key to our success. Yes the squad has a good depth to it, but any more injuries to key players will be felt much harder than the recent loss of our captain.
That brings me nicely on to the big news of the week, the loss of Rio Ferdinand and the drafting in of Michael Dawson to replace him. At first this news came as a real shock and my initial reaction was that our World Cup hopes had been dealt a severe blow. One thing is certain, losing your captain a week before a major tournament is far from ideal preparation and a big worry is how it could potentially unsettle other players. Looking at the practical problem Rio’s injury throws up it certainly could have been a lot worse. In Ledley King we have a top draw replacement who has always distinguished himself when he has pulled on the three lions in the past. His knees are a worry, but it is a problem King has learnt to manage so we must put our faith in England’s physio and coaching staff that he can come through unscathed. There is also the fact we have lost our captain, but let’s be honest, John Terry may not wear the armband any more but when that whistle blows he does not need an armband to marshal and inspire his troops. Doubtless losing Rio is a blow but when looked at in the proper perspective I don’t think we are really that much worse off. It has left us on a bit of a knife edge however and as I mentioned before if any more of our high profile names suffer injuries the consequences will be far graver.