Your 23 man squad for the WC

[Hoop Blah]

It's worrying how many of out team fail the criteria that Capello originally set, but it just goes to show that class does tell and that there isn't a great deal to choose from.

He probably shouldn't have made a rod for his own back with the comments in the first place really.

[The Surgeon of Crowthorne]

I was a bit surprised to see how many posters thought that Joe Cole (totally right-footed)should be in the starting eleven playing on the left

Cos he is right footed, he'll cut in more which'll leave more space for Ashley Cole to get forward and do what he does best. If you have a out and out winger there then A.Cole is restricted in what he does.

What gets my goat about J. Cole is how often he fails to use the overlapping full back when the above has happened. More often than not, J Cole will just carry the ball forward himself and completely ignore the full back.

[PlasticRoyale]

It's worrying how many of out team fail the criteria that Capello originally set, but it just goes to show that class does tell and that there isn't a great deal to choose from.

He probably shouldn't have made a rod for his own back with the comments in the first place really.

quote taken out of context - he was talking about Michael Owen

[Hoop Blah]

So his rule on being fit, in form and playing was only about just one player and not the rest?

Pretty sure I've seen him say the same about the squad and his approach in general since Owen was being discussed.

[PlasticRoyale]

So his rule on being fit, in form and playing was only about just one player and not the rest?

Pretty sure I've seen him say the same about the squad and his approach in general since Owen was being discussed.

I don't think it was a definitive rule

[Silver Fox]

Clearly

[Hoop Blah]

So his rule on being fit, in form and playing was only about just one player and not the rest?

Pretty sure I've seen him say the same about the squad and his approach in general since Owen was being discussed.

I don't think it was a definitive rule

So he was misquoted? Or was it just a passing comment and not a rule, even though he passed it off as a rule?

You seem a little confused.

I don't have a real problem with him not applying it because I think you have to largely pick the best players and have consistency in selection in order to build a team.

As I originally said though, he created a bit of a rod for his own back by making the statement in the first place, but he's ended up with pretty much the best squad available to him.

[Royal Rother]

The fact that Gerrard and Lampard don't always perform well for England is irrelevant-the others don't either and we know that on good days these two can be up amongst the best in the world...

Hmm, neither would ever have got close to a World 1st 11 -v- World 2nd 11 imo. David Beckham, for a year or 2, just might have though.

[Ian Royal]

Just assuming for a second that Gerrard and Lampard are our two best players... which they aren't, that is not reason to play them both in a central midfield pairing.

Football is a team game, where so often teams that perform the best are greater than the sum of their parts. Well, any team with Gerrard and Lampard as a pairing is weaker than the sum of its parts.

They do the same job, albeit slightly differently, have similar strengths and similar weaknesses. I'd argue it is also no good playing someone who is brilliant, and asking them to do a job that isn't what they are brilliant at, in fact asking them to do something they are poor at.

It's this idiotic approach to picking the names and crowbaring them into a formation and team which results in poor performances. Not picking less able players but having a coherant system of play with everyone working together in harmony.

[Compo's Hat]

Big send off then.

[RG30]

My starting 11 for US game:

James

Johnson
A Cole
Ferdinand
Terry

Lennon
Milner
Gerrard
Lampard

Rooney
Heskey

Bit dissapointed we didn't take Scott Parker and Walcott. I would also have put Paul Robinson ahead of Joe Hart.

[Hoop Blah]

Bit dissapointed we didn't take Scott Parker and Walcott. I would also have put Paul Robinson ahead of Joe Hart.

Who would you have left behind? Carrick and SWP I guess?

[BR2]

Just assuming for a second that Gerrard and Lampard are our two best players... which they aren't, that is not reason to play them both in a central midfield pairing.

Football is a team game, where so often teams that perform the best are greater than the sum of their parts. Well, any team with Gerrard and Lampard as a pairing is weaker than the sum of its parts.

They do the same job, albeit slightly differently, have similar strengths and similar weaknesses. I'd argue it is also no good playing someone who is brilliant, and asking them to do a job that isn't what they are brilliant at, in fact asking them to do something they are poor at.

It's this idiotic approach to picking the names and crowbaring them into a formation and team which results in poor performances. Not picking less able players but having a coherant system of play with everyone working together in harmony.

I partly agree with you Ian in that for example I prefer a specialist left-footed left-back who might not be quite as good as a top right-footed player who is asked to play on the left.
Likewise I don't like the right-footed Joe Cole always cutting inside because it just causes over-crowding in midfield especially if the ill-disciplined Rooney drops deeper.
As for Gerrard and Lampard,top players can play almost anywhere (the Dutch model?) and because these two are top players I think they are well able to play pretty much anywhere in midfield or off the striker.
We won't win anything with playing moderates like Milner or Carrick and it shouldn't be beyond a top coach like Capello to get the best out of our two top players in Lampard and Gerrard.

[Whore Jackie]

WC squad numbers:

1 David James; 2 Glen Johnson; 3 Ashley Cole; 4 Steven Gerrard; 5 Rio Ferdinand; 6 John Terry; 7 Aaron Lennon; 8 Frank Lampard; 9 Peter Crouch; 10 Wayne Rooney; 11 Joe Cole; 12 Robert Green; 13 Stephen Warnock; 14 Gareth Barry; 15 Matthew Upson; 16 James Milner; 17 Shaun Wright-Phillips; 18 Jamie Carragher; 19 Jermain Defoe; 20 Ledley King; 21 Emile Heskey; 22 Michael Carrick; 23 Joe Hart.

Wouldn't be surprised if 1-11 start the US match.

[Handsome Man]

WC squad numbers:

1 David James; 2 Glen Johnson; 3 Ashley Cole; 4 Steven Gerrard; 5 Rio Ferdinand; 6 John Terry; 7 Aaron Lennon; 8 Frank Lampard; 9 Peter Crouch; 10 Wayne Rooney; 11 Joe Cole; 12 Robert Green; 13 Stephen Warnock; 14 Gareth Barry; 15 Matthew Upson; 16 James Milner; 17 Shaun Wright-Phillips; 18 Jamie Carragher; 19 Jermain Defoe; 20 Ledley King; 21 Emile Heskey; 22 Michael Carrick; 23 Joe Hart.

Wouldn't be surprised if 1-11 start the US match.

It's bad news isn't it.
If he meant to start Hart or Green they would have been number 1.

[Silver Fox]

You seem confused, James starting is a good thing

[Alan Partridge]

Delighted it looks like Fabio has chosen James for the keepers spot. He's the best of the 3 for me. It's too early for Joe Hart who after this World Cup I expect him to go on and be the goalkeeper and as for Rob Green he should only ever be a backup keeper.

[Wax Jacket]

Delighted it looks like Fabio has chosen James for the keepers spot. He's the best of the 3 for me. It's too early for Joe Hart who after this World Cup I expect him to go on and be the goalkeeper and as for Rob Green he should only ever be a backup keeper.

with you there AP. would've been stupid not to take Hart as he should be our keeper for the next ten years. Green a decent back-up, no more.

[cmonurz]

NoROFLth KoROFLea

http://uk.eurosport.yahoo.com/blogs/wor ... icle/5269/

Kim Jong has an outfield player as his 3rd choice keeper after North Korea decided they only needed two keepers in their squad, opting for additional outfield backup. Unfortunately FIFA regulations say you have to choose three keepers, so the chosen player can only play if he goes in goal.