Euro 2012: Qualified but Mentally Defeated

After securing qualification in a heated Montenegro last week, you’d think us England fans would be delighted. Wayne Rooney again took the headlines from a spirited first-half performance. His petulance and quite frankly immaturity were all to be seen, but the signs were they’re beforehand Fabio, weren’t they?

The sudden reality of losing our star player as well as seeing the opponents in front of us have given England a reality check. The days of expecting to win every game and whitewash the opposition is no more. I think the best club comparison is Newcastle. The fans are fantastic; the players have ability but can’t produce on the big stage. The expectation is huge but with no chemistry, they can’t deliever.

Moving on from a dreary introduction, how can we line-up without the talisman that is Wayne Rooney? Is a quarter-final penalty shootout heartbreak a success story this time? Time will tell. Building for Rio 2014 should also be prominent in Fabio’s mind. What better time to introduce the likes of Cleverley, Jones, Wilshere and Smalling into tournament football.

Starting off with the goalkeeper, is there anyone else than Joe Hart? I wouldn’t say Joe is a great keeper, I’d say he is very over-rated but in terms of England goalkeepers, he has the potential to be one of the best ever. I’m sure David Stockdale will get his annual England call-up for a holiday abroad and hopefully Ben Foster will renter the England fray.

Moving onto right-back where competition is stiff. A Manchester United legend in Gary Neville used to patrol the right-back slot and safe to say another United player will take over. Chris Smalling and Phil Jones are both firm favourites to take over. Personally. I’d love to see Micah Richards get the place and move both Smalling and Jones into the central defence. (This is mainly due to my personal grudge over John Terry. Sorry John, but I think you and Rio have now past it on the international scene.)

Two positions done, 9 to go. Like the goalkeeper, the left-back role is dominated by one player. With over 90 caps with England, Ashley is one of the few “experienced” players that could last another tournament or two. If injured, the next best bet will be fellow international Leighton Baines. Interestingly enough, I’d like to see how Kyle Walker would get on at left-back as I don’t think he’ll make the cut at his preferred right-back.

 Now the centre-backs. Previously I’ve already stated my desire for Smalling and Jones to dictate them roles. Fabio may stay with Cahill and Terry but Montenegro did expose the vulnerability of the defence. In times like this, we need a leader. Can anyone still respect John Terry after his past? Saying that, can a 19 year old lad from Blackburn gain the respect? In my opinion, I’d give the captaincy to one of the two defensive midfielders in this 4-2-3-1 formation.

My captain would be the unsung hero in Scott Parker. Playing on the right of the two defensive midfielders, Scott has the ability and the attitude to lead the team to Poland/Ukraine. I’d play him alongside Wilshere (if fit.) If Wilshere is still having injury problems, Gareth Barry can always fill in after some consistent performances this year. Another name that could make it is Owen Hargreaves; depending on appearances and like Jack, can he keep fit?


On the right of the three would for me be Adam Johnson. AJ doesn’t seem to fit with the Fabio regime. Capello prefers Downing as his left-footed winger. Theo Walcott also starts games on the right but we’ll get to him later. A problem with AJ is that he won’t play week in week out for Manchester City. An England international really wants to be playing most weeks if not, every week of the season.

The central role is for the forgotten man; Steven Gerrard. Returning to action against Brighton, the road to full recovery for Steve is nearly complete. We will get a better understanding on where Steve is against Man United this weekend. As well as Steve, we also have another experienced pro in Frank Lampard and the up and coming Tom Cleverley who is yet to play for England.

Another impressive performance against Montenegro has surely set Ashley Young a certain start on the left-hand side of the three. Cutting in on his favoured right is an additional threat. Another reason on why I would like AJ on the right.

So, who replaces Wayne? Darren Bent will be the man to probably fit the bill but I’d like to see Theo Walcott play down the middle. Theo has openly admitted to wanting to play in a more central role and there’s no better chance to test this out in the friendly’s v Spain and Portugal. Other contenders could be Daniel Sturridge, Jermaine Defoe and even Michael Owen. For extra height, Andy Carroll and Peter Crouch are also options.

If you’re too lazy to read that, here is my line-up.

Hart
Richards/Johnson – Smalling/Terry – Jones – Cole/Walker/Baines
Parker – Wilshere/Barry
A Johnson/Downing – Gerrard/Lampard/Cleverley – Young
Walcott/Bent