Regularly we have been told over the last 10 years that England have had the players available to succeed on the international stage, but when the time comes, they have failed to achieve what they should have, and let themselves down.
We have also been told that the players we've had over that period are actually very over rated and did not in fact have what it takes to achieve the success that we expected from them and that it was never realistic to expect these players to perform on the world stage.
I have looked at the players picked for the world cup in South Africa 4 years ago, looked also at some household name players who were unavailable or not selected for whatever reason at the time, and come up with a team in 5 minutes, with the ages of the players listed at the side, that I believe was the strongest, most balanced 11 at the time. The reason I have chosen to work from 2010 is because that is the tournament that many see as the final showing from the "golden generation", and that that group of footballers was collectively on the decline by this point. My question is does the team have all the requirements, and the quality, needed to challenge the best of the best at the time, or do the players, individually and collectively, fall short?
David James - 39
Glen Johnson - 25
Rio Ferdinand - 31
John Terry - 29
Ashley Cole - 29
Theo Walcott - 21
Frank Lampard - 31
Michael Carrick - 28
Ashley Young - 25
Steven Gerrard - 30
Wayne Rooney - 24
Now that the team is chosen, I will choose the formation. I would play them in a modern 4-2-3-1, as it suits international football and was emerging at the time, with teams such as Germany, Holland, the eventual winners Spain, Brazil and Italy all using this formation during the 2010 world cup. I also feel that it suits the players I have chosen and would bring the best out of them.
--------------James-------------
Glen -- Ferd. - Terry -- Cole
------Lampard - Carrick------
Walcott -- Gerrard -- Young
-------------Rooney-------------
The first thing that strikes me about that team is that it's spine is extremely strong, but perhaps lacking a ball winning midfielder with mobility.
James
(RB) - Ferdinand Terry - (LB)
Lampard Carrick
(RW) - Gerrard - (LW)
Rooney
Of the 6 outfield players, only 2 were in their 30's, and both were a mere 31, so while age is not at all a major hindering factor, experience is there in abundance. Each of these 6 players was at the time undoubtedly world class, and a pier to any player in the world in their position. There are also multiple partnerships in the above set up in which we have seen great chemistry from in the past. Lampard and Carrick are both produced from the same academy and know each others games inside out having grown together playing in the same midfield as youngsters, as is Rio Ferdinand who has great understanding with Carrick at club level with Manchester United. Ferdinand and Terry have also been shown to be a top drawer center-back pairing, and can not be questioned in terms of quality. Terry also has ultimate understanding with my chosen left-back, Ashley Cole because again of their domestic club. Gerrard and Rooney have both stated at this point that they enjoy playing with each other, and Gerrard has played the best football of his career in a second strikers role, not as a withdrawn central midfielder. David James the goalkeeper is a very talented player who has huge amounts of experience and is very probably in the top 10 goalkeepers to play in English football over the last 25 years.
My only 2 issues with the spine of this team are that there is no aggressive, tenacious ball winner, and that it may lack pace. I do not this it's slow however, as even though Carrick and Terry have always been sluggish, Ferdinand was still fairly quick, though not as fast as he once was at this point, Lampard was neither slow or fast and Gerrard and Rooney were both quick players without being rapid. The wingers and fullbacks of the team though, Johnson, Walcott, Cole and Young, are greased lightning.
Johnson - (CB) - (CB) - Cole
(CM) - (CM)
Walcott - (AM/SS) - Young
(FW)
In terms of going forward and hurting the opposition, I think these four players are excellent. Pace and movement in abundance from the 2 wingers to open up the field for the central players to work in. Energy and great work rates from the overlapping fullbacks and the potential for approach change with Walcott joining Rooney up front and Young to tuck in behind allowing the team to congest and block up the midfield, with is so crucial in tight international games
------------James------------
--------Ferd. - Terry--------
Glen ---- Carrick ---- Cole
----Lampard - Gerrard----
------------Young------------
-----Walcott - Rooney-----
Continued in post.....
England didn't have the players in 2010?
posted on 26/5/14
I do feel that it is in these wide areas where the team is weaker, Ashley Young for example is a good player who at this time was probably playing the best football of his career to date, but has never been anything special at this level. Capable, but that's all. Walcott is a dangerous player at this point who can be devastating or anonymous. While he garners praise from people like Sir Alex Ferguson, Leonel Messi and Danielle De Rossi during the 2009/2010 season before the world cup, he also went missing in far too many games, made poor decisions and was painfully inconsistent to the point of not being selected by then coach Fabio Capello for the finals at all. Hindsight is a wonderful thing though, and Walcott was certainly deserving of his place in my 11 using that great benefit. As for the fullbacks, Cole was the total package, and unrivaled in his position for England at this point, while being one of if not the best left backs in football. On the other side, Glen Johnson was a very good attacking player, but did lack positional sense and defensive ability, which he is still questioned on to this day, though is much improved on.
To summarize, I feel that with the above 11 supplemented by hardworking grafters who chase, harry and close down opposition, James Milner springs to mind in place of Lampard, the oldest and least defensively able of the central spine of the team,
(RB) - Ferd. - Terry - (LB)
--------Milner - Carrick--------
(RW)-----Gerrard-----(LW)
------------Rooney------------
to break up play and add energy and bite to the team when required, I see little reason as to why this team of players was unable to galvanize and deliver during 2010. Especially so when you consider they could be backed up by players like Joe Hart, Ledley King, Jamie Carragher, Jermaine Defoe, Leighton Baines, Aaron Lennon and others who could all have been important squad members in a tournament.
All in all, as easy as it is to paint a picture of the players and squad never being good enough, I honestly believe it could have been, and find it very disappointing that, for whatever reasons, it just wasn't.
posted on 26/5/14
Rio missed it in 2010 and the inept Matt Upson stepped in - largely to blame for the defeat to Germany IMO.
posted on 26/5/14
2006 was an infinitely stronger team with most of the "golden generation" at the peak of their powers:
Robinson 26
Neville 31 Ferdinand 27 Terry 25 Cole 25
Beckham 31 Lampard 27 Gerrard 26 Cole 24
Rooney 20 Owen 26
Plus the likes of Campbell and Hargreaves.
Player for player, that must have been one of the top sides in the world at the time...but we probably suffered from tactical naivety, the insistence on playing Lampard and Gerrard together, and maybe a lack of pace out wide with Cole and Becks.
posted on 26/5/14
comment by Wings Fan (U17875)
posted 4 minutes ago
2006 was an infinitely stronger team with most of the "golden generation" at the peak of their powers:
Robinson 26
Neville 31 Ferdinand 27 Terry 25 Cole 25
Beckham 31 Lampard 27 Gerrard 26 Cole 24
Rooney 20 Owen 26
Plus the likes of Campbell and Hargreaves.
Player for player, that must have been one of the top sides in the world at the time...but we probably suffered from tactical naivety, the insistence on playing Lampard and Gerrard together, and maybe a lack of pace out wide with Cole and Becks.
----------------------------------------------------------------------
I agree that it was one of the strongest teams in world football at the time, though I would have picked Campbell (31) ahead of John Terry (25) certainly.
Honestly, (and perhaps controversially) I think the 2010 England team of,
James 39
Johnson 25 - Ferdinand 31 - Terry 29 - Cole 29
Lampard 31 - Carrick 28
Walcott 21 - Gerrard 30 - Young 25
Rooney24
is stronger than,
Robinson 26
Neville 31 - Ferdinand 27 - Campbell 31 - Cole 25
Beckham 31 - Lampard 27 - Gerrard 26 - Cole 24
Rooney 20 - Owen 26
without THAT much in it, but definitely stronger by an amount.
posted on 26/5/14
Tbh the fact that SWP went over Theo tells you everything you need to know about the last WC squad.
Heskey went ffs.
posted on 26/5/14
Key differences are that 2006 has Michael Owen, who was really beginning to break down at that point, in spite of him being a tremendous striker VS an experienced and almost peak Gerrard playing as part of a non-conventional front 2. The introduction of Carrick as an orchestra-tor in the midfield and more dimension in the play as opposed to the flat midfield 4 being employed by England at the time, mainly due to Beckham's brilliance in his wide right role. I feel the 2010 side has a much more rounded and prepared feel to it than the more star studded but imbalanced 2006 model.
Basically, even though,
Neville > Johnson
Beckham > Walcott
Campbell (31) = Terry (29)
J.Cole = Young
and Owen and Carrick not being comparable, I think the TEAM you could build in 2010 if certainly superior. Better goalkeeper in 2010 comfortably also.
posted on 27/5/14
Tbh the fact that SWP went over Theo tells you everything you need to know about the last WC squad.
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Walcott not going was well deserved. Capello was DESPERATE for Walcott to go and selected him in several internationals to prove himself but his form was utterly shocking and he gave Capello no choice.
posted on 27/5/14
The options in 2006 were far superior to those in 2010, unfortunately we had Sven in charge.
In hindsight, this would have been a great side.
---------Robinson
Nev Rio Terry Cole
-----------Hargreaves
--------Gerrard---Scholes
Beckham----------------Cole
--------------Rooney
That's a bloody good side.
posted on 27/5/14
There was a BBC programme the other day picking the worst England internationals of all time and Gerrard and Lampard both got a mention for their mistakes (Gerrard) and lack of competition goals (Lampard). Then it showed how much better Scholes was for England from midfield for goals and assists at competitions.