So, You're The England Manager...

[Dave]

Who would you starting 11 be?

AT this time, the England squad for the World Cup is looking quite depleted and some of the names that many would expect and like to see, will not be competing. That being said, England still have a chance of being very competitive in South Africa. I suspect that only a few teams like Brazil, Argentina and Spain will have as good a team as England will. So with that in mind, who would you choose to fill your starting 11 for the World Cup. Please only list players that are eligible to play at the time of writing. There is no point listing David Beckham because he simply wont be there. So here is mine:

Joe Hart

Glen Johnson... Michael Dawson... Rio Ferdinand... Leighton Baines

Michael Carrick... Steven Gerrard

Theo Walcott... James Milner... Frank Lampard

Wayne Rooney​

For me, England are not in as bad a shape as people would like to make out. I really like Joe Hart as a keeper and I fully expect him to be the player who hits the sticks in the World Cup. He doesn't really have the experience as Robert Green does but should get the nod. Across the back, I like the look of the back line. Sure, it is not as solid as you might want and Terry could slot in if he weren't going through some heavy shit. I am still happy with the pace that is in the line up and Baines and Johnson could be really effective if, again, inexperienced.

I would also play both Gerrard and Carrick. I think Carrick is a brilliant player and has been really unlucky with injuries through the last couple of seasons. That being said, he is coming onto a game now and I would really like to see him in Africa. Walcott is a gamble for this World Cup. like he was the last but he does deserve to go. He is the best right mid England have at the moment and I would take him over Lennon every day. Wright Phillips is better than Lennon, in my opinion.

There really is no need to explain why I would put Rooney up front. Half-injured, he is still a better striker than the rest of them (with the exception of Crouchy, of course).

But who would you pick?

 

[podegarudo]

for me, i would go with the following team

-----------------------Joe Hart
Glen Johnson----Rio Ferdinand----John Terry----Ashley Cole
------------Gareth Barry-----James Milner
Aaron Lennon-----Frank Lampard-----Steven Gerrard
--------------------Wayne Rooney

ill go through each individual player and explain my choice

Joe Hart - Been top class for birmingham this season, more consistent than any of our other choices, and deserves it based on this season

Glen Johnson - when fit, he has been a top player for us (liverpool), giving us another dimension going forward

Rio - If hes fully fit, he walks into this team, if hes not fully fit, then id play King or Carra

Terry - off the field hes had a bad year, but on the pitch, hes been very good

Ashley Cole - Hes back to full fitness and is still the best LB we have (and 1 of the top 5 in the world)

Gareth Barry - Looks to be out for about a month, so may miss the first couple of games, at which point id play carrick, but once he gets back to full fitness, he goes straight in, he provides the bite in midfield which carrick and milner cant give

James Milner - Hes been in good form for villa, and i would play him as the sort of deep lying playmaker with license to go forward

Aaron Lennon - Becks doesnt have the legs, walcott has had a very poor season, lennon has been in good form and deserves the starting berth

Lampard - 20 goals from midfield speaks for itself, a certain starter

Gerrard - Had a poor season by his standards, but more recently has been playing better and guarentees his starting place

Rooney - At the start of the season there were doubts he would be able to play the lone role, but has smashed those doubts away and produced his best season by far

 

[The Todd]

Joe Hart​

For a start Joe Hart is the best England goalkeeper by a country mile, but Fabio Capello has said he won't start with him as he lacks experience. He has a good point. Remember Scott Carson against Croatia? He was the form 'keeper and had a 'mare. Due to that I'd go with David James. Rob Green is simply not good enough.

Glen Johnson... Michael Dawson... Rio Ferdinand... Leighton Baines

No way will John Terry and Ashley Cole be dropped. Terry may not have been on top form but he's still a starter. Cole is one of the two best left-backs in the world and will definitely start no matter what. Johnson is shit, but he'll still play, even with Gary Neville's recent good form. Dawson and Baines will be in the squad, but won't start. Ledley King is a starter before Dawson for me.

Michael Carrick... Steven Gerrard

Carrick? He's shit. I've seen pretty much every Man United game this year and his form has gone. Ever since Xavi annihilated him in Rome last year he hasn't been the same player. He should be no where near the starting line-up. Barry is shit but is better than Carrick.If only Hargreaves was fully fit. Gerrard will play tucked in on the left, not in the middle. Lampard will play there.

Personally, I'd beg and beg and beg Paul Scholes to come out of retirement. He has played in the holding role for United lately and controlled a game against the supremely talented Luka Modric. He would be better than Barry in the 'Quarterback' role.

That won't happen, though, so the best line-up is the standard:

James

Johnson Ferdinand Terry Cole

Lennon Barry Lampard Gerrard

Rooney Heskey/Crouch​

Good enough for another spectacular defeat in the quarter-finals.​

 

[Brilliant Human Being]

If I was the England manager, I would be hugely tempted to use the same 4-3-3/4-5-1 formation that Man. United and Arsenal use. Why? For these reasons:

1. It fits around Rooney.
There seems to be this assumption that Rooney cannot play well for England without Emile Heskey, or for United without a partner. However, the 4-3-3 formation that United seem to use for the big games suits Rooney down to the ground; and as, in my opinion, Rooney is the best player England have, and quite frankly it makes sense to build the team around him.

2. England have the players to deal with it.
The main reason this system works so well for United and Arsenal, as well as other teams around the world, is that on the wings, they have players on the wings able to deal with the going forward and tracking back, something that England have in abundance as well, as we could field Lennon or Walcott on the right, and Adam Johnson or James Milner on the left, neither of whom are lacking in pace, the right wingers especially.

3. Steven Gerrard.
The Gerrard conundrum. As Capello is seemingly hell-bent on playing Gerrard inside left, which as everyone knows is not his strongest position, this sytem would enable him and Frank Lampard to have the midfield, along with an enforcer to sit back while they go forward (makes you wish Hargreaves was fit). In the friendly against Egypt, we saw Gerrard's reluctance to pick the ball up on the left wing, which left Rooney having to go over there to pick the ball up. I believe, with the 4-3-3 while attacking and the 4-5-1 while defending, we would see a far happier Gerrard.

The system also makes sense due to our lack of a world-class second striker. Sure, Defoe and Bent are good goalscorers, but are nowhere near the smae level as Rooney is at the moment. With that being said, the 4-4-2 could be deployed as the opposition are tiring, then introducing the pace of Defoe. So after that, here is the team I would pick for the first game of the World Cup:

-----------------Hart--------------------
--G.Johnson--Terry--Ferdinand--A.Cole---
-------Parker---Gerrard----Lampard------
-----Lennon----Rooney-----Milner-------