Hold ya horses ye old English!

(Yesterday I blogged about how some facts and figures from 1966 are very similar to 2006, giving the impression that all the signs are pointing towards England returning home on July 10 as World Cup winners. Today however guest blogger Roshan Jason brings us back to reality by looking into some weaknesses in the England team – some weaknesses that may scupper their hopes is winning the trophy.)

Ok, Ok, England’s on a winning streak and Peter Crouch-ing Tiger seems to be on a successful hunting spree. But folks, I really have to beg you to take a step back and honestly evaluate the English team and its chances this year.

Here’s a list of what England fans (and I’m one of them) should really acknowledge as chinks in their armour:

Defence: Yes, Gary Neville, Jamie Carragher, John Terry and Rio Ferdinand are solid defenders with Carragher a more than capable replacement for Neville or for either of the central defenders. However, I have not been convinced by Ashley Cole’s performances. He isn’t the same left back he was before his long lay off. He needs more time to get back to full throttle. In the friendly against Hungary, he was outdone on numerous occasions by the Hungarian left wing in the first half. Cole’s cover – Wayne Bridge – while somewhat reliable defensively, is not very capable of effectively supporting attacks along the wing. My biggest concern rests with the fact that the main central defensive cover – Sol Campbell – is, how shall I put it, no cover at all. Sol’s time has long set over the horizon. Let’s just hope that Neville, Carragher, Terry and Ferdinand remain injury-free throughout the tournament.

Midfield: Yes, the 4-4-2 formation did seem to work better deployed in the final warm-up match (which folks, you should read as just what it was – an international friendly against a less than formidable opponent). The downside with this age-old formation is that Joe Cole, England’s most skillful player, doesn’t revel in it. He was a victim of this much-supported pattern on Saturday. For close to 60 minutes of the game, the gifted-boy was lost. He hardly made any telling runs along the flank and when he did, he didn’t produce any quality crosses. He’s not a winger, full stop! He was a lot more effective when allowed to cut into the middle during the match against Hungary when England played the 4-5-1 (or 4-1-4-1 as some are calling it). Against Jamaica, Cole only came to life when Stewart Downing was brought in on the left-flank. I have to admit though that David Beckham’s crosses and passing are a class above the rest. He’s put to perfection his skills – especially over the last few months - in Madrid. And it’s also assuring to see Steven Gerrard and Frank Lampard quash doubts that they can’t effectively tango together.

Up front: To be brief – Michael Owen is nowhere near his best and Peter Crouch – he’s an imposter. In all honesty folks, he scored a ‘hat-trick’ simply because he had the space to do so. Not because he created room for himself but because the Jamaicans were too busy staying away from him. At the World Cup, defenders are going to be much tighter on strikers and Crouch will find himself with little room to maneuver his robotics. That leaves Theo Walcott and Jermaine Defoe (if Rooney doesn’t make it). Walcott is going to be too overawed – if given and chance – and Defoe, well I’m not sure there’s a reason why he’s even Sven’s fourth natural choice. I guess England will rue the day Rooney hurt himself. The first couples of weeks after the injury, the football world – especially those England – were devastated and were convinced England had no real chance without him. The as time passed, they started to realize that they weren’t doing any good to any slight chances England had by making the other players feel impotent. So, they got behind the rest of the team. But I tell you, ladies and gentleman, Rooney was/is England’s key to glory. Rooney is England’s 11th AND 12th man on the pitch. He has the strength, speed and determination of two strikers put together. His absence will surely be evident when they take on the likes of Paraguay, Sweden and Germany (as I’m predicting England will come in second in group B). I’m just keeping my fingers crossed for Gerrard to fill BOTH PAIRS of boots Rooney has left.

The penalty - This is the final nail in the coffin. Two games, two missed. Although Crouch will certainly not have Sven’s go-ahead to take the spot kick ever again, England’s 11-yard-kick takers are by far dodgy and history always repeats itself – especially when it comes to the English and the dreaded shoot-out. Beckham has missed in the World Cup, Lampard shaky before reaching Germany and Gerrard has surely missed a few for Liverpool and so has Owen. Sven has also named Cole and Owen Hargreaves as potential takers. I’m skeptical of how composed and impartial Hargreaves will be when taking the kick in a country where he plies his trade.

I guess, to cut a long cross to a short pass – England will go into the World Cup, like they have the past few tournaments, one of the favourites and feeling confident of bringing the Queen the Jules Rimes trophy again. Unfortunately, they’ll return feeling robbed of the title, like they always have, since failing to defend their crown in 1970.

(Roshan Jason is an avid football fan (surprise, surprise!). He’s been kicking a ball ever since he can remember and has improved his game over the years by not only getting in games but also by attentively watching the professionals play. He really wishes he had taken a leave of absence for the upcoming World Cup.)